Overview of DIY Wedding on a Budget

Although we didn't have the most ideal budget friendly wedding since our biggest expense was the wedding location. I tried to keep the expense down on everything else! It was also difficult since I only had 3 months to plan. We made a spontaneous decision to have a wedding before Flora turned 1. Having that be in May, we emailed every reception hall we liked for dates in April. Came down to 2 but decided to go ahead with Long Beach Renaissance since they gave us a ballroom even with our guest count of 100 (which later stretched to 140). Double tree Hilton offered us the garden room but the ceiling was too low and made us feel trapped and their ballroom had a guest minimum of 200. Although now that I think about it, the outdoor ceremony would've looked nice in photos. Renaissance offers their outdoor poolside ceremony only if the guest count is under 100.

Bixby Ballroom at The Renaissance Long Beach

Anyways... here is a brief overview of things bought, made, etc. I (tried) to keep it as low budget as possible.