Happy Wednesday! Today’s wedding is a gem with lots of color and a stunning outdoor venue. Miriah and Craig did a wonderful job of beautifully pulling everything together with interesting details while maintaining a casual, unfussy atmosphere. The handmade bouquets, guestbook, cupcake stand and mason jars are charming. I love that they took photos with their furbabies after their first look. And how awesome is it that they went fly fishing in the Colorado after their ceremony? Their wedding shows that what makes a wedding special isn’t what you spend money on, but embracing what makes you unique as a couple! xoxo, Jessica

Craig Miriah

August 2014

Grand Lake, Colorado | AA Barn

What was your wedding budget?

We needed to keep it to a minimum since we were trying to do it all on our own. We spent approximately $6,800 on everything for our day.

Dress: $1,500

Barn rental: $200

House rented for bride, groom and the wedding party for 3 nights: $1,700

Food for the reception: $450

Invitations: $200 (includes the postage since I designed and printed them myself on card stock I got on sale)

Decorations: $200 (We silk printed the glasses and bought the flowers in bulk and did the arrangements ourselves, all the burlap was on sale when I bought it as well)

Flower bouquets: $50 (Spent on yarn, then crocheted by the bride)

Hair/makeup: $300

Photographer: $2,200

How many guests did you have?

We ended up having 83 people at our wedding.

What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

I tried to do everything myself and I gave myself plenty of time to get it all done so I didn’t feel rushed in the last couple of weeks. I started crocheting my flowers a year in advance. I gathered a couple of friends to help with the silk screening for the glasses. My maid-of-honor and another friend did the flower arrangements for the tables. My dad made the wood piece for our guest book along with the cupcake stand. My maid-of-honor baked all the cupcakes.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

Not needing to have a fancy catered meal for the reception, we were getting married at a barn on the river. I don’t think a fancy catered meal would have fit in with what we envisioned. I ordered deli meat and cheese trays from City Market and it was the perfect fit.

What was the biggest sacrifice you made to stay on budget?

I don’t think I sacrificed anything to stay on a budget. The day was perfect celebrating with close family and friends. I wouldn’t change a thing if I had an open budget to do it all again. I had a lot of fun doing the majority of it on my own. I love crafting so it made the day more special knowing I did a lot of what made my wedding so unique.

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?

Be realistic, know what you want and start planning early. If you do a lot of the stuff on your own with plenty of time before the wedding you can find deals on almost anything to save a lot of money.

What was your biggest splurge?

Definitely the photographer and I think that is one part you should not skimp on. They capture your day in a way that you can look at the photos and remember your exact feelings at that moment.

What was your favorite detail?

I loved the way my crocheted bouquets turned out, it was tedious and sometimes I got bored crocheting the same four flowers over and over but it was totally worth it. What is the most memorable moment of your day ?First look with my groom and having those moments with just each other before the day got chaotic.

VENDORS

Photographer • Urban Safari Photography, Ltd. • Venue: AA Barn • Flowers: Crocheted by the bride • Dress: Wtoo for D’Anelli Bridal • Hair Makeup: Nancy Small, Apres Ski Hair Design in Grand Lake • Desserts/cupcakes: Maid-of-Honor • Reception band: Old Town Pickers • Rings: Custom design by Nick Mansanares • Jewelry (aside from rings): Charming Charlie • Cowboy boots worn by the bride: Old Gringo Cowgirl Boots • Bridesmaids’ dresses: David’s Bridal.

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