All photos are by Annalisa Photography

Some people need to have a big wedding but for my husband and I, a small wedding with just our immediate family was the perfect celebration. These are the people who raised us and grew up with us, allowed us to be ourselves and helped lead us to where we are today. It only felt right to make them feel special on our day but allowing them to be the first ones to know Mr. and Mrs. Sneve!

Rustic wooden cabin buildings nestled among green trees at a summer camp or mountain retreat.

Location


We got married at the St. Joe Lodge on the St. Joe River on June 20, 2025! This was the perfect location and perfect time of year for many reasons. The lodge was built in 1948 and served as a destination for campers, hunters, fishermen and tourists. Through the years it changed hands a few times and is now privately owned. You can read more here if you're interested in a detailed history of the St. Joe Lodge.


I have to say, we got lucky on this one. We were originally planning to get married near Red Ives, which is about 40 miles from Avery. A perfect, secluded, location but didn't make sense for my out of town family. Kris used to do some work for the current owners and we were able to secure the lodge for our wedding; meaning we paid $0! This was a massive weight off our backs!

An official document with signatures and a gold seal lies on a wooden table surface.
Four yellow envelopes placed on a car's black leather passenger seat showing a sequence of delivery photos.

Legal Stuff


In Idaho, it's pretty easy to get married! We went to the county recorders office, filled out the information and boom. Okay.....it wasn't that easy but it felt that easy! These are the real steps we took:

  • We both went the county recorders office with our social security cards and ID. We paid $30 for filing and received our license same day.
  • There is no waiting period in Idaho, nor is there an expiration.
  • After the ceremony, our officiant filled out the information, our witnesses signed and we mailed everything back to the county recorder.
  • We received a certified copy of our license about two weeks after it was mailed.
  • and then Boom! we were married!


The entire legal process can feel so heavy but all in all it was really one of the easiest parts. We had Kris' God Mother officiate for us and both of our Aunts sign as witnesses.


A few things you should know about getting married in Idaho:

  • You will need a certified copy if you're changing your name (Driver's license, social security, any bank information)
  • You both have to be present to obtain a marriage license
  • You can obtain an Idaho marriage license in any county to be used in the state of Idaho.
  • All the steps apply to out-of-state residents
Rustic wooden cabin buildings nestled among green trees at a summer camp or mountain retreat.

Price Breakdown


Our goal was to spend less than $5k on the wedding, that may not seem like a lot but I'm about to prove to you that it was totally doable! We did two separate celebrations, our actual ceremony with family and then the following day we invited our friends and extended family to celebrate in a "Happily Ever After" party. For the sake of "elopements" I'm only going to list the financials from our actual wedding ceremony.


  • Dress/Jewlery - $275 - my mom paid for this, it was actually from Macy's and was perfect for me
  • Kris' outfit - $250 - He wore a pair of khaki's with a dress shirt. He purchased a bowtie with flies on it from a fun little shop online and bought suspenders. The bowtie was a fun touch because he loves to fly fish and we were on the river.
  • Ranger's outfit - $75 - we bought him a bowtie from an Etsy shop for $20 and a new collar/leash set from a shop in Coeur d'Alene called The Labrador Store
  • Kris' wedding band - $500 - purchased from Zales, it happened to be one sale when I bought it!
  • My wedding band - $54 - Originally purchased from Pandora but I found a sterling silver eternity ring with cubic zirconia for $18. I don't plan on wearing my wedding set every day so I also purchased a second ring. That one is a sterling silver, 18k white gold plated eternity ring with moissanite for $36. Both seem to be in in great condition after almost 9 months of consistently wearing them. I do plan on getting something more exciting in the future but for now these fit my needs and if I hadn't told you, you would never know!
  • Marriage license - $30 - cash to the county clerk
  • Shoes - $0, we wore Chaco's we already owned!
  • Florals - $250 - Trader Joe's - I went in a few weeks before the wedding to talk with the florist, I let her know what I wanted, I filled out an order form with a pick up date and they were set aside for me. One thing to know about ordering from them, they may not have what you're looking for in season. You also don't get the option of color but you can put a preference in case they get multiple colors. Whatever colors are delivered to the stores is what you get to choose from, it just happened that I got the colors I wanted. It was the easiest process!! We already owned the mason jars and vases for the flowers.
  • Welcome table
  • Couples pictures - $10 - these were printed at Walgreens (don't worry, we will print higher quality photos when we get the chance) and I thrifted (or already had) the frames
  • Polaroid guest book - $140 - Etsy - I was looking for something that fit the vibe of the wedding + felt like us. I found a leather bound, wooden cover book with blank pages. I was able to customize the size, page count, color paper, and wood finish. It is engraved with our names and wedding date. We had someone taking a polaroid as guests came in and then they taped their picture into the book and wrote us note. It's really sweet to look back at who all was with us. This also includes the polaroids! I already own an instax mini polaroid camera so I purchased two film value packs that had 60 polaroids each, for a total of 120. These were also on sale when I bought them!
  • Stationary/misc items (pens, wooden boxes, fun glasses) - $50 -I had to have pens the fit the theme (duh), this was about the time Joann's was going out of business (RIP) so I was able to get a bunch of wooden things on sale, heart shaped glasses from Amazon, tape for polaroids
  • Dinner - $200 - We fed a total of 14 people, including ourselves. We ordered pizza from TFP's in Avery, there were salads and we did a BYOB. Very informal but the point was for everyone to sit around the table together. This also includes plates, cups and silverware, all from Amazon.
  • Photographer - $1400 - Annalisa Photography did our engagement and wedding photos. I cannot say enough good things about her and will recommend her every single time! She was so kind and we loved getting to know her. She made both sessions feel very easy for a couple who has never had professional photos taken. This was also our largest expense!


That is a grand total of $2959!! It can be done. I will have to get back on the total for the wedding and after party but it was less than $5000.


Close-up of two pairs of feet wearing matching black Chacos sandals standing on rocky ground with floral dress fabric visible.
A legal document or certificate with signatures and a gold seal lies on a wooden table surface.
Mason jars filled with pink peonies and wildflowers line wooden chairs on grass, creating a rustic outdoor wedding aisle.

TIPS!

Hair and make up


I chose to do my hair and make up! I simply couldn't justify spending $400+ and absolutely no shade to anyone who does. I spend about a month figuring out how I wanted to do my hair; it was incredibly frustrating but it allowed me to get ready with my mom and sisters the morning of. I know my face more than anyone and I don't regularly wear make up. I tried a few different styles and landed on something that felt very natural and allowed me to feel beautiful!

family dinner


The most important thing to me on this day was that our families sat down together and had a big family dinner. Kris' family is all local but my family lives in Texas and Colorado so this was likely to be one of the only times that we could realistically sit down for a meal as a new family. We had pizza catered from TFP's in Avery, ID with bag salads and it was perfect! It was also BYOB!

wedding flowers


Trader Joe's for the win on wedding flowers! I spent $250 on greenery and flowers. This made 6 bouquets for quart sized mason jars that lined the isle, two large bouquets that we made for Kris and I's grandmothers and the bouquet I carried. We had left over greenery to use on the sign we left on the road so people could find the location.

Wedding Party


We didn't have one! It was an elopement after all. The idea of coordinating people to stand with us was nauseating, expensive and just not what we wanted. Kris' dad and our dog Ranger were our ring bearers. The entire day was so sentimental this way.

Newlyweds enjoy a romantic moment by a scenic mountain lake surrounded by evergreen forest and rocky shores.
A couple shares candid moments outdoors in a series of black and white photos showing joyful interactions.
A couple poses with their dog on wooden steps outside a rustic green cabin wearing wedding attire.
A black and white photo series showing a couple walking past rustic log cabin lodges in a wooded setting.
A couple celebrates on a rustic wooden deck outside a log cabin, with the bride in a floral dress raising her bouquet.
A group of people enjoying an outdoor gathering by a scenic mountain lake surrounded by evergreen forest.

Our Wedding was perfect! It rained like crazy the morning of, I thought for sure we were going to have to do it on the front porch or inside. Luckily it cleared up and just as it was intended, the clouds parted, the sun came out and the birds were singing to us. We're so grateful our closest people were able to celebrate the most important day of our lives with us.