It is quite admirable to me how some creative brides put their skills to use for not only themselves but other brides, as well, when they embark upon their wedding planning. Today’s wedding blog features just such a bride.
Erin-Marie and Rieve got engaged on their four-year anniversary at the ice skating rink in the Embarcadero Center of San Francisco. The happy couple used the time of their engagement productively…it ultimately resulted in a new business venture!
I’m just thrilled to share with you the details about Erin and Rieve’s special day, as well as the decisions they made to save money while planning their wedding. Many thanks to Brian Dettor (http://www.briandettor.com/) for these lovely photos!
Erin and Rieve were married on a beautiful, sunny day in April at Notre Dame Des Victories, a small Catholic French church in downtown San Francisco.
The guests then walked to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel right off Union Square with a bagpiper leading the way.
Erin explained that they did not initially want to use a hotel, but they decided in the end to go with the Drake because they discovered the cost was much less than renting a space and a catering company.
After the walk to the hotel, the guests then enjoyed a cocktail hour in the beautiful atrium, followed by dinner and dancing in the ballroom.
In the interest of sharing more cost-cutting ideas through today’s wedding blog, Erin also mentioned the following: 1. There were 190 guests but only one photographer (the bride’s cousin acted as back-up photographer as a gift to them). They decided that having guests take additional photos worked well for them.
2. Their venue (The Drake) included a complimentary wedding cake (made fresh the morning of the wedding) and a free hotel room for the couple.
3. The bride’s mother used twigs and branches to make large flower arrangements while a florist did the bouquets and personal floral.
4. Being in San Francisco, the bride and groom used Ghirardelli chocolates for delicious and meaningful favors.
Thank you, Erin-Marie and Rieve, for your valuable contribution to today’s wedding blog. I welcome thoughts from other brides and grooms on what you did to manage your wedding budgets as you created your dream weddings!
If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here or send me an email to susan(dot)southerland(at)pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Your partner in perfect planning,
Susan
