Looked and Booked: Photo Booth on a Budget

I love the idea of a photo booth at the wedding, and every time we go to a wedding that has one, my future hubby has a blast and insists that we need to have one at our reception.

The trouble: they can be pretty pricey. I made calls to the booths that were displayed at a wedding expo, and they ran around $900 for what we wanted.

We considered rigging up some sort of DIY backdrop, but really wanted a classic go-in-and-close-the-curtain-while-you-make-silly-faces kind of thing.

Enter Groupon. About a year ago, I saw a Groupon offering a three-hour photo booth for $295 (!), including double-prints, a classic photo booth, unlimited sessions, a CD, and a staff member. Turns out the coupon would expire before our wedding date, but a quick e-mail to the owner, and he was willing to match the price for us.

I'm so excited to see all the fun photos!

Original Quote: $900
Booked Price: $295
Savings: $605 (67% off)

Inspiration Board

Here is a cute inspiration board for the wedding, created on minted.com! I loved choosing pictures that I've been collecting and seeing them all together, and you can insert invitations to see how they fit your theme!

untitled 1 board by Brandy. See more wedding invitations

Looked and Booked: Wedding Planning on a Budget

So, I'm planning this wedding. At last count, it is 249 days away.

I'm also a person who loves weddings, and I've probably been to about 20 of them in the past few years (2011 held the record, eight in one year). I'm also a Pinterest addict, and find myself designing my dream wedding when I'm in line at the bank or having trouble falling asleep. 

So, what does this mean? Well, I have a lot of specific ideas and visions about elements I want to incorporate. The problem? My future husband (Matt) and I are shelling out the cash ourselves, and we are on a serious budget.

I was raised to be a pretty serious bargain shopper. While the bulk of my closet is from Anthropologie, though I can count the items I've purchased at full-price on one had (OK, three fingers, and I got a price adjustment on one of those)! Matt and I are also hoping to save money for a house, travel, and establishing ourselves as a family.

So, instead of feeling defeated every time a beautiful item from my fantasy Pinterest life is out of our budget, I'm considering it a fun challenge to seek out a budget-friendly replacement, all without sacrificing the things I refuse to compromise on (I will have great pictures. I will have an open bar. I will not ask my guests to come to a Monday afternoon reception.)

I've always loved the concept of "Lust" vs. "Must" when it comes to designer fashion items in magazines. So, I'm creating "Looked" then "Booked" to document where I'm splurging and where I'm cutting my costs!

Today, my Save the Date cards. I wanted something with a fun, vintage vibe to complement our County Fair themed engagement photos.

LOOKED: I immediately fell in love with (several) designs on Minted. I love the soft color palates, the vintage look, and the quirky designs. The price: between $1.25 and $2.00 each.

BOOKED: Next, I set out to see what I could find that I loved even more, and hopefully at a substantial savings! I spent several hours perusing Etsy, and fell head over heels for a design by Lucille and Buster's. The shop owner was super helpful and tweaked one of her designs to be EXACTLY what I wanted. Grand total: $19.50. The files are sized to upload straight to my choice of printer, and will include stationary paper and envelopes for about 33 cents each. Savings: $102.

I think they turned out really great, and I love them even more than the ones I couldn't afford. Savings: $102.