It was a June, outdoor wedding for Renee Dawn Wilson, a 23 year-old office administrator, and Christopher Sean Taggart, age 34, a screen printer. Their June 17, 2006 wedding took place at Judy’s Wedding Chapel in Greenfield, Indiana, and Renee and Christopher share the story of how they came up with their wedding style and location: 

“Chris is really laid back, and I knew a black tie event would be uncomfortable for him. Plus, we wanted something that everyone could enjoy.  Everything else just kind of fell into place as simple elegance as I call it, which was a nice mixture of formal ideas dressed down a notch or two for our wants.”

With 120 guests and a $3,000 budget, Renee masterfully planned every element of her wedding with the kind of creativity that can triple or quadruple a modest wedding budget. And the true success of a wedding story: everyone had a great time.
 
Why We Chose Our Wedding Location:

“It was absolutely beautiful there.  When Chris and I were planning, we discovered that we both had always wanted to get married outside.  So I finally found this venue that just takes your breath away when you walk in. And not only did she have the outdoor location, she also had a chapel that was available for back up in case of inclement weather. It also wasn't too far away for any of my guests and the owner was an absolute joy to work with.  “My sister (MOH) and I visited the location first and when she and I came around the corner and entered the gazebo area, we were teary eyed as we just stood there looking around. We both said, ‘This is it.’”

How the Groom Helped:

“He'd tell me if he really didn't like something.  Otherwise it was really whatever I wanted,” laughs Renee.
 
About Parental Help:

“We had none, really,” says Renee. “Things are so different from when my mom got married that she really had a hard time understanding my decisions on certain things.  But I did keep the parents informed throughout the planning process.”
 
About the Gown and the Gown Shopping Trip:

“Well, let's see.  I had made several trips beforehand to various stores just to try on dresses and see what kinds I liked and wasn't really getting anywhere – I was threatening to go naked,” laughs Renee. “Then one of the girls on Pash (Maroki13, I believe) posted a picture of her Maggie Sottero dress, and I fell in love with it.  So off I went to check out the website and selected several styles that I wanted to try on.  I located a store through the website that carried the line and tried them on.  I tried on the Tayla style and it was SO me – lots of sparkle and flowing chiffon.  I had also researched costs of the dress online, and I was lucky enough to find a different store that matched the online price, so I got an excellent deal on it.”
 
What the Bridesmaids Wore:

“They wore a strapless navy blue chiffon dress by Jordan.  It had a sash around the waist and a flower on the hip that ironically enough matched the way my dress gathered,” says Renee. “I was not the one to notice this, one of the girls did after they were ordered, I think.”
 
What the Groom Wore:

“He had a black tux with a bow tie (his choice) and a silver vest.”
 
Our Bridal Party:

Renee names her bridal party members: “The Best Man was Thomas, Chris’s stepfather; the Maid of Honor was my sister Melissa, and my bridesmaids were my childhood friends Katie and Nicole, who happen to be sisters as well.”

About Our Ceremony:

“The ceremony was short and sweet, even if it did start a bit late. The preacher was late, of all people, LOL!” Says Renee. “Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet him until that day, so other than a few readings I had picked out (Apache Wedding Blessing and Corinthians) I had no idea what he was going to say.  It all worked out though, he was very much our style.  We did things in the typical order – sayings, vows/rings, unity candle, more sayings, and then we were married.  He did talk about how woman was made from man with a rib, which we found to be amusing because Chris had an extra rib removed about a year before he met me.  It wasn’t planned, but it was fitting for us.”

Our Reception:

“Our reception was hopping!  Or at least I was!” laughs Renee. “I seriously think I left the dance floor like three times, once to use the bathroom and the other two times to get a drink.  On the video you can see my guests coming onto the floor to tell me goodbye…what can I say, I love to dance. Chris chose the band, and they had great music, and everyone had a great time. I loved seeing all my friends and family get on the dance floor and just have fun.”
There was one downfall to the reception, though. “Midway through, it started pouring buckets and the band stopped playing for awhile because of the lighting.  We had CD’s , though, so the music never stopped, and when the storm passed they picked right back up and started playing again!”
 
Our Wedding Menu:

Renee and Chris had “a BBQ without being at the BBQ,” explains Renee. They planned for their favorite, crowd-pleasing dishes, including barbecue pulled pork, ribs, chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, baked beans and cinnamon apples.” 
 
Our Cake:

“My cake was a two-tier square cake with a strawberry and chocolate layer.  I like simple lines, so there wasn't much decoration to the cake, just some dots.  My topper was a figurine of a bride and groom dancing, which was a gift given to me by another member of the bridal party, Margie.”
 
Our Centerpieces:

“My centerpieces were ivy bowls filled with 1) water and a floating candle with blue glass beads or 2) a votive surrounded by blue glass beads with no water.  I also had a ribbon wrapped around the top and placed them on mirrors.”
 
Our Favors:

“My favors were Hershey Hugs and Kisses wrapped in white tulle and tied with a blue ribbon.  I didn't attach a tag or poem to them though, partly because I ran out of time and partly because I knew it'd all get thrown away.”
 
Our First Dance Song:

“We Are Man and Wife” by Michelle Featherstone.
 
Our Favorite Parts of the Wedding:

“Let me think....definitely when Chris saw me as I came around the corner to walk down the aisle,” says Renee.  “Getting to finally kiss him and being announced as Mr. & Mrs. Chris Taggart! Being left alone in my bridal room with just my friend Amy who helped me put on my veil and my garter - it was a nice moment and a bit quieter than it had been, which was really nice.”
 
One of Our Additional ‘Snapshot Moments’:

Renee says, “I still stand by my statement that the best part of the reception is when I looked over and saw both of my grandmothers dancing to AC/DC.  :-D”

 Some Funny Moments From Our Wedding:

“I was informed after the ceremony that I had placed his ring on the wrong hand…oops. ”
“I was also told that during the ceremony there was a spider crawling on my veil and my MOH had to knock if off of me – you can see it in the video, it’s hilarious.”
“We had to pretend to light our unity candle because of the hurricane globes the owner had over the candles were too tall and melted the wax onto the wicks before we could light them.” 
“Have you ever been BOO’d at your own reception?  We were.  We had discussed beforehand about not smashing cake into each other’s faces, so when it came time to do the cake bit and we didn’t smash it, we got boo’d.  Which was clearly heard on the video.”

Our Favorite Reminder:

“I used a photo mat for a sign in “book” at the reception and I love having it hanging on my wall to remind me from time to time of all the people that care about us.”

Renee and Christopher honeymooned at Carolina Beach, North Carolina.  “Chris had never seen the ocean before and I was bound and determined that he was going to get to see it on our honeymoon!” says Renee. “He loved it, too. We stayed at a local hotel and just enjoyed being beach bums all week long.” 

“If you want to get a deal, research, research, research.  I spent countless hours on the Internet but I also saved myself a lot of money bargain hunting and making what I could myself.  Also, don’t let the stress divide the two of you up, because it can if you let it.  Relax and enjoy the ride – it’s only one day and while it’s an important one, no one REALLY cares if your napkins are printed or not.  ;)”

Our Pash DIY Projects:

“So far I’ve submitted memory boards” : http://www.pashweddings.com/weddingforums/showthread.php?t=7616

“and unity candle set:” http://www.pashweddings.com/weddingforums/showthread.php?t=9221

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