Creative + Cheap = The Essence of Me

I’ve been a creative soul ever since I can remember. And my memories of being on a budget go back every bit as far. For me, using creativity and DIY to save money has simply always been a way of life.

So when my not-yet-graduated-from-college daughter came to me in December 2018 and said she had “met her person,” was engaged and getting married in August 2019 (yes, just 8 months later and years before I thought I’d have to fund a wedding), I turned to creativity once again.

Well, first I freaked a little … then I turned to creativity.

I set about constructing an event for about 120 guests, based on a $6,000 budget. My now son-in-law’s parents offered their farm as the venue. The kids got married beneath a giant old cottonwood tree on a perfect Colorado summer evening, after I had spent months prepping, designing, painting, printing, building, gluing and stapling.

I designed and made everything from the save the dates and invitations to the signage, bridemaids bouquets, boutonnieres, tablescapes, archway decor, aisle decor, seating charts and candle wraps. I even made 120 bars of lavender-rosemary soap to give as wedding favors.

The wedding was simple — a little bit rustic, a little bit elegant and absolutely beautiful.

It required a lot of planning, a lot of time and a lot of work — not to mention about a thousand trips to my local craft store. But it also cost less than most weddings and gave me an incredible sense of pride as I stood back and looked at how it all came together and as I watched everyone enjoy the festivities all evening long.

And it set me on a new path — one of sharing all that I’ve learned about pulling together an event in a creative and budget-friendly way. That path has led me here, to Build A Bash — my opportunity to give people real solutions for building a truly lovely and memorable event on a realistic budget.