This post is for Charlotte, NC area former brides and also Charlotte brides-to-be, anyone who crafts, who loves shopping second hand, loves spring cleaning and selling, and loves smart savvy shopping. If you’re planning a party, celebration, or a wedding and need decor, or if you have or make decor you’d like to share with others – this is for you!
My wedding is less than two months away! I know what it’s like trying to plan a wedding on a budget. I’m going to let you in on my favorite little secret! Marketplaces, yard sales, and flea markets are where it’s at. If you’re looking for a way to save money on your wedding budget, or ways to make money off of the gorgeous decor you meticulously curated, you must attend the CLT Wedding Flea asap! This year (2018) it’s at 3406 Central Ave on June 2nd from 10a-2p.
Your decor can set the tone for your entire day! If you’ve spent hours perfecting your centerpieces and matching decorations, how awesome would it be to be able to sell the full collection to another bride? And as a future bride, how awesome is it when you score the perfect pieces for your big day for a fraction of the cost compared to a big box store? This is the perfect place to help stay within your budget. It can be tempting to cut back on photography or videography when budgeting for your wedding. Don’t do that!! When the celebration is over everything else will fade and your wedding video and photos will be the best living memory of your special day. Choose a photographer you love, and head to the CLT Wedding Flea for buying and selling your wedding day necessities.
This event is something I couldn’t pass up. I spoke with the founders of CLT Wedding Flea so I could share the details with you all about this awesome company and upcoming event.
Scroll down for an insider tip for Saturday’s event!
My name is Kacie Johnson. I’m a proud Pittsburgh native and have been in Charlotte for just over nine years now. I work for an education non-profit by day, and run a home decorating business by night (in addition to CLT Wedding Flea, of course!). Sara Kay and I met back in 2009 through a teacher training / leadership development program. We’d been in loose touch through the years but reconnected in 2016 when Sara Kay took a job at the same non-profit where I work.
I’m Sara Kay Mooney. I live on the east-side with my husband, two year-old son, and two month-old daughter. I was born and raised in Williamsburg, Virginia and attended Davidson College; I’ve stuck around the area ever since! I’m an avid reader and also enjoy picking up some freelance writing gigs on the side.
We both planned our weddings on a teacher salary which meant we had to get creative with staying under budget. It’s no secret that weddings are expensive, and we’re passionate about providing couples with affordable wedding options. Ideally, couples would not start this new chapter of their lives weighed down with debt. We launched our first market in June of 2017. To our knowledge, nothing like this exists in this region of the country.About four months prior to our first market, we had been talking about how expensive weddings have become. At some point in that conversation, Kacie conceived a brilliant idea: give newlyweds the chance to sell their gently used wedding items to folks planning weddings. The new brides make some extra cash, and the brides-to-be catch a good deal. We both do most of our shopping at thrift stores, so this concept was right up our alley. We had collaborated on several projects together at work, so we knew we made a good team. We decided to go for it. We were overwhelmed by the positive response. Our goal was to have 250 people attend our first market, but we had 500+ show up. It was awesome.
We have met so many amazing people through this process! It’s been really rewarding to have the chance to interact with a diverse set of people who we would not have otherwise met. Be it buyers, sellers, or wedding service professionals, we have loved crossing paths with some really lovely individuals along the way.
Your Insider tips for Saturday’s flea:Bring cash, bring bags/boxes for loot you might find, and feel free to negotiate pricing; haggling is totally fair game!
CLT Wedding Flea has been a huge success for dozens of local brides. Two of Sara Kay and Kacie’s favorite success stories will have you ready to drop everything and head to the event:
One newlywed couple sold $1,200 worth of items at our first market. They were thrilled to be able to recoup that much money in just a few hours time.
The second was a bride-to-be who sent such a sweet email following the event, thanking us for organizing it. Here’s a snippet of what she wrote: “As a bride on a budget, it really was a life saver. I also left feeling inspired because for me it reaffirmed that all brides deserve a special day regardless of income… it also made me think about my own low income upbringing and how a beautiful wedding was a never a possibility for women in my community and how something like a wedding flea market could be an equalizer.” She put it so well. That is exactly what we hope our event accomplishes!
Don’t miss out on this awesome event! And as a bonus for going, the first 200 brides get a gift bag with a special offer from Carina Studios Photography!