Jasmyn, Support Coordination & Shakyla, student
sum-up of the wedding vibe: Full of love. There was constantly a loving vibe going on.
Planned Budget: $15,000
Actual Budget: $28,000
Number of Guests: 80
Location: Emory Conference Center | Atlanta, Georgia
Where we allocated the most funds:
Most of our funds were allocated to the venue. We held a plated dinner with an open bar. We also rented out the bowling alley in the hotel in place of a rehearsal dinner for our family.
Where we allocated the least funds:
The DJ was the least for us because our parents helped us pay for him.
What was totally worth it:
Our photographer was totally worth it. We went over budget on the photographer, but we are so glad that we did. We got an amazing engagement shoot, and our wedding pictures are absolutely amazing. In the end looking back at the amazing pictures is fantastic. She also doubled as a calming agent on the day of the wedding, just awesome!
What was totally not worth it:
The videographer was not worth it. We thought we loved the concept of the video, but in the end, having to constantly redo things so she could get a good shot took the organic feel away,
A few things that helped us along the way:
Our wedding binder helped the most. We bought a binder filled it up and carried it everywhere we went. If our vendors asked us for things like colors, we could immediately pull out samples for them. Another thing that helped us were phenomenal vendors. We had the best team in the world working with us to pull this day off.
My best practical advice for my planning self:
Stay organized, because it doesn’t seem important today, but it will help in the long run. Also, if you don’t like something, don’t do it, because all the things you like will get lost in your memories—however, the things you hate will stick out forever.
Favorite thing about the wedding:
Our favorite thing was the fact that it stretched across the whole weekend, and we got to spend it with our family. We rented out the bowling alley instead of having a traditional rehearsal dinner so that everyone could just have a great time. All weekend long we had our family in a hotel with us, and we just got to have an amazing time together.
Something else We’d Like to Share:
Having the best team of vendors was probably the best part of the whole process. Our vendors helped in so many different aspects that they weren’t required to, and we are so grateful for them. For instance, we were asked to do a walk through at the last minute, and our planner was unavailable, however our florist stepped in and helped us. The amazing team that we had made our day possible.
