Today’s tattooed bride and groom is Hannah and Rob. They both met each other online which, even though they both only joined it because it was free, Hannah said that she found to learn so much more about Rob because of only being able to communicate via phone after the first initial messages. Their day was beautifully captured by Milwaukee based fine art wedding photographer McKenna Marie.
Really, the entirety of the day was a true representation to who we are as a couple. We made a point of keeping the cost of everything under $2,000 and successfully did so! We wanted our guests to be as comfortable as possible and encouraged them to arrive on their motorcycles and in their hot rods. Our relationship has been built on motorcycles, hot rods, and love. We wanted that to be an element to the day. We did not serve a meal which in turn saved on cost and instead opted for a cocktail hour with a nacho bar since Rob could basically live off them. We couldn’t believe how many people raved about how delicious they were.
We hung lights everywhere we could in the barn to give it a rustic, romantic, cozy vibe. The feel was truly that perfect summer night.
I made a lot of the decorations myself and that was the perfect way to keep myself busy during the winter months leading up to the wedding. But really, the entire barn was designed to our liking. Hard to believe, but the barn was actually loaded corner to corner with junk and bat poop (literally!) So instead of paying an absurd amount of money for a venue, we put in a lot of sweat equity and cleared out the entirety of the barn with few hands. It was a lot down to the wire on work, but it all came together so wonderfully in the end and in turn created something where every inch of the venue represented us and our taste.
My Mom added the polka dot tulle to the bottom of my dress and the top of my dress actually started out as a halter. We cut it down the center, pulled it down, twisted it, and stitched it to give it a much more elegant and bridal look. The sleeve part of my dress was actually just a shirt that I had ordered from ModCloth to have under the dress. My vision for the dress was 1940s/50s pinup and it all just came together even better than I expected. The tattoos just made it all the more rad!
My biggest advice is simply to keep in mind what the day is all about. Don’t get so caught up in pleasing everyone else because you never will. Keep the day personal, keep it intimate, and forget any standards on what is expected. Forget what anyone else has to say about it and do exactly what you want. If your tattoos are important to you, let them show! Our tattoos are our stories and marriage is another piece to our milestones. Don’t let anyone else discourage that mindset.
How awesome is Hannah and Rob’s budget wedding? It’s amazing what you can create with a blank canvas of a space! Thank you to them both and to McKenna Marie Photography for sharing with Marry Me Ink today, be sure to leave them some love.
