From the Bride: On March 23rd, 2019, I said “I Do” and forever to my wonderful husband, Ace Jones, as we became one. Our wedding turned out to be everything I have ever dreamed of and more. When wedding planning I quickly realized how fast wedding expenses add up, from the wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, grooms attire, groomsman attire, venue, decorations, caterer, etc.

I knew the vision I had in mind for our wedding, a rustic barn theme, as this reflects both, mine and my husbands likes and interests. The bargainer in me wanted to create this vision while also not breaking the bank. Those that know me well know that one of my favorite things to do is find a great bargain. I want to share how we made this possible with those who may be like me. Those that have a beautiful wedding vision in mind but want to save while making the dream become a reality. It is possible for your dream wedding to become reality while saving money in the process if you have the right resources.

One website that is dear to this bargainer’s heart and comes through for almost every item that I need, wedding related or not, is Amazon Prime. My entire wedding was made up of items from there and we saved so much money going this route and were pleased with every purchase.

My mom and I also enjoy doing DIY projects and saving money this way too. My mom worked on our vases for our flowers from a Pinterest idea she found. My husband is a collector of vintage cars. Besides me, these are his loves. I knew I wanted to incorporate them somewhere in our big day. His two vintage cars transported our bridal party to the aisle and his vintage truck transported my dad and I to the aisle.

To add more detail I decided to lay patchwork quilts over the white benches at the barn where guests sat. I gathered quilts from all sides of the family and displayed them on the benches during the ceremony. I was really pleased with the outcome. My mom created all of the bouquets and boutonnières from flowers we ordered online. These items did not break the bank and some did not cost us a dime. With the right resources and a little DIY, your big day on a budget can truly be everything you’ve ever dreamed it would be and more.