Now that I'm back from all my travels, I finally have a moment to blog about our wedding! Since I Googled the heavens out of "budget Brooklyn wedding" and "should I have a wedding?", I thought I'd write up a few posts for my fellow level-headed, non-wedding-obsessed brides out there. First piece of advice: Don't freak out! You can have a lovely wedding without going insane, sacrificing your social life, or going into debt. For my first entry, here's a round-up of the vendors that we used:
1. Venue: King & Grove Hotel, Williamsburg: Much to our surprise, this swanky-ish hotel was one of our most affordable options. Even piecing together a budget soup-to-nuts wedding (think: barebones venue, barbecue catering) was pricier! That's because we kept our guest list low (64 people). It worked out beautifully: I had plenty time to chat with everyone at the reception; the food was insanely delicious (sliders, croquettes, tacos and ice cream sandwiches!!!); and the drinks were amazing. And who needs decor when you have lush greenery and the NYC skyline? Plus, everything was taken care of, from catering to our hotel room, which made planning an absolute dream. One-stop shop!
2. Photo booth: Podpix. I was obsessed with photo booths long before the wedding craze, and really wanted one, but didn't think we could afford it. Luckily enough, I got roped into going to a wedding fair early on, got on PodPix's email list, and jumped at the opportunity when they sent out a sale blast. Erik and I didn't have anything traditional (speeches, etc.) planned for the reception. We figured a photobooth would give our guests something fun to do -- and we were so glad we splurged! It was such a blast, and I adore all of the keepsake photo strips.
3. Photographer: Sara Luckey. Full disclosure: Sara is one of my friends, but her incredible work speaks for itself! She was clutch in making the wedding day run smoothly and kept us on timeline. She's also a miracle worker in getting people in the right place and making them smile. Erik is a tough one to crack -- he always opts for cool instead of mushy in front of the camera -- but Sara somehow got him to let down his guard!
4. Wedding coordinator and florist: Heather Lee. Heather is another dear homie and a genius to boot. My bouquet was perfection, and she ran everything behind the scenes so I could just enjoy the getting-ready process.
5. Make-up artist: Jennifer Nam. This was another case where I was really glad that I didn't cheap out. Originally, I was thinking of just going to Drybar, but opted to go with Jen so I could stay in Brooklyn. Because we've worked together before on TV segments, I skipped the trials, which cut down the cost. She's amazing, and I couldn't be happier with how my hair and makeup turned out. I didn't even need to do any touchups, because she worked her magic and everything stayed put until 3 a.m.
...And that's it! Because our poor deejay got in an accident, we did our music ourselves through an iPod. That turned out to be fun, because we played songs from both of our cultures, like cumbia and Chinese jams. Our friend Mous married us, which was so dear and personal, and he doubled as our driver during the picture session. Oh, and Osa designed my engagement set and wedding bands. He's a genius! (Come to think of it, we have some talented friends.)
I highly, highly recommend all of of these vendors! My wedding day was a true dream, and I can't think of anything I would have done differently.
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