Once you’ve come to the decision of asking your loved one to spend the rest of their life with you, or said yes to the person asking you. It’s time to start thinking about some of the bigger picture, and NO we don’t mean the rest of your life. We are obviously talking about the big day! Which can really start adding up! That’s why we’ve reached out for some insight on why thrifting your wedding is the best way to save some pennies. Not to mention the fact it can make it an even more bespoke experience. We know that some of our members and followers love to get thrifty and buy their décor second-hand; so why not you too? After all second hand is not second best, so here is why thrifting a wedding is the best by Amanda Steyer, who put together a thrift-tastic wedding!
Amanda’s Wedding
Amanda quickly realised that a traditional wedding wasn’t for her when she was looking 5 years ago. Which was why she started thrifting her décor. Then spending months looking for those unique pieces and getting the whole family on board Amanda was able to pull off the best big day for her and her partner! Not to mention that love was all around, in everyway, so here is a Q&A about her thrifted wedding experience and why she did it!
What made you decide to thrift for your wedding?
‘I had a vision for what type of wedding I wanted and I knew it would be significantly cheaper if we did it ourselves than if we went a more traditional route. There is also something special about using second hand items that have a story of their own and giving them a second life after they have been dropped off at a thrift shop.’
What was your favourite thrifted item from your wedding?
‘Our vintage, coloured goblets were my favourite item to thrift. We thrifted hundreds of glasses over the course of a year so everyone would have a water glass, a toasting glass and the bar would be stocked with glasses for cocktail hour and the reception. They were such a special touch and really were statement pieces.’
What was your favourite DIY item from your wedding?
‘It’s so hard to choose just one! My mom made these big, beautiful hydrangea wreaths from the flowers at my parents’ house. My husband made tables for our cocktail hour. We got married in September and planted a pumpkin patch to fill in an area of the property. I loved the bar area in the barn and the doors I walked through going down the aisle that my uncle built.’
What items did you DIY for your wedding?
‘The entire venue was DIY, my mom actually grew up there and the property is still in my family. We transformed an old barn into our venue. Together my parents, siblings, husband-to-be and friends built a dance floor, transformed a horse stall into a bar and set up a photobooth. The front of the barn was where our ceremony was and behind the barn was where our cocktail hour and reception were held. The barn hadn’t been used in about 20 years so there was a lot of work that went into cleaning it out and making it wedding ready.’
Do you feel like you saved money, thrifting and DIY-ing, compared to sourcing everything brand new?
‘Absolutely! Once the wedding was over we sold a lot of the items to a small, local rental company. Which meant we were actually able to make a profit. Being able to thrift the items and then resell them to help a small business grow was a win-win!’
Were there any environmental factors that influenced your decisions to thrift and DIY for your wedding?
‘I’ve always been turned off by poorly made, mass produced items due to their lifespan being short and a lot of items ending up in landfills. Vintage items were made to be more durable and I love that I was able to incorporate so many thrifted/DIY items in my wedding. I also knew I would be able to furnish my house with a lot of items from the wedding.’
What were your biggest challenges with thrifting and DIY-ing for your wedding?
‘The sheer amount of items we were thrifting was the biggest challenge. My mom and dad did so much to help with the thrifting and hauling for the wedding. We thrifted all our glassware, dishes, serving pieces, chairs for the ceremony/reception, candlesticks, furniture for seating areas/other stations, and so much more! The wedding had about 175 people so we needed enough items for that many people.’
Where did you pull inspiration from to thrift and DIY?
‘My mom has always decorated with antique/vintage pieces and it definitely rubbed off on me. You can find such unique items while thrifting that can’t be found in a traditional store. There is something so special about that. I knew I wanted a one-of-a-kind wedding and thrifting and DIY-ing definitely gave my wedding a special touch that you can’t get by going the traditional route.’
Do you feel as though thrifting and DIY-ing for your wedding left you inspired to continue doing this?
‘Totally! I would say 90% of the furniture in my house are antiques that were bought second hand. Since getting married we have had 2 children and I try to buy second hand as much as possible. Thrifting for the wedding also inspired my mom to start her own second hand business where she sells vintage valentines over Instagram, a shameless plug to check out @somewhere_in_time_sales’
Where To Find Amanda
If you want to follow any more of Amanda’s adventures then you can find her on both TikTok and Instagram! Where she mostly shares some incredible insight into how she created her dream wedding but also gives other tips around thrifting! Plus a congratulations are in order, as Amanda and her partner have just welcomes a beautiful baby girl! So expect to see some new baby content!
Need Some More Tips?
Now we’ve peaked your interest here are some more ways to get your dream wedding; that you can thrift and budget towards!
How To Plan A Wedding On A Budget
5 Top Tips For An Upcycled Wedding
How to Plan an Eco-Friendly Wedding
Here at Preloved we’d love to hear about your experiences, or DIY projects so be sure to get in touch at lucy.roberts@thehutgroup.com