Curious what brides actually experience during the wedding planning process and how they feel after their big day? We’re pulling back the curtain and giving you an all-access pass into the nitty gritty of wedding planning & the wedding day, without all of the fluff, straight from a bride.
REAL BRIDES. REAL EXPERIENCES. WEDDINGS UNVEILED.
MADDI’S WEDDING DETAILS
1. Wedding Location: Fort Worth, Texas
2. Beginning Budget: $25,000
3. Actually Spent: about $30,000 – $35,000
4. Looking back, what do you wish you would have known before you walked down the aisle? I wish I would have known to have someone take a video of how to do the bustle of my dress- that took a while because we couldn’t remember and at that point I was just ready to get to my reception! I also wish we had taken the heat into account- we ran out of water early on because it was a hot July and our dance floor was full!
5. What are one or two things you wish you would’ve made room for in your budget? Anything you could’ve lived without? I really did not think I would regret not doing a video, but now in hindsight I wish we had made room for that in our budget. Or, at the very least, someone to catch our ceremony on tape. When it’s all said and done, the memories, the photos and the videos are all you have left!
I could have lived without personalized beverage napkins to save a little cash, but in all honesty really I felt like we did a good job of not buying things we ended up not needing, and budget shopping.
6. What was the one factor you splurged on? Was it worth it? I would say the get away car was a splurge, but it was something my fiancé really wanted, and he had very few requests during the wedding planning process so we made it work! It’s hard to say if it was “worth it”, because we were only in it for about 5 minutes, as our hotel for wedding night was literally less than a mile away! In hindsight it would have been more worth it if we had asked the driver to drive around for a while so we could enjoy it for longer!
7. How did you find most of your vendors? Most of our vendors came recommended from BRIK venue! If we didn’t get the vendor from them, they came recommend from friends who had used them.
8. When you started planning your wedding, what vendor pricing was the biggest shock? Because we had such a large guest count, the catering price was a big shock. I think we assumed that the venue would be the biggest cost and once we got that done it would get better, so when we got the quote for the catering, that was a surprise!
9. Now that you are on the other side and happily married, what advice do you have to offer current brides? My advice is probably so cliche- BUT, just enjoy every step of the process! It is a whirlwind of a ride planning a wedding. Try to take time to not only focus on the wedding day and how to make it special, but also on the marriage you are building with your partner. When the day is all said and done, you want to start your marriage on a solid, well-prepared foundation! When planning, do your research on vendors, but don’t overthink every little decision- try to be decisive and be confident with your choices. Don’t sweat the little things, especially the week of/day of your wedding. Again, just enjoy the ride and soak it all up!
MADDI’S WEDDING VENDORS
Venue: BRIK Venue
Planner/Coordinator: Maxwell + Gray (Stacy Hillstead)
Gown: Bridal Boutique Lewisville – Lea-Ann Belter (Designer)
Tux: The Groomsman Suit
Photographer: Erin Moulden Photography
Invitations/Paper Suite: Minted
Florist: Sage Fine Flowers
Cake/Sweets: Funky Town Donuts
Catering/Food: Blue Mesa Grill
Bar/Alcohol: We provided our own and hired independent bartenders
Makeup & Hair: Sara Finney (Makeup) // Lauren Minton (Hair)
DJ/Live Music: DJ Rod Baker – DFW Parties
Additional Vendors: 501 Rentals – Photobooth // Altered for the Altar – Gown Alterations // DFW Vintage Cars – Exit Vehicle
