Today’s bride was lucky enough to get a good deal and bought the first dress she tried on. She definitely has her priorities straight. Having saved money on buying a blush pink dress, she splurged on some Givenchy shoes. She is my kinda girl!

Did you buy the first dress you tried on? You always hear that the first dress the bride tries on is usually the dress. Although, she wont trust her instinct and will drag her mom and bridal party to more stores to try on more of the same dresses. She will still have that first dress in the back of her mind and will be comparing it to all the others.

Don’t be scared by the myth that you can’t buy the first dress you try on. You will naturally be drawn to a certain style of dress and you will try the one that stands out first. Trust your gut feeling. You may hit the jackpot within the first few dresses and find the dress that fits your budget and style. Sure, you can try on 100 more dresses, but I can bet you will go back and buy that first one.

Couple

Tyler & Eddie

Their Story

Bride’s Comments

“Our theme was Day of the Dead. We originally booked our wedding date for October 31, 2014. We were looking for a way to class up a Halloween wedding, and the date’s proximity to Day of the Dead was the initial inspiration. However, it was announced shortly after booking the venue, that Formula 1 would be held over that weekend, causing it to be virtually impossible for our guests to find affordable lodging.

“We decided to keep the theme anyways, since we liked it so much, and also around the time we rescheduled the wedding my mother passed away, which made the theme more resonant.”

About This Wedding

Bride’s Dress and Shoes

“The dress that I wore was actually the very first dress that I tried on in the very first store. I liked that it was non-traditional, but still felt bridal. I wasn’t sure how the blush pink would photograph, but it looked beautiful. I decided to splurge on Givenchy shoes, since I got such a good deal on the dress.”

Did you do a First Look before the ceremony?

“Yes, we did the first look at the hotel before the ceremony. We wanted to get most of the photos done before the ceremony so that we could spend the maximum amount of time with our guests. And we had actually spent the night before the ceremony apart due to unforseen circumstances. So, it was a very dramatic moment when we first saw each other, and it was nice that it was private.”

Which pieces of music did you use during the ceremony?

For the processional it was a random classical mix chosen by our DJ. For the brides entrance we chose “Crosses” by Jose Gonzalez and for the recessional we played “She’s No Lady (She’s My Wife)” by Lyle Lovett.

Wedding Guest Count

“We invited 75 guest and around 65 actually attended our wedding.”

Was it difficult to narrow down your guest list?

“It really wasn’t that hard because we knew we wanted a smaller group and neither of us have huge families or tons of friends.”

Best Wedding Planning Advice

“Think about your guests. We arranged for our venue to be walking distance from the hotel. Since most of our guests were traveling in, we didn’t want to nickel and dime them, so we decided to have a no cash bar and no transportation hassles, etc. Also – keep decorations minimal. Find a beautiful venue and rely on the venue, not the decorations. It will keep your stress level down and look more sophisticated. And, although we didn’t do this, I heard a wonderful flower tip recently. If you have a large number of bridesmaids, use their bouquets for the table centerpieces after the ceremony. Brilliant! Huge money saver!”

Wedding Favors

“We were pretty tapped out at the end of planning everything, so as favors we let our guests take home the paper mache skulls that were used as table decorations.”

Wedding Invitations or DIY

“We had a graphic designer friend do them, along with all our other paper goods like drink menus, name cards, table numbers.”

Wedding Floral Arrangements

“We had dahlias, anemonies, peonies, marigolds, wild roses, along with some other flowers that I could not identify.”

Money Saving Tips

“Find out if you can buy your own liquor. It will save you a lot of money. Also, trust your vendors. Pick talented people and TRUST them. Don’t micromanage too much, or you will drive yourself crazy.”