Whenever I’m interviewed for articles about wedding budgets I get asked, “What should someone do if they realize they are way over budget, and suddenly the wedding is out of control and something they can’t afford and don’t want? What practical solutions would you give them to scale back their wedding budget?” I always say, “Well they could call off the wedding and elope, or do something small.” And EVERY time it’s assumed I’m joking. And EVERY time, I’m really not. Today, Shana of Doomed for Happiness is going to tell you how they did just that. Then a little later today, we’ll get to see their whole (amazing, amazing, amazing) elopement wedding.
—Meg
{A painting made by Shana & Jerrad’s friend Kristin from their real family Christmas card. You’re welcome.}
by Shana
When I was little I never dreamed of what my wedding would look like. I never cut out magazine pictures and glued them to a board or sketched wedding dresses. What I would picture was myself old and wrinkly, sitting next to an equally old and wrinkly person holding hands and being happy. Yes, my twelve-year-old self looked forward to the day of sitting on a couch next to her husband, crocheting and watching Law & Order (which may or may not describe my current relationship).
Even when we first got engaged I didn’t daydream about what our wedding day would look like. Instead of imagining our first dance and centerpieces, I would daydream about all of the life adventures we would go on after the wedding—starting with the honeymoon and ending with where we would retire.
All of those thoughts took a backseat once people started asking me about the wedding. So I jumped headfirst into wedding planning. I started reading wedding blogs/watching trashy wedding reality shows (sorry Iʼm not sorry). We discussed what kind of wedding we wanted (fun, laid back, intimate, and memorable) and what details were important (good food, booze, and dancing). We also had a strict budget since we were paying for the wedding ourselves. So I started with the absolute basics that I had learned over the years from TV, movies, magazines, and the internet.
According to what I had learned, there had to be engagement photos, a rehearsal dinner, a bridal shower, a bachelorette party, a bachelor party, a white dress, a reception dress, a tux, a hair/makeup person, someone to marry us, a pretty venue, bridesmaids, groomsmen, a flower girl, a ring bearer, a large guest list, an organized seating arrangement, hour dʼoeuvres, cocktails, a three course dinner, a gigantic cake, a DJ for a dance party, DECORATIONS EVERYWHERE (including, but not limited to, twinkling lights, mason jars, monogrammed everything, and handmade things), party favors, a photographer, a videographer, long vows, planned speeches, and a cute exit at the end of the night.
It didnʼt take long before I started to freak out and joke about eloping. So to tone it down we started to cut out a few things here and there that werenʼt essential—a second dress, flower girl/ring bearer, three course dinner, a fancy venue, a huge cake, a DJ, crazy decorations, a giant guest list, party favors, and a videographer. Continue reading Calling Off Your Wedding & Eloping
