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Butterfly Garden

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Jennifer Koshorek to James Rader; June 12, 2009

Photographs by:

Liz Duren

The couple splurged when they needed professional help, like when they enlisted Out of Hand to create this stunning bouquet and Southern Chic Weddings to perform day-of coordinating.

RECESSIONISTA FASHION: Bridesmaid gowns cost $80 each from J. Crew and since off-the-rack retail tends to run truer to size, says Jennifer, they saved on costly alterations.

Butterfly Garden

Jennifer’s knee-length dress cost less than a longer one, and she saved when she told her dry cleaner it was a cocktail dress—not a wedding gown.

NESTING: A tiny vine nest adorned with a butterfly (the same as those that alit on the cake) served as the ringbearer’s “pillow.”

SAVVY STATIONERS: The couple bought blank-inside cards and designed their programs at home in a Word document. They then enlisted a copy shop to print and fold the programs, and assembled them at home afterward. This method cost much less than had they bought the first programs ($1,000) they saw and loved.

BEAUTIFUL BUNDLE: Use chair markers like these to dress up ceremony seating, then move both the chairs and the flowers to the reception when the time comes.

Jamie made these trays, then filled them with floral foam topped with moss from an art store. They planted the boxes with homemade pinwheels, which cut down on the need for fresh flowers, and doubled as escort cards since they bore guest names and table numbers.

STEEL YOURSELF: The couple found galvanized buckets from a farm wholesaler online, purchased them, and gave them to their florist as centerpiece vessels.

The couple bought buckets from an online farm supplier and gave them to florist Out of Hand to fill. Flowers used in the outdoor ceremony were brought inside to decorate the reception as well.

BOXED GOODS: Florists deliver wedding bouquets in sweet boxes (filled with a cup or vase of water) that make great impromptu displays. After the ceremony, these flowers dressed the reception to stretch the décor dollars spent.

THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES: By opting not to light paper lanterns and instead use them solely as decorative elements, the couple didn’t waste dollars on rigging each with electric lights, and could simply hang them with wire.

Fondant costs up to $2 more per slice than this delight with homespun cream cheese icing from Cakes by Kassarda.

SLIP SLIDING AWAY: “Your wedding day should be fantastic and all you've ever dreamed of,” says Jennifer, “but in the end, it is about getting married to the person you love.”

Butterfly Garden