The Bride: Ileana, 25, IT and studying to be  a Nurse

The Groom: Evan, 32, IT

The Location: Sayen Gardens, New Jersey

Wedding Colors: Cream, Ivory, Peach, and Orange with a Garden Theme

Budget: $10 - $15k

What made this wedding modern: Ileana says “The modern touch really took shape in the wedding party. The girls had on Jim Hjelm A-Line Tea length Ivory dresses with an orange sash. The dresses were very simple yet had the splash of color that made them pop. The men’s dark chocolate brown tuxes really blended well with the bridesmaids and made the wedding party image very sleek - that is until at any given time one of the 8 wedding party members broke out into horrific party faces - then we were just us!”

Where they splurged: Ileana said hands down, PHOTOGRAPHY. “We felt that 60 years from now as our memories begin to fade it is pictures that will transport us back in time. We wanted to make sure we had a photographer who knew us and knew how to capture key moments. Michelle was amazing. We chose to do a Trash The Dress session with her prior to the big day (with a Forever 21 stand in dress!)* and it really helped build a great friendship with her. We are so pleased with every single picture that the hard part is picking our album shots.”

*We will be doing a post on Ileana’s Trash the Dress session in a few weeks - you can’t miss it, the session was amazing!

Where they saved: Decoration. “Since it was in a garden, we needed limited ceremony decoration and the reception garden house was so cute and antique-y that it need very little to spruce it up. We opted to recycle some decor from my sister’s wedding and replace the flowers with our colors. We also hit up Michael’s for various accents and ALWAYS had our 40% off coupons in hand. The only flowers that were real were the bouquets, lapels & the garden around us.”

*As mentioned in the bio - Ileana and Evan had a budget of only $10k, which to me is pretty unbelievable considering how beautiful everything was!  Recycling decorations from another wedding is a fabulous idea.  Also, making your theme fit the venue rather than vice verse helps too!  Thanks Ileana for your wonderful tips!

Ileana made her theme fit the romantic vintage decor of the Sayen house, rather than the other way around, in order to save on decorations.

Recycling doesn't mean settling for second rate! These centerpieces were used in Ileana's sisters wedding, saved them quite a bit of money on decorations, and looked gorgeous!

How a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e! The gummy bears represented the personalities of the bride and groom - fun loving and silly!

Oranges and whites with hints of pink and yellow made this the perfect bouquet for their garden wedding.

Illeana and Evan wanted to incorporate their three beloved kitties into their wedding day. Since they are housecats, they had to settle for miniature sugar replicas representing them in spirit!

The best part of the wedding:

“The laughter. Everyone was in such a great mood and happy that everywhere you looked people were smiling. We felt so blessed to have such a perfect day with the people we loved. It’s an amazing thing being surrounded by people who are sending you well wishes every moment. When you are immersed in good vibes it is hard not to get on a natural high. We were married and so happy. And that is what it was all about.”

Her Advice:

“Don’t splurge if you are going to feel guilty about it. ENJOY it. Smile and enjoy your man. The day is about the two of you - not just you.”

All photographs are copyright of Michelle King Photography.

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*Remember the post I did a few days ago on those amazing handmade, scrapbook inspired wedding details?  I got the go ahead from Noaillese to do a post of the entire wedding, so here it is!

The Bride: Noaillese, 25, Software Engineer

The Groom: Warren, 25, Computer Science PhD Student

The Location: The Villa Antonia in Austin, Texas

Wedding Colors: Apple Green and Eggplant Purple

What made this wedding modern: A modern color combination mixed with squares, bold flowers, and the use of hand made paper projects made Noaillase and Warren’s big day stand out.

Where they splurged: Once Noaillese and Warren saw the Villa Antonia in Austin, they couldn’t say no, and their biggest splurge automatically became the venue and the food.

Where they saved: Noaillese made all of the stationery herself, including invitations, programs, menus, and table numbers (yes, she’s a crafty gal - complete with her own etsy store!).  She also priced out doing the flowers herself and then found a florist willing to match her calculated price.  This is a bit of wedding vendor negotiation we could all learn from - great idea!

The outdoor ceremony - no wonder they fell in love with the venue!

The best part of the wedding:

“My favorite part of the wedding was sitting down at the sweetheart table with my new husband and just taking a deep breath.” It’s these quiet moments that we remember the most about a wedding.

Looking back, what they would have changed:

Noaillese and Warren had a no regrets wedding -  When asked what she would change Noaillese replied “Nothing really.  I remember spending the whole day smiling and that’s all I could ask for.”

Some of the "negotiated" flowers - wait till you see the rest!

Cymbidium orchids decorated the cake

Told you they were amazing!

Her Advice:

” Enjoy the planning process but don’t worry about it too much.  And on the day of the wedding don’t let anything bother you.  Just enjoy the time spent with family, friends, and your new husband.“

A flower embellishment on one of the many paper projects

To see more of the handmade goodies Noaillese used in her wedding, check out this previous post which mentions quite a few of them.  Also, definitely check out her esty store, Noeys Papers, her stuff is amazing!

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The Bride: Simi, 26, Law Student

The Groom: Prakash, 27, Grad Student

The Location: Bensalem, Pennsylvania

Wedding Theme: Fall

Wedding Colors: Olives, deep red, rust, brown, and tan

What made this wedding modern: Simi and Prakash had a fall wedding with an outdoor ceremony that they celebrated with a large group of family and friends.  They incorporated both hindu and american traditions into their wedding - for instance, during the ceremony Prakash wore traditional hindu garb, but then changed into a chic black suit for the reception.

Where they splurged: Simi and Prakash’s biggest splurge was the food.  The reception hall had an american caterer that they were required to order from, but it was important to them to have indian food for everyone too.  They ended up getting twice as many orders of food as there were guests!  Simi said “A little gluttonous?  Yes.  But it was the only way we could get what we wanted! ”

Where they saved: Because Simi and Prakash had an outdoor wedding while the fall foliage was in full swing, it was already gorgeous outside and they didn’t have to spend much money on flowers.  With the money saved they bought bright fabrics for the mandap (the structure they were married under) and also placed some around the ceremony and reception site.  The lesson here - an outdoor wedding during a gorgeous time of year can save you big bucks in the decorations department!

A view of the mandap from the aisle

The best part of the wedding:

“My favorite part of the wedding was when I was brought in to the ceremony on a doli (a decorated wooden plank), carried by my cousins.  Everyone was so excited, shouting and teasing Prakash and I because it’s supposed to be the first time we “see” each other, as evidenced by the curtain that was held up between us.  The vibe was just indescribable, and I felt like such a queen being carried like that!” (see the picture below!)

Looking back, what they would have changed:

Because of school, Simi and Prakash ended up going on their honeymoon during their winter break, which was 2 months after the wedding.  “Our honeymoon was great, but we really needed some time right after the wedding to relax.  It was so difficult to resume life as usual after such a big event.  If we could go back, we would have taken a few days off following our wedding and stayed at a B&B nearby just to unwind, enjoy each other’s company without all the hassles of life, and let it sink it that we just got married!!”

Simi being carried down the aisle on a lavishly decorated doli to see Prakash for the "first time" :)

Simi hugging the groom's brother. Prakash is in the background waiting for his beautiful bride!

Her Advice:

“Don’t get too stressed out on the days leading up to the wedding day.  On the day of the wedding, you’re not going to care who is sitting where, whether the guests were served at 6 pm or 6:20 pm, or if you are going to remember all the steps to your first dance.  All that you’re going to care about is that you just got married and all your loved ones are there with you blessing you with their good thoughts and best wishes.“

A mix of seasonal flowers were placed on each table.

A stunning portrait of the bride and groom!

Dancing the night away!

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The Bride: Amber, 26, Materials Engineer

The Groom: Matt, 27, Materials Scientist

Wedding Theme: 1920’s Gangster!

Wedding Colors: Black, White, and Red

Budget: $10-15k

What made this wedding modern: Amber loves themes and for the longest time she desperately wanted to wear a fedora hat in her wedding.  This obsession naturally grew into what she called “Project Gangsta” - her vision of a 1920’s gangster themed wedding in black, white, and red, complete with fedora hats, pinstripes, and toy guns!

Where they saved: Due to their small wedding party, Matt and Amber opted not to have a rehearsal dinner and instead spent the evening with out of town guests at a local amusement park - Kennywood Park.  Talk about a fun rehearsal!  They also decided to get married on a Sunday because it saved them $4/person in food, drink, and cake costs.  The maid of honor’s dress was $30 at Macy’s and their photographer was an acquaintance who only charged $1000 for the entire day.

Where they splurged: Amber’s biggest splurge was her dress at $600, which was handmade and based off a design she sketched up herself.  The splurge was well worth it because she got to wear the dress of her dreams, literally.

The bride and groom in their fedora hats!

Believe it or not Amber's flowers are silk! Feathers were worked into the bouquet to create something that Amber loved since she is not a flower person. She was blown away by the final results! P.S. Check out that sexy garter!

The guys wore pinstriped suits and spectator shoes, while the maid of honor wore a red Marilyn Monroe “Seven Year Itch” style dress.

The best part of the wedding:

Amber said that taking photographs at Carnegie Mellon University (where they met each other as engineering majors) and the cake ceremony were definitely the best parts of the wedding. “For the longest time Matt had said he was going to shove cake in my face.  So I came prepared.  I had a lab coat and safety goggles underneath the table that I put on before he fed it to me.  Once I put it on, I had the DJ play “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.”  Everyone got a good laugh out of that.”

Looking back, what they would have changed:

“Honestly, nothing… I loved every minute of it.  The only downside was that the venue was not willing for us to stay any later than our allotted time.  It is understandable, but looking back, I wish the night could’ve lasted longer.  We still had a lot of people out on the dance floor ready to party long into the night.”

Her Advice:

“Don’t get hung up on tradition.  When I told people my wedding ideas of having a non-traditional wedding, I got some comments.  But weddings should ultimately be about pleasing you….not family or friends.”

Amber all decked out in her lab coat and goggles, facing the fabled cake smash!

*****POST UPDATE*****

There was a question about Amber’s wedding invitations - I had a chance to ask here and here is what she said:

“I had them made at Party City.  I picked a really simple tri-fold invite in red and had our names on the front in a circle with dots around it in black….very art deco.  On the inside, since we sent our invites out super early, I had an “Old Time” picture Matt and I took at the beach where he was dressed as a gangster and I was dressed in a flapper costume that sort of acted as the “Save the Date” card (see below).  It had the hotel info on it so people could leave it on their fridge if they wanted to book a room.”

The insert used for the wedding invitation

“Based on the invite design, I made all my table cards and seating chart have a similar art deco design.  Each table was named after some Gangster-esque item.  Below the name, I gave a little background on the item.  For example, the head table was the “Bonnie and Clyde” table.  I also had table names such as Eliot Ness, Nickelodeon, Flappers, Tommy Gun, Spats & Spectators, etc.”

Awesome ideas!!! I hope this offers some extra inspiration for anybody planning their own “Gangster” wedding!

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