"How to have that dream wedding at less than nightmare cost" (Part 2)

Hello friends!  I hope you enjoyed my first post on "How to have that dream wedding at less than nightmare cost". This is the 2nd post in my series and I want to share a few other things I learned.  (If you missed the first one, you can find it here:  http://www.crosson5.blogspot.com/2014/10/how-to-have-that-dream-wedding-at-less.html)  Now... down to business....This is very important and saved us tons of money.....so read this carefully.......Use all the talent your family and friends have and are willing to offer!  Most family and friends would love to help out in any way possible.  A wedding is a family affair so don't be afraid to ask those family members for their help. Here are some of the many ways our family members helped: 

Hilary's aunt is a budding photographer with a lot of talent.  This was the first wedding she had ever done and she handled it like a pro.  We are fortunate to have such a talented family and she really put a lot of time and effort into this.   Wish I could share them all but --- Just check out some of these gorgeous pictures she took:

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful, fun and creative pictures with a  great "family discount!"  Here's another talented family member -- Hilary has an Uncle who is a hairdresser and fixed her hair, my hair, the mother of the groom, the flower girl and ALL the bridesmaid's hair.  (He did a BEAUTIFUL job!  It was ALOT of work too.)  He was so sweet to do this as a gift to Hilary and John.

 

 

  She has another uncle who does wood work and was so sweet to cut out some of the props we used.

 

 

Hilary's soon to be mother-in-law bakes cakes.  She made the bride's cake and it was beautiful AND delicious.

 

 

 

She also has an aunt who bakes cake.  She made the groom's cake and it was a hit! (Who doesn't love anything with Uncle Si on it?)

 

 

I also accepted help from any of my friends who offered.  I borrowed props from a friend of mine who runs a thrift store.  I had purchased LOTS of things for the wedding from him (candle sticks, serving pieces and such) so he was more than happy to let me borrow some props for the photo booth. (fur coats, hats, etc.)  I borrowed the mink coats and purchased the dancing shoes in bulk for less than .50 cents per pair.  The shoes were a hit and actually very comfortable for dancing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another savings -- Hilary's grandmother works for a company that prints wedding invitations.  She let Hilary and John pick out their invitations and napkins and gave them to them as part of their wedding present.  Also -- both Hilary's grandparents wanted to help financially in some way and they helped to secure the deposit for the reception venue.

Hilary's father built the back drop and the photo booth for us.  He also helped with SO many projects that I can't remember them all.  Here is the backdrop with an explanation of where I found some of the materials.

 

The three chandeliers up top were bought from a bridal shop that was going out of business.  I bought all three for $75.00.  Hilary and John plan to use them in their new home.    I put battery operated candles in them and hid the electric wires to keep from having to worry about running electricity.    I purchased the mantel from a friend who has an antique booth.  The framed  "R"  was a thrift store frame that I covered in burlap and Tracy cut the "R" for me.  The coffee bar was a shaker's table from my kitchen and the cake table was a small antique table from my living room.  I already had the white curtains and the topper lace piece was a king size dust ruffle I purchased from a thrift store for $3.00 and then cut the center out.  I sewed all the table cloths and curtains  from burlap that I purchased at Hobby Lobby using my 40 % off coupon.  (I purchased 2 bolts.)

This is the photo booth that Tracy built.  The photographer on the left is Hilary's cousin.  He enjoyed taking the pictures and he wrote down everyone's email address and gave to me.  I emailed everyone their pictures after the wedding.  This was a lot of fun. 

Sorry this post is so long... I just keep thinking of things I want to share with you.  I had intended to share about the dessert bar and the great groom's table find.... I guess I will have to hold that off till Part 3.  I am so excited to share it with you.  Thanks for visiting.  I hope you are finding some of this helpful.