“We both love beaches and had many special moments at a small beach near my old apartment.  It just made sense to work that in somehow.” Maggie Hall (now LeVine), a 31 year-old aspiring standup comic, took a favorite place and turned it into their wedding theme for her September 26, 2004 wedding to Steve LeVine, a 33 year-old technical support specialist. With a budget of $12,000 they set out to create a beach-y atmosphere and tie in all of their wedding plans to reflect a place and mood that’s very special to them.

Heather and Michael Fazio decided on a traditional wedding for their April 17, 2004 wedding date, with a large guest list of 175 people. “Deciding on our style was mostly a compromise from what both Mike and I had grown up with,” says Heather, age 32, the owner of Document Bandit. She goes on to talk about her groom, 27 year-old senior database analyst Michael: “He is originally from Long Island NY and had been to very elaborate, expensive weddings. I am originally from Massena NY, a very small town in Upstate NY, and grew up with nice, but never elaborate weddings. We threw something that was a mix of both for ourselves and for our family and friends who attended.”