Garden wedding, on a budget

A garden wedding on a budget of 10,000 kr

Simple, personalised weddings are often the most beautiful and memorable, and for Fanny and Michael, having their closest friends and family there was more important than anything else. They did most of it themselves, and the result was a relaxed and generous celebration despite a minimal budget. Michael’s family are British and the couple have many friends from abroad, so it was particularly lovely to combine their celebration of love with traditional Midsummer food and Swedish traditions.
— Neither of us had ever dreamt of a fairytale wedding; it suited us better to organise a Midsummer party and then squeeze the wedding ceremony in, almost just as an excuse to have a party. Celebrating love with those we love was what mattered most to us

The wedding

The wedding ceremony took place in Fanny’s mum’s garden and was over in thirty seconds.
— During that brief moment, it was just Michael and me. Michael was so overcome that he forgot to say “I do”!
But they were married all the same, and then they could get on with the party, the lovely garden buffet and their guests.
— We only invited people we really wanted to be there when we got married and would miss if they weren’t, we didn’t bother with ‘obligatory invitations’. In return, we gave all our guests the chance to bring a ‘plus one’, and they were free to choose whether that would be a friend, partner or family member – someone they felt comfortable with.

Dinner guests got to cut out paper hearts

To keep costs down, the couple did most of the wedding preparations themselves; together with family and friends, they organised everything from the food to the decorations, entertainment and the bridal bouquet.
— It wasn’t just for financial reasons that we asked people for help; it was also a good excuse to spend lots of time with family and friends before the wedding – we met up, had dinner and prepared food for the wedding, and everyone who came round to our house during this time got to sit and cut out paper hearts or do something else whilst we socialised. We made sure everyone could contribute in ways they were good at and enjoyed, so it didn’t become too much of a burden. That way, it turned into a celebration in which many people were involved, and even during the party the guests got to help out, such as when we hung hundreds of lanterns in the garden’s bushes and trees together, and when we all sang together to celebrate the bride and groom.

A stage built from pallets

Fanny looked for lots of inspiration for the wedding online, and realised that most of the things she liked could be done herself using fairly simple means. She and Michael spent a lot of time making the party personal and beautiful, and mostly used items and materials they already had or were able to borrow. A stage was built from pallets from the tip and old rag rugs, and Michael, who is a DJ, borrowed a sound system.
— Of course, it took a lot of time to do everything ourselves, but it was fun and we took our time with the planning, so that we were really present the whole time and didn’t have to rush. We’ve heard from several people that ours was the best wedding they’d ever been to, precisely because it was so relaxed and ‘low-key’, and several of our acquaintances who met there are now close friends, so there must have been something magical in the air!

D.I.Y – Do It Yourself:

Fanny and Michael treated their guests to fortune cookies, the sort you often get in Chinese restaurants. Inside the cakes were little messages about love and life that they’d printed out on the computer. Fanny also explains how to make a bridal bouquet from vintage buttons, your own lanterns and bunting garlands!

PINK LOVE FORTUNE COOKIES, approx. 35 pieces

4 egg whites
2.5 dl sugar
2 dl plain flour
0.5 dl cornflour
1 tsp vanilla sugar
75 g melted butter
1 drop of red food colouring
Method: Prepare 35 strips of paper with your chosen text, about 5 cm long. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar to form a meringue mixture. Sift the dry ingredients into the mixture, then fold in the butter and the food colouring – don’t use too much colouring! Spoon out a tablespoon of mixture, leaving 10 centimetres between each spoonful. Use the back of a spoon to shape the spoonfuls into small rounds. Bake one tray at a time for about 8 minutes, then remove from the oven. Whilst the biscuits are still warm and soft, place a strip of baking paper on top of each one, fold it in half and drape it over the rim of a bowl until they have set.

Bridal bouquet made from vintage buttons

— My bridal bouquet consisted of buttons, beads and jewellery from my mum, grandma, great-grandma, friends and from my own collection. Making it is super easy but requires a bit of patience. After the wedding, the bouquet becomes a lovely keepsake to treasure and pass on to future generations.
Here’s how: Attach each button, bead or piece of jewellery to a length of slightly sturdier steel wire; the ‘stem’ should be about 20 centimetres long. Then twist the pieces of wire together to shape the bouquet. Once you’re happy with the shape, glue or sew some lace or other pretty ribbon around the bouquet so that it’s comfortable to hold.
Cost: 0–300 kr for buttons and steel wire.

Glass jar lanterns

— During our engagement, we saved all our glass jars, and for the wedding I attached lace or steel wire around each jar so they could be hung up, and placed tea lights inside them. Then the wedding guests helped us light and hang them as dusk fell, and the hundreds of candles in the garden created a truly magical atmosphere.
Cost: 100–200 SEK for candles and ribbon.

Pennant garlands

— I gathered together some matching old tablecloths, curtains and handkerchiefs, but any fabric with a bit of stiffness will do.
Here’s how: Cut the fabric into triangles using a piece of cardboard as a template. Then sew the pennants onto a double-folded binding strip at regular intervals to hold them together.
Cost: Around 100 kr for the binding strip, often available at car boot sales.

Budget tips for a personalised wedding

– Holding both the ceremony and the reception in my mum’s garden meant we didn’t have to pay for a venue. Almost any location can be used if you’ve got a bit of imagination and think outside the box when it comes to decorations and furnishings. Ask round among friends and family for a lovely garden, or why not a boat or a greenhouse?

– Many of our friends are musicians, so we provided a few borrowed instruments. After dinner, anyone who wanted to could pick up an instrument and play or sing, so there was no need to book any entertainment.

– Ask for help in the right way! We cooked all the food ourselves together with family and friends; we often had dinner together at the same time so we had time to socialise and make sure everyone was coping with their tasks and having fun. It’s easy to take on too much, but we wanted to make it a way to spend more time together rather than just having everyone work. Make sure everyone gets to do what they’re best at and enjoy doing!

– Design your own invitations on the computer, but go for slightly nicer paper. We added some stylish stickers and stamps, and finished each one with a lipstick kiss mark.

Fanny & Michael’s budget: Around 10,000 SEK in total

Two vintage wedding dresses and the bridesmaids’ dresses: 4,000 SEK

Rings: 2,500 SEK (for gold and engraving only)

Drinks: 1,500 SEK

Food: 1,000 kr

Decorations, stage etc.: 1,000 SEK

Venue: 0 kr

Photographer: 0 kr

Entertainment: 0 SEK

Cake: 0 SEK (a gift from Fanny’s sister)