It is now February 2025, my wedding is over, and I finally feel like I can come up for air. Five months after he proposed, my fiancé and I were married. I feel like I learned A LOT during the madness of trying to plan a wedding. Below are some things I learned that may be helpful to any almost-brides out there.
Let me start by saying that the wedding we started out planning was not the wedding we ended up with. Our wedding turned out absolutely amazing in the end, though. We are both forty and this is not our first marriage. This wedding was also paid for out of our own pockets. With all of that being said, we did not want a big wedding but something small and intimate, instead.
One of the first things we decided on was a date and a theme. Being the geeks we are, we chose Star Wars for the theme and the Fourth as our wedding date. The next steps were not so easy.
The Venue
I called around a few places and was a bit socked at some of the prices! I also found some very neat places that I loved but did not quite fit our theme. Churches are usually very reasonable especially to members. Some local businesses, like Petals from the Past, also have space available for events. An option we leaned heavily on was an auditorium in a small town. Some of these places offer a slightly nontraditional approach while also allowing freedom for creativity. A place that allows you to do payments is a huge help!
Entertainment
Next up was selecting a DJ. We selected a sweet friend of mine’s husband who does it professionally. When initially looking, I was told to check with music students and ask friends for recommendations. Creating our own playlist and having someone play only that music was also suggested, especially since we had already picked out several songs. Much to my bonus daughters’ amusement, they got to watch me try to dance, and dipping with their dad to Kane Brown was not easy!
Catering
For food, we wanted a small business. I am all for supporting friends, and there is a therapist at my son’s school we were highly considering using, though. One money-saving suggestion I received was to have the wedding in the afternoon. Have it after lunch and before dinner to avoid having to pay for and serve an entire meal. For the cake we chose Publix where my maid of honor and best friend runs the bakery. (And who doesn’t love a Publix cake?)
Decorations
Decorations were probably the easiest part of everything. Thrift stores, yard sales, Facebook marketplace, and even Prime Day Deals were a huge help. Remember how I said it was Star Wars themed? The toy section helped us a lot! We also chose to not do party favors.
The Dress
The dress was a bit more complicated. This was my first time wearing a wedding dress. I wanted something that not only fit our theme, but was also my dream dress. I went to David’s Bridal and found one I loved, but it was not quite right. That’s when I went to a local seamstress to help make my dream come true, and she did! My dress had a skirt that I stepped into that came from a wedding dress at a thrift store. My veil—that I loved—came from Etsy.
Photography
Picking a photographer was a lot of fun! I am friends with several photographers who have already taken family pictures for me. The one we chose for our wedding was originally introduced to me as a potential babysitter! She mentioned in a phone call that she does professional makeup and photography. She was, and is, a Godsend; she’s now part of our family. She took incredible pictures in our backyard for our engagement shoot, so I was thrilled to have her not only do our wedding, but also mine and my bonus daughters’ makeup.
A Hiccup (Of Course)
As I mentioned at the beginning, our wedding did not go as planned. At the beginning of December, we realized that, due to my surgery the month before, the money we thought we had was not quite there. We made the decision then to have the wedding at our home. I watched the weather closely and planned for multiple options.
The Ceremony, Finally!
We had our wedding in the backyard of our first home. My bonus daughters helped with the decorations and setting everything up. My maid of honor had an incredible two-tier wedding cake for us. We served the food that we fixed the night before and the morning of. My best friends still gave me away to my husband, and Kane Brown was still the favorite for songs. My very dear friend married us, and I was blessed to also baptize my husband.
One thing I have learned is that it goes by so fast. You truly blink and it is already over! If I had a large bit of advice, it would be to save money where you can. After all, your wedding is really about the memories you make on your special day with the one that you love.
