How They Did It: Natosha + Stephen Share The Details of Their Budget Nashville Wedding
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
In January, ABG hosted The Smart Bride where Natosha, a recent Nashville bride at bridal blogger at Big Spoon, Little Spoon, shared her budget wedding tips and advice. The session featuring tips from budget brides was so popular that I asked Natosha to share all of the details of her $8K wedding and to answer questions from Nashville brides about her wedding - from who she hired, recommends to how she spent her budget to what she'd change about her plans. So, enjoy learning all about Natosha and Stephen's wedding below.
Natosha is our Facebook featured bride/blogger of the week so be sure to post any budget wedding questions on our Facebook discussion board where Natosha will respond.
The Wedding of Natosha and Stephen Benning
Bride ~ Natosha Haskins Benning
Groom ~ Stephen Benning
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Rose Mont Mansion, Gallatin, TN
# of Guests: 100
Budget: $8,100
Vendors:
Stationery: Little Spoon Designs (bride is a stationery designer)
Gown: Cherished Memories Bridal (purchased sample gown; no longer in business)
Accessories: Veil and hair piece by TruLu Couture (Louise Truett, the 30 Something Bride), shoes and necklace custom styled by bride
Groom’s tux/suit: Men’s Wearhouse
Bridesmaids/Groomsmen outfits: David’s Bridal and Men’s Warehouse
Hair: Leyla’s Hair Studio, Hendersonville, TN
Makeup: Princess Bride’s by Christy
Music: iPod/computer setup manned by friend of bride and groom
Caterer: Down South Delights Catering
Baker: Hermitage Bakery
Florist: Artisan Flowers (Jasmin Trenary)
Photographer: Epic Image Photography
Wedding Coordination: Details By Margaret
How would you describe your style as a couple?
Classic and timeless with a bit of vintage glam
How did you incorporate that style into your wedding
Stephen’s only request while planning the wedding was that he and the groomsmen wore traditional black tuxedos. Most of the style decisions made were based around this classic look. I chose whites, ivories and black as our wedding colors and paired it with lush red roses, ivy and fall foliage to complete the look. Simplicity and elegance were key themes and we could think of no better place to host our wedding celebration than an historic home.
What was the favorite aspect of your wedding?
My favorite aspect of our wedding was our personalized ceremony. We wrote the ceremony together as well as our own vows to each other. It was the most important part of the day.
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
I feel like we did a great job planning a budget wedding and balancing each priority category. We both agree that our biggest investment was catering. Down South Delights offered us fabulous quality and service for the price.
I did all of the planning, research, stationery and décor myself, so there was a great deal of DIYing going on. My biggest savings areas were things like our wedding bands, our venue and we cut several corners. For example, we chose to have a dry reception, I purchased our linens and cake plateau instead of renting them and we decided to not use professional transportation because it simply wasn’t important to us.
Rose Mont Mansion was wonderful to work with and we were thrilled with our decision to move the wedding just a short way outside of Nashville.
We forgot to put wedding bands in our original budget, so by the time we got around to purchasing them, we had very little left to work with. I did a lot of shopping around and ultimately ordered Stephen’s band from Amazon and mine from an online retailer called Ultra Diamonds. We spent less than $300 on both rings.
Now that the wedding day is over, is there anything about your planning process you feel you could have done differently?
I could have devoted less time to planning the details and more time choosing vendors. I feel that if I had it to do over again with the knowledge I have now, I would have made different choices or at least put more thought into it in the very beginning. It wasn’t until I found Ashley’s Bride Guide that I began making more educated decisions.
In one sentence, what words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Base your wedding planning decisions on your priorities as a couple and you’ll end up with a wedding that reflects the two of you perfectly.
See more pictures and wedding details on our Facebook Page and ask any questions about planning a budget wedding that you might have.
About the Author:
Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide
Hey - I'm Ashley! I started AshleysBrideGuide.com to give Nashville brides, or folks planning a Nashville wedding, a local resource for inspiration and resources. Hope to see you at a bridal show soon! Happy Planning.
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Posted on March 2, 2011 |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Real Nashville Brides
1 Response to This Post
Posted on March 2, 2011 @ 9:44am