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Bucking Tradition with a Bright and Playful Wedding

Lisa Mathewson photography

Sammy and Steve are two people who embraced the non-traditional wedding! With slight nods to the past with their day time wedding and vintage apparel they turned their backs on nearly all other classic and over the top wedding traditions. Curious about what they did instead? Keep scrolling to find out and don't forget to click the read more tab to get their full budget breakdown!
This gorgeous day was captured by the talented Lisa Mathewson Photography. You can see every last color filled detail in the full gallery here.

wedding accessories

glittlery Betsey Johnson wedding shoes

bright and bold wedding bouquet

words from the vendor

From Lisa Mathewson Photography:Sammy, a NYC fashion blogger/social media marketer, loves glitter, sparkles and all things high-end fashion. Her Kate Spade wedding clutch and statement earrings, set the tone for and perfectly complimented her fun, yet classic J Crew dress.

Sammy and Steve held their wedding at The Rotunda, a neoclassical style building formally an old post office dating back to the 1900's. The beautifully restored building is charming, vintage, and intimate, perfect for this old-soul, fashion forward couple.

short wedding dress

pink maid of honor

groom wedding style

from the bride

We had a really small wedding party – I only had a maid of honor, and my husband only had a best man. They were each able to choose whatever they wanted to wear within the color palette and style of the wedding. Not only was this easy when it came to planning for the wedding, but it made things much simpler the day of as well when it came time to walking down the aisle, taking photos, etc.

wedding sign with diy fabric banner

cute custom wedding pencils for guests to leave love notes with

chevron runner

diy paper pom poms

chevron aisle runner

words from the vendor

From Lisa Mathewson Photography:
The couple structured their day in a laid-back, informal cocktail lunch reception. They focused the majority of their day greeting guests, dancing the afternoon away and enjoying the fruits of their DIY labor.

Sammy and her mom crafted the ribbon backdrop, vintage fabric ribbon sticks, and even combed every goodwill in the area for 25 cent vintage vases which they in turn painted the inside of each vase a fun color filling them each with whimsical florals.

indoor wedding reception

tiny yellow vases

small wedding flowers

dessert table

simple white wedding cake with mini paper bunting

photo booth ideas

steal worthy idea

Not so keen on some of the classic wedding traditions? Try shaking things up like Sammy and Steve!
From the Bride:No Reception Speeches: My husband just thanked everyone for coming. No Huge Cake: Instead we had five cakes, pies, and tortes everyone could choose from. No Assigned Seats: People sat where ever they wanted, mingled, got up to get food and desserts, etc. My husband and I walked around talking to everyone the whole time: we didn’t sit down once! No First Dance: We invited all couple to join us for our first dance. No Garter Toss: I am not a fan of the tradition. We did do a bouquet toss though! No Late Night Party: We loved the nod to old-fashioned weddings, but also found this to be enjoyable for guests. They were able to head back to their lives at a reasonable time, and we were able to head to our hotel room to rehash the day and pass out early.

vintage wedding exit look

wedding exit

getaway car classic mustang

Read on to see how much this nontraditional wedding cost. Please note that costs change as the years go by, and prices are subject to change. This is just one couple’s breakdown to give you a rough estimate on how much a wedding like this may cost you.

Dress – J Crew:  $895
Fascinator – BHLDN:  $ 250
Shoes: Sparkly shoes – Betsey Johnson:  $169 & Pointy shoes – Tahari:  $0 (Already had them!)
Earrings – Kate Spade:  $70
Midi Rings – Rue Gembon:  $65
Jacket – Jaded Rose via ASOS:  $180
Hair and Makeup:  $0  (I did it myself!)
Groom’s Suit – J Crew:  $700
Shirt – Tommy Hilfiger:  $60
Tie – PINK:  $135
Shoes – Ted Baker:  $160
Flowers –The Flower Garden:  $1,200
Eclectic vases from thrift stores:  $150
Vintage hankies – $0:  (borrowed from a friend’s collection)
Welcome board – plywood, chalkboard paint, and chalk:  $40
Ribbon garlands – ribbons, ripped fabric, ball fringe, on twine:  $400
Arch – Spray-painted plumbing pipes and ribbon garland:  $20
Ribbon sticks – dowels, ribbon attached with eyelets:  $100
Facts & Quotes with Spray-Painted Animals:  $50
Favors – heart shaped sunglasses:  $300
Chevron Aisle Runner – Etsy:  $100
Invitations – Andra Delores Design:  $500
DJ – Midwest Sound:  $500
One-Man Band - Boo Bradley:  $400
Food - Chef Jack’s:  $6,000
Hall - The Rotunda:  $2,500
Drinks:  $3,000
Desserts – Sally’s Sweet Shoppe:  $300
Photographer-Lisa Mathewson:  $ 2,500
Photobooth - The Traveling Photo Booth:  $800

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