Blaire, Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist & Rachel, Ph.D Student and Research Assistant
sum up of the wedding vibe: Lesbian wedding with a Texas flair full of friends and family eager to celebrate.
Planned Budget: $18,000
Actual Budget: $22,000
Number of Guests: 160
Location: Austin, Texas
Where we allocated the most funds:
Food, venue, and photographer. The venue was at the top of our budget, but it was so worth it. The longhorns on the property made so many photo appearances and the space itself was perfect.
Where we allocated the least funds:
Decorations, hair, and makeup. Blaire’s maid of honor made and decorated the signs that were on display throughout the venue, as well as the guest table for everyone to sign. Blaire’s dad made all of the centerpiece boxes.
What was totally worth it:
Our photographer, Diana Ascarrunz. For us, we wanted someone to capture our wedding from start to finish so that we could relive the night, especially since the wedding was such a busy night for us. We had been together for seven years before getting married, so we wanted to make sure every moment was captured to celebrate such a momentous time in our lives.
Our wedding planner/coordinator was amazing! She took so much of the stress off of us and made the day run so smoothly. She was mostly involved in the actual day events but did so much planning leading up to the wedding that we felt prepared and ready to finally say “I do!”
What was totally not worth it:
We honestly can’t think of anything that wasn’t perfect at our wedding. From the food to the dancing, our guests still rave about the wedding and how much fun they had.
A few things that helped us along the way:
Rachel is a spreadsheet queen and kept us super organized with guests lists, save the date and invitation mailings, budgets, gift tracking, etc. We also had a specific Google Doc that we updated with a timeline leading up to the wedding that kept us super on-task and organized.
Our families were a huge help and support system that made planning so much easier. They didn’t pressure us into anything we didn’t want to do, and they offered to help with planning every step of the way.
My best practical advice for my planning self:
Don’t sweat the small stuff! Everything will come together and nobody will remember the color of the table cloths, so don’t stress out about it.
Favorite thing about the wedding:
I mean, the fact that we FINALLY got married is our favorite thing. In terms of the wedding itself, the love and support that flowed through the venue was overwhelming. Everything about our wedding was perfect and unforgettable.
Something else We’d Like To Share:
Plan a time to eat! We set aside a fifteen-minute window after family photos/during cocktail hour to sit and eat together and catch our breath away from everyone else in a private room. It was a huge lifesaver! While everyone was getting another drink and finding their seats, they didn’t even miss us or wonder where we slipped off to.
