When: August 15, 2010
Where: Excelsior, MN
Bride's Dress: J. Crew - Chiffon and Organza Dune gown
Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew - Cotton Cady dress in cypress green
Menswear: Express pinstripe pants and vests, and plaid ties given to the groomsmen as gifts by the groom
Colors: Cypress green and an array of bright colors
Best part: The LOVE!! Ever notice that when you're at a wedding where you can really tell that the bride and groom are so happy and are having loads of fun, usually the guests are happy and having loads of fun? That was Bo & Megan's wedding for sure. But I can't go without mentioning the location, being lakeside was so beautiful!
Money saving tips: Megan and Bo didn't use floral centerpieces, so really the only thing they needed flowers for were the bouquets and the arch. They got their flowers from a farmer's market and ended up spending less than $100 for 8 bouquets and flowers for the arch. Also, when you have beautiful scenery, you don't have to go crazy with decor. So if you are getting married somewhere naturally pretty, keep it simple and save some $$.
Now let's hear from the bride!
Favorite part of the wedding day: Hard to pick a favorite part really. I loved our ceremony. It was such a beautiful setting. Although my heels kept getting stuck in the grass and I almost tipped over from the wind at one point. I think my most favorite part was meeting Bo on the steps for the first time. We had planned to meet down by the dock, but then he caught a glimpse of me taking pics with my bridesmaids, so he came running up the steps not able to wait to see me:)
Most stressful part: I never felt stressed at all. Two of my bridesmaids, who are married and have been in several weddings, were very 'seasoned' to weddings and were always one step ahead of me making sure I didn't see any little details that maybe didn't work out. Aside from them, we had soooo many other helpers! I had alot of cousins from California that did alot of the prep work and were my little angels for the day. My dear cousin Stina from California was my personal attendant/makeup guru. She ran around with me touching up my makeup and carrying extra bobbie pins. Everyone really pitched in and did alot to make the day so special. Bo and I didn't have to do any of the work!
Would you have done anything differently? We had a bit of a fiasco with the groomsmen outfits! Two vests were not purchased on time and had sold out, so I bought two extra pants and had them converted into vests. When I got them back, the seamstress had used velcro instead of making button holes, so I had to have someone else create button holes. These vests ended up costing 3x as much as they should have. And when the wedding day came, we left those two vests and Bo's, all on the same hanger, at my parents house. Bo had to wear his cousin Ben's vest, and one of our ushers had to give up his pants to one of the groomsmen because he had the wrong color. SO, all that to say, I think if I did it again, we would buy all the guys clothing and then have them reimburse us. It was so complicated getting them to go to Express!
Any tips or recommendations for other brides-to-be? We tried to keep things pretty simple. Our centerpieces consisted of birch bark candles that my dad and grandad made, and IKEA lanterns filled with green apples. It was pretty cheap and it looked really pretty. At our event center we stayed away from chair covers, specialty linens, tulle, and much more to keep the cost down. It was such a pretty space that it didn't need any fancy decor. So my suggestion for brides that are on a budget, pick a location that is already beautiful so you don't have to do much decorating.
Now for my favorite part, PICTURES! Photography was done by Lisa Beth Anderson. Check out her website here.
