Some professional photos.

Our incredible photographer (Ashley O'Dell of Boston) already sent us some sneak peaks from our wedding on Saturday. I decided to write up a little overview of the wedding. We were able to have the most fabulous wedding of our dreams for a fraction of the usual costs.

From the beginning, we just wanted to get married and be husband and wife. The rest was just details. We had our wedding at the Arnold Arboretum park for free. We hired a justice of the peace for $200 (including a pre-wedding meeting) and our wedding license was $25. Once we knew that we had those things down, we knew everything else would fall into place and it did better than we ever imagined. We hired a professional photographer for an hour to photograph the ceremony and our families in the park, but she stayed a bit longer.

From there, my dress was $40 and my shoes were $40. My husband wore a beautiful suit. We will be able to wear these things many time in the future (and remember our wedding day fondly when we do!).

For the flowers, we got really lucky. We were going to make our own bouquets (my mother and mother in law were going to help me). When we got to our supermarket the night before the wedding, they had already made bridesmaid bouquets for $12. It was yet another omen that everything would fall into place.

We invited immediate family on both sides (10 adult guests and 2 children). We told them they could wear anything they would feel comfortable in. The park was beautiful and everything was blooming. We chose the perfect spot and the weather was favorable (although a bit humid!). The ceremony was wonderful and very emotional.

We took photographs in the park and then we went to the Oak Room, where we made reservations for a private room for $100. When we arrived, there were signs up pointing our guests to "Nathan and Jane's Wedding". We chose a 3 course menu for $55 per person (with two appetizer options, 4 main meal options, and two dessert options). The staff went above and beyond to make the lunch extremely special. The menus were personalized with "Nathan and Jane's Wedding". The service was above and beyond (but that's what happens at these fancy restaurants). They even personalized our desserts. Everything was fantastic. The day was perfect in every single way.

My advice for any brides is to take it easy, to enjoy the wedding and to not freak out over the details. It was these things that made this day better than I ever imagined and I will never, ever forget it.