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Real Weddings: Randi and Jon’s Intimate Outdoor Wedding

January 29, 2009 by Christina

Randi, 26 and Jon, 27

McKinney, Texas

Wedding Date: June 7, 2008

Number of Guests: 75

Wedding Cost: $7,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Katie’s Garden at the historical Heard Craig home

Wedding Reception Location: Heard Craig Hall

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We were on a budget but also wanted to have a ceremony and reception where we had time to mingle with everyone and just relax and enjoy the day!

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

A lot of wholesale things are cheaper when they come in way-too- large quantities. Deciding on the guest list was another challenge.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

A little. You don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but you have to be realistic about what you can afford and the maximum number of guests you really want there. We tried to choose the people that are important to us, not just acquaintances or coworkers that we hardly know, but people that have a meaning in our lives.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

Not really I think everybody was pretty understanding. We did our best to be tactful and explain our decision.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Our officiant was really funny. It was a really hot day and the ceremony was at six in the evening outside in the Texas humidity, so needless to say my groom (in a tux) was sweating just a little! During the ceremony he had us look at each other’s hands and he talked about the things that our loving hands would provide for one another and one of the things he said while Jon was looking at my hands was that my hands would wipe the sweat from his brow (so I did) everyone laughed and I’ll never forget it!

What were the highlights of the reception?

Jon sang, he is a really good singer but never sings in public he’s too shy. We had been dating for 9 ½ years before we got married and I always told him he had to sing to me at our wedding. (I always thought that was what took him so long to propose! lol) He sang our song to me during our first dance then we had karaoke set up and he sang on a microphone in front of everyone! I was so proud of him! The cake cutting was fun also. We went for the smashing in the face approach. I had cake up my nose probably even in my eyes. It was so funny and very yummy too!

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

I think everything was more personal and not so chaotic. You could hear all the people at your table talking because the noise level wasn’t outrageous and we saved a lot of money.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Just make sure that it is feasible for you. Look at how big your families are and how many people you consider “have to invite guests”. Make sure you make it personal and special. You only get to do this once {hopefully}so make it memorable!

Vendors:

Officiant: Chaplin Ricky Hargrave, he did a wonderful job he was funny but not over the top he added in some humor but kept it very emotional and personal!

Venue: Heard Craig . The garden is beautiful, tones of colors a gazebo a gorgeous historical home behind you and a carriage house to get ready in it was perfect and the hall was awesome it has a beautiful stained glass skylight that just happened to be blue and yellow which were the colors of our wedding. It has a stage for dancing, a kitchen for catering, and plenty of room for guests. I was shocked when I found out it was so reasonably priced

Photography: Treva Tribit Photography . WOW! We started with an engagement session in the spring, it was freezing and windy outside but if you look at our pictures you would think it was 80 and sunny! They were fantastic she captured the emotion in the picture, the sparkle in our eyes and the love in our kiss! Not to mention we had a blast during the session. Then came the wedding and again it was perfect, Treva and her husband Bob captured every moment and some how stayed out of the way and out of each others pictures. They got every memorable moment from getting dressed to driving away as husband and wife. I’m so happy we will have those memories forever!! They have wedding packages for any style of wedding big or small!

Flowers: Edwards Floral Design , Fifty Flowers . Fifty Flowers has the most beautiful blue roses and I had to have them. I was a little unsure about making my own bouquet but was going to try. We decided to use Edwards Floral in McKinney for the boutonnières and corsages, the staff there was great, they even let me bring in my blue roses and they put together my gorges blue and yellow bouquet!

Cake: The Cake Stand . Oh my gosh the cake’s there are delicious and beautiful. It was so hard to decide what flavors of cake and filling and how many layers and what design but the staff there is great! The tasting was one on one so we could ask all of our questions and taste the cakes and fillings. The cake was delivered on time, was more beautiful than I had imagined and was delicious (and easy to clean out of my nose, lol)

Hair: T & T Designs (972) 542-7342, they did a great job even on my 4 year old daughter’s very fine hair (she looked like a princess). Traylyn is an artist she has a vision and will work until she gets it perfect!

Dress: David’s Bridal. You get a great little coupon book when you buy you wedding gown there that has discounts on the bridesmaid dresses, shoes and all kinds of other things!

Photos: Treva Tribit Photography

Filed Under: Real Weddings |

Small Weddings Rock: Cosmo and Tyra Sing Praises of Small Weddings

December 31, 2008 by Christina

Seems everyone is touting the benefits of small weddings these days. Not long ago Cosmo ran an article called Why Small Weddings Rock.

“Designer dress. Jaw-dropping location. Stunning flowers. Amazing band. Yep, even on a modest budget, a Hollywood-style wedding is possible when you keep the numbers down. The less you have to spend feeding throngs of people, the more you can splurge on the things that matter to you,” writes Cosmo.

Tyra Banks is also singing the praises of wee guest lists in Why Small Weddings are Hot in Hollywood:

“Not only will cutting the guest list give you plenty of wiggle room for all the chic touches you’ve been envisioning, it will give you an excuse to fill the room with only your nearest and dearest … Cutting it down to an intimate affair will save you from forfeiting your must-haves, and it will give you the wedding you have always dreamed of.”

Why is the mainstream media catching on to this trend? The “R” word. The economy has really added fuel to an already growing trend. Couples realize cutting the guest list means that they can still have a great wedding without going over budget. In 2009 the trend will grow even bigger.

Rock on small weddings!

Photo: Fuquay Mineral Spring Inn and Gardens, Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina.

Filed Under: Wedding Planning, Wedding Trends |

Why IntimateWeddings.com? How My Small, At-Home Wedding Started it All

November 22, 2008 by Christina

The fam, Christmas 2009.

I didn’t want an up-do for my wedding. I’ve never worn an up-do in my life. It didn’t suit me – but no bride wears her hair down on her wedding day – or so it seemed.

I flipped through luxurious bridal magazines thicker than telephone directories looking for pictures of brides with their hair free of bobby pins. I came up empty.

“You want your hair to look special on your wedding day, don’t you?” said the hairstylist during a trial-run appointment. I caved. “Sure. Give me an up-do.” An hour and a half later the woman staring back in the mirror was no longer me. She wasn’t the kind of girl who wore plaid flannel pajamas. She didn’t have hangnails or enjoy frothy Guinness and warm slabs of steak. That girl wore satin. She ordered salad for lunch. She chewed slowly. She got manicures.

I dismantled the up-do as soon as I got into my car. That evening was one of clarity: I was going to be myself no matter how much pressure I felt. Thankfully, that pressure didn’t come from family or friends. All along, they encouraged me to be true to myself. They knew that I was the type of gal that marched to her own beat. Why would I suddenly change all that on my wedding day?

I had been to enough weddings to know what I didn’t want at our wedding, which included: A)A mile-long receiving line B) Drunk people doing ‘The Macarena’ c) $400 cake smashed into my face D)People singing silly rhyming songs to get us to kiss.

I bought a book to help me plan our wedding, but the more I read, the more I realized just how much my version of the ideal wedding differed from the norm. I didn’t want five bridesmaids; one maid of honor suited me just fine. I didn’t want a garter toss. I didn’t want a DJ playing the Electric Slide. Sure, I wanted music, but my music would be live. And most of all, I didn’t want a big, fat guest list. I didn’t want to celebrate my wedding day with a group of strangers. Instead, I wanted everyone there to have touched our lives in a special way.

I shake my head when I think of all the things I fretted over while we were planning our wedding. Can we really have a wedding with no bridesmaids or groomsmen? Will people think it’s weird that we don’t have a receiving line? Will our guests still have fun if there is no dancing?

My worries were unfounded. Our little wedding turned out to be one of the best days of my life.

Several months after our wedding, I wrote Intimate Weddings: Planning a Small Wedding that Fits Your Budget and Style. Why? Aside from wanting to help brides with all the nitty gritty of planning a small wedding, I wanted other brides to feel confident in their decision to have an intimate wedding – even if their ideas bucked convention. I wanted couples to feel a sense of validation, and, of course, I wanted them to hear about all the wonderful things a small wedding can offer them.

IntimateWeddings.com takes it a giant step further – providing brides with a slew of planning articles, as well as a place to find the ideal venue for their small wedding. The Intimate Details Blog is chock full of fresh ideas for planning a small wedding, as well as couple profiles and a slew of creative ideas on how to cut costs without sacrificing quality.

I don’t have a single regret about taking the aisle less traveled. For me, it made all the difference.

I hope this website inspires you to do the same.

Christina Friedrichsen, IntimateWeddings.com