Cody & Lisa’s Wedding + How to save and still have a gorgeous, classy wedding – Youngstown, Ohio
A Youngstown, Ohio wedding story
We met with Cody & Lisa and we knew from the start that they were deeply devoted to each other and very in love. They met in Columbus, Ohio despite being from two different places and fell in love through OSU, traveling, cat foster parenting, and Jesus.
They spent a lot of time finding the best details for their wedding day, while saving a lot of money in the end. It took a lot of work, but they had a lovely wedding day and Lisa even shared some tips below on how to save money when planning a wedding!
Pro Tip from Lisa: Her first piece of advice is: “GO TO LOCAL WEDDING AND BRIDAL SHOWS!!! They saved us so much money. The ones in the Cbus area are about $4 per person. When you attend each one, the bride and groom get a wedding tote with a bunch of goodies. They are mostly gift cards and certificates to businesses around Cbus or websites that just need publicity. Each time we went we got a gift card just for attending. We were able to use this gift card to get our guestbook, canvases and so much more. Also, free food and drinks while you’re there.”
Getting Ready for the Ceremony
It feels so intimate and sweet to be invited into a bride’s home while her party and family are getting ready! Their home was full of warmth and memories of their life so far. One of the hardest memories from their wedding day was that Lisa’s father passed away and was unable to be a part of the ceremony, but God blessed her with an incredible stepfather who was able to cheer her on during her wedding day. (Fun fact! He officially became her stepfather just a month before writing this and we were so thrilled to hear the wedding went well!)
Pro tip from Lisa: “I used Groupon for all the invitations and save the dates. Groupon has good deals for personalized things that are useful in a wedding. It ended up being about $37.50 for 100 save the dates and another $40 for the official invitations. Great deal!”
Wedding Day Fashion
Lisa’s dress was from TJ Maxx and her ring was from Kays. Doesn’t she look as if she belongs in a magazine? She did such an incredible job accessorizing and preparing for her wedding day. Her dress is one of my favorites yet! She sported shoes by Badgley Mischka, just like most of our other brides in 2019. I adore her choice to wear flats though because they are so elegant and were practical for the entire day! Her party wore dresses from David’s Bridal because all the maids were from different locations and towns and were able to coordinate the easiest through the company’s wide reach.
Cody’s suit was from Men’s Wearhouse, and his wedding band was also from Kays. His groomsmen also wore suits from Men’s Warehouse because the distance between all of them was made much smaller with the wide reach of the store. They found a way to make Cody distinct through changing up his details to a full length tie instead of the bowties the groomsmen wore. He also wore different shoes to stand out even more.
Lisa also ordered all the flowers from Sam’s Club and her aunt crafted the arrangements. (Guess what! Sam and I did this too and do not regret it at all!) She said it was an incredible deal and saved them so much money. Her bouquet was goregous and modern and we are absolutely impressed by the way all the flowers turned out. Check out Lisa’s flower advice below:
Pro Tip from Lisa: “We got flowers from Sam’s Club. Honestly, the best deal ever. Florists are crazy expensive and when you’re balling on a budget, not realistic. Pinterest had so many ideas on wedding bouquets and centerpieces and even listed the exact flowers that you’ll need for each combination. I ordered flowers from the list two weeks prior to the wedding . They arrived the thursday before the wedding and my family set them out of the boxes into separate buckets for Friday so they wouldn’t be wrinkled. My aunt assembled them the morning of the wedding.”
First Look
We love watching the joy on a couple’s face during their first time seeing each other! We highly recommend having a private first look with your loved one. It is just so sweet and melts away the stress of the day. Also, the gazebo at Boardman Township Park made for the perfect photo ops.
Boardman Park Ceremony
Boardman Park has an old church and has an old, grand charm. The building has a white washed exterior with large glass windows and beautiful wooden accents. The sanctuary is traditional and intimate, with high, vaulted ceilings and arches and a beautiful wooden floor. It was a beautiful church for a wedding day celebration.
Their ceremony was warm and full of love. Lisa and Cody made the vow to love for a lifetime and both families laughed and cried together in joy during the celebration.
Cocktail Hour
After family portraits wrapped up, we paused for a moment and Cody & Lisa had the chance to just enjoy being married. We just love catering a restful, joyful environment before the big party begins.
Reception at Tavola Ristorante and Catering
Tavola was very inviting and the perfect size for their wedding. Each table was named after a country they visited together while dating and that gave their guests the chance to get to know bits of their journey together up to their wedding day. The food was excellent and the serving staff accommodated so many people just wonderfully.
Pro Trip from Lisa: Can you believe that the wedding cake was from Sam’s Club, too? They actually ordered it the day before the wedding and it still made it on time.
Cody & Lisa’s wedding was a day that all of their family and friends will remember. It was beautiful, classy, and real, and they still managed to save a lot of money!
One more awesome fact: Lisa works for Unchained in Columbus and helps make the annual fashion show a success. She somehow planned her entire wedding and the fashion show at the same time earlier this year. See more from the fashion show here!
