A $5000 Wedding in Toronto - Too Good to Be True?

You may have already seen this Canadian wedding over at A Practical Wedding a couple weeks ago but I couldn't resist asking the bride, Julie, if I could post it here. Julie and Guy are fellow Torontonians and were married on a tight time line (2.5 month engagement -Julie had to keep reassuring friends and family that she was not pregnant, just incredibly excited to be married) and on a tight budget (CDN $5000). I'm not sure which is crazier, the time line or the budget! Here's how Julie and Guy did it............

The Engagement Ring

It all started with this.

via Team Knit

Guy proposed with a knitted engagement ring he knitted himself. Julie is an avid knitter so the ring was just perfect!

The Stationery
Julie and Guy's friend designed their wedding invitations (below) and programmes which incorporated Julie's passion for knitting and Guy's passion for rollerblading. Another friend offered to do the printing while Julie found some budget friendly card stock at a local art supply store. Grand total for paper, envelopes and postage? $131.50.

via Team Knit

The Attire
Julie found her mermaid style wedding dress on preownedweddingdresses.com for $600 including shipping, customs etc. As you might have noticed, Julie and Guy have some talented friends so it's no surprise that Julie and her friend did the gown alterations. Julie DIYed her own headband and purchased her strappy silver sandals from Payless Shoes for $40.

Guy bought his snazzy suit at H&M.

The Flowers
The morning of her wedding, this bride and her two friends visited local flower marts and purchased parrot tulips, blush tulips, wax flowers, Christmas rose and freesia to make her bouquet. Julie's bridesmaids each held a single hydrangea. Julie's DIY Flower Tip: Don't get wrapped up in the flowers you want. Look for flowers that are reasonably priced and fresh on the day of your wedding.

via Team Knit

The Event
Julie and Guy's ceremony and reception were held at the historic George Brown House. Built in the late 1800's, this landmark boasts 15 fireplaces! The couple had a evening ceremony on a Friday.
The couple and their 54 guests feasted on hors d'oeuvres (as opposed to a traditional and costlier sit-down dinner) catered by French restaurant, Bodega. Don't think you can't have open bar at a budget savvy wedding? Think again. Jule and Guy were able to purchase the alcohol ($547.00) and bring it to the venue themselves saving them lots of money. Julie and her maids baked the wedding cupcakes while parents of a friend supplied the top layer cake.

This practical couple enlisted the assistance of their trusty iPod and rented speakers & a microphone which took care of the music for the event. Grant total? $42.00

The Photo Candy
Guy swapped his web design services for the photography services of budding wedding photographer David Addington. Total damage? $0! I love these outdoor shots David got of Julie and Guy.
After the wedding, Julie and Guy turned to Blurb to create their wedding albums. Check out the final product at http://www.blurb.com/books/724010.

So there you have it - how to throw a $5000 (ok, $5,091.51 to be exact) wedding in the Tdot, in a nutshell. For a complete budget breakdown as well as sage advice from this DIY bride, visit Julie's blog, Team Knit. Team Knit is also a great source for all you knitters out there. A big thank you to Julie for allowing me to share her wedding with all of you. I leave you with wedding planning advice from Julie that struck a chord with me.

Remind yourself that this is a party you are throwing to celebrate your marriage and your commitment to each other. This day does NOT define who you are. I honestly think if people spent half as much time thinking about what kind of marriage they want and how they are going to achieve it instead of obsessing over centerpieces/veil/napkin colours, the divorce rate would be nearly zero.

Do you see the knitted engagement ring? Too cute.

*All photos by David Addington unless stated otherwise.