A Handmade Wedding for Under $5K

Hello lovelies!  I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of a couple of friends of ours, Bhakti and Melody, this past weekend in gorgeous Santa Barbara.  It was so nice to get out of the heat and be close to the ocean for one thing, but mostly it was awesome to see all the handmade details of their celebration.  This wedding was under $5,000 y'all!  It can be done!  Here are some of the highlights I loved...

This was the ceremony program, I absolutely love this quote!

The ceremony was in a beautiful park...

I absolutely love these bridesmaids dresses, so cute and wearable!

The bride, Melody, had her brother officiate the ceremony...

This was my favorite part of the ceremony.  Instead of a unity candle or unity sand, Bhakti and Melody (both musicians and music lovers), created a unity note.  They rang their own bell individually, and then rang all three bells together at the same time.  It was so cool and unique and such a perfect reflection of them as a couple.

 

I loved the outside of the reception location...

Inside the reception space was the DIY card box and a thumbprint tree guest book...

I loved the handmade centerpieces, lots of different shaped bottles with lace and daisies...

I can't wait to plant my wildflower seeds we got as a favor!

The happy couple in their first dance... I absolutely adored Melody's dress from the moment I saw it, and loved it even more after she told me it was her mom's dress!  How cool is that?

 The cake was made by a friend (and tasted amazing!)...

During the dollar dance, guests pinned their offerings to Melody's dress, which I thought was really cool...

Instead of the traditional bouquet toss, the couple invited all married couples out to the dance floor, and then "eliminated" the couples who had been married the shortest time until they were left with the couple who had been married the longest--Melody's parents.  Melody then gave the bouquet to her mom, which was so sweet.

This was the kind of wedding I love because it was a true reflection of the couple and their relationship.  This couple is super chill, laid back, and so full of love, and their wedding was all of those things!  Thanks to Bhakti and Melody for letting me share in (and share!) your day!