Down Home Romance: A Real Wedding, Part 1

Mr and Mrs V

She is bubbly and outgoing, he is quiet and reserved.  She is passionate about celebrating life and he is passionate about her.  When Mike proposed to Rachel, he wanted to give her the wedding of her dreams.  Since dreams can't be bought with a price and real life vehemently disagrees, the two set forth to create a wedding that would fit into their modest budget of $5000 (which had to include all gifts, attire, rehearsal dinner and wedding bands).
       Mike grew up in a small town in the southern Colorado mountains and met Rachel when they were both English majors in college.  When I sat down with the two of them for the first time, we discussed the overall look and feel they were going for as well as how to accomplish those things with monetary restrictions.  They wanted a wedding that is relaxed and fun in atmosphere but beautiful and romantic in feel.  This is how we nailed down the "down home romance : burlap and lace" concept.  It is classy and beautiful but earthy and gritty- much like the two of them.

Enjoying mojitos on the porch during beverage hour.

We set out to make most of the wedding elements ourselves so as to save as much money as possible without compromising the details that make an occasion stand out. We were blessed to be able to use the ceremony and reception facility for only $75 total, thanks to a friend doing us a favor.  Her stunning photography was done at a VERY low cost by her lifelong friend, Shannon and her business partner, Celeste, whose business Whimzy Photography focuses primarily on maternity, infant and family photography. The catering was chosen both for its value and its taste (both the bride and groom were HUGE fans of Bird Dog BBQ) and we felt that it fit the theme perfectly.

The wedding party - all but two are family members.

The color scheme: various shades of brown, white and ivory with pops of granny smith apple green in order to echo nature and tie in the burlap and the lace.