Showing posts with label reception. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reception. Show all posts
Gotta Love Ebay!
Thursday, February 4, 2010 | Filed in: Labels: ,

So, as you have gathered, I want to be as original as possible when planning my wedding. The problem I have ran into with this goal is money, always money! However, I have not had to sacrifice many of my ideas due to money. Case in point: table cloths.

Most receptions that you attend have either a white, ivory, or black table cloth. All of those are fine, and usually look very classy when dressed up nicely. I wanted something different, though. Since I've changed my colors to green and purple, I wanted to have fun with this, and play up the bright hues of spring! My idea was to have a lime green table cloth with a deep purple overlay- perfect!

The only problem is that it's expensive to do this. To rent a 120" round table cloth will run you around $19 a piece. To put the 84"x 84" overlay will add an additional $16 per table. This comes to a whopping $35 a table, or $525 to RENT my table covers! Geez... not exactly going to fall into my budget conscious wedding plan!

I started to think that just plain ivory wouldn't be that bad. I've never thought anything was wrong with the usual tables in the receptions I've been to! But... I really, really, really want the color! New plan: ebay. I spent about a week pricing out table cloths to purchase on the wonderful, world-wide yard sale, and finally found some for reasonable prices. I bought a lot of 10- and a lot of 5- 120" round, tea-green table cloths for a total of $150. Then, I bought a lot of 10- and a lot of 5- 84" x84" square, purple table cloths for $120. This brought me to a grand total of $270 to cover the tables in the reception: a far cry from the rental price. There was also a HUGE bonus to doing it this way- I can now resell these table cloths on Ebay when I'm done with them! So they may even end up free!?

I still need to get linens for the bridal table and the food tables, but this is a great start. I believe I will be able to borrow the linens for the other tables anyway! :) Below is a mock-up of what the tables will look like (without the centerpieces, of course). I am in love with this! I can't wait to see these bright, fun tables in the Event Center!

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Change Isn't Always a Bad Thing!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 | Filed in: Labels: , ,

So, I've been throwing the idea around in my head for a while, and I've finally settled on changing my colors slightly. I was stressing about the change for quite some time because I thought there was NO logical way I could change colors NOW!!! Then, I remembered that I have over 6 months left, and no real decorations or stationary bought- what do I have to lose?

My colors have now shifted from eggplant and champagne to eggplant and sage with accents of champagne. The color champagne was just too difficult to find anything in!! Instead of continuing the stress over this color, I decided that I really liked the combination of purple and green, and, even better, the combo is all over the place! This makes invitations, decorations, and all other coordinating features of my wedding much easier. Now, the stress is in the creation of everything, and not in just finding the "stuff" to make the creations out of- MUCH BETTER!

I am including some samples of this color combination. Also, the sandals from Sseko Designs are in the mail!!! Pictures to follow :)

This is an inspiration board from Prima Donna Bride showing the color scheme- I don't know that I'll implement THAT much green!


Modern Girl Invitations
This is the new invitation sample I was thinking about using- a little more reflective of our casual feel!

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Ring the Bell for a Fond Farewell...
Friday, August 21, 2009 | Filed in: Labels: , , ,


I have been excited for this idea since I first saw it on Style Me Pretty. As guests file out of the ceremony, they will be encouraged to grab a bell and line up to greet us. Each bell will have a tag that says "Ring the Bell for a Fond Farewell."

Of course, being budget conscious was VERY important for this project. Hand bells run around $5 each. However, there are many wholesale websites that offer these bells for cheaper. Price Wise Favors has these bells for $1.66 each if you order over 96, but this still leaves you with a $166 for 100 guests. That was more than I was willing to part with while staying on a budget. I found a great alternative at American Bridal. I bought 192 of these bells for $39.60! They will ring us off to the reception while still remaining budget-friendly.

I am so excited to start preparing these bells! I think it is a super cute, and unique way to send off the bride and groom. No bird seed or bubbles for us!

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Don't Fear Enlisting Friends!
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You all know the guy: he plugs a "name drop" in every conversation, stretching the subject to fit in his you-know-who-I-know opportunity. But, knowing the right people does not always mean the president of Intel. Sometimes, the best people to know are family and friends with skills in areas you are lacking.


As you can see from this blog, I am dedicated to doing as many projects by hand as I can. The driving force behind this goal is saving as many pennies as possible! At the end of the night, folks, all that will matter is that you are married to your best friend, your soul mate. What won't matter are the Swarovski crystals you spent a small fortune adorning your centerpieces with, that ended up ignored when the dancin' got started.

To this end, I have been recruiting as many of my friends and family as possible. My sister (who is an AMAZING seamstress) has agreed to bustle my dress. Most bridal salons charge a flat rate of $200 for this service. Many brides just factor this cost into the cost of their dress, without considering who they know that might be willing to provide the service for nothing (or, as I plan for my sister, a bottle of wine). In addition, we have talked about adding some buttons to the back of the dress to smooth the look of the zipper.

I was also able to drastically reduce the cost of a DJ by using a friend. The average DJ runs around $800 for 4-6 hours of service. This seemed expensive, and that cost doesn't include travel and a hotel for out-of-town companies. In fact, many couples spend upwards of $1200 to have some directed tunes at their reception. A friend of mine I met through YoungLife (awesome, awesome, awesome youth outreach program) happens to work for a DJ in EO, and has done a couple weddings solo. I had planned to try to use this company (I do wish to shop local as much as possible), and hoped WS would be able to do my reception. After asking him about pricing, he told me their flat rate for 4 hours was $700 with additional cost for time after that, as well as cost for travel and a hotel. Although steep, I had planned for this to be the case. I was shocked when he went on to tell me that he would charge me only $600, no travel, and no hotel if I could find him somewhere to stay! Additionally, he would stay until the party fizzled for no additional cost!

John Lennon got it right: "I get by with a little help from my friends."

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Floral Centerpieces
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 | Filed in: Labels: , , , ,


As I have continually stated, I am trying to keep my wedding within a modest budget. One of the best ways I have found to do this with the reception decorations is DIY. Additionally, staying away from multiple flowers and heavy arrangements can save you a ton! I just discovered that 200 tulips in shades of white and purple will only cost me around $130 if I order them through Albertsons!

My centerpieces are going to be two single vases with a single stem submerged in water. A candle will float on the water, and marbles will disguise the base of the flower. This is going to be a great way to save money, but it could end up more expensive if I am not cautious. Below is an example of this type of centerpiece.

Each vase can kill you if you are purchasing them at $3 or more a piece. Many run closer to $5 each. The dollar store vases didn't run in the right size, but that would definitely be an option. My next place to look? IKEA!! The vases in the size I wanted (even beautifully frosted around the base) ran about $8 each- far more than I hoped since I needed to buy about 30! I did, however, find a budget friendly alternative: drinking glasses.

Ikea has a "beer glass" that has straight sides and is about 8 inches tall. This would be perfect for my arrangements! And, at $6.99 for a half dozen, these glasses fit perfectly into my budget goals! These glasses are going to work perfectly; I am very excited to get started experimenting with the centerpieces!

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Budget Savvy Wine Labels
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I am so excited about my new budget-friendly find for the reception! To save money on the alcohol, I will be purchasing 2 Buck Chuck (Charles Schwab) wine- honestly, who doesn't love this stuff!? To personalize the bottles, I have been scouring the internet for water-proof wine labels. I have found them! I will be ordering a dozen of the purple for the white wine, and two dozen of the champagne colored for the red and blush wine.


I found these on one of my new favorite websites Etsy. The labels are $9.99 for one dozen, so to beautifully cover all of my wine I will be spending a mere $30!

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A Forgotten Element
Thursday, August 13, 2009 | Filed in: Labels: , ,


In telling the stories of my planning journey, I have left out one of my favorites.

SL, as I have mentioned, works out of town for three weeks at a time. During this time, his days start around 4:30 am because he has to leave the apartment by 6 am. Due to the early rising time, we usually say our goodnights by nine o'clock each night.

Although he has supported all of my decisions whole-heartedly (especially the decision to spend as little as possible), he was slow to make too many suggestions. The day after he proposed, he had to return to work, so I drove him to the airport. While in the car, I made a comment geared toward wedding planning to which his response was "whatever you want is fine with me, this is your day."

This comment was shortly followed by a myriad of suggestions focusing around what he has and hasn't liked at all of the previous weddings he's been to: "I really liked the chorizos * had after we had all been drinking for a while," "I didn't really like the food at * wedding, I think I'd rather have a full meal: meat and potatoes with a salad bar," "I really liked the way the tables were set up..." etc.

I just grinned and listened to all of these ideas he had that, he informed me, he hadn't really been thinking about; they were just thoughts. Haha. I believe I caught my fiance getting excited about the planning! Who knew guys paid that much attention at weddings!?

After he had been back at work for a few days, we said our goodnights per usual. About an hour and a half later I get a text that said, "a bundt cake on every table might be nice. or not, just a thought."

My first reaction is "bundt cake! really?" Soon, I moved towards more surprise that this short text meant that SL had been laying awake for an hour and a half thinking about our wedding (at least long enough to formulate that thought)! Yes, ladies, I have truly found the perfect man. As I thought about the text, I thought "bundt cake, why not!?"

So, my friends, do not be surprised if sitting in the middle of each table is a perfectly baked bundt cake. And, yes, SL has volunteered to make each and every one of these scrumptious desserts (he's an amazing cook- his chocolate lava cake thing is to die for). He even mentioned that a lazy susan might make frosting the cakes easier. Sigh... I'll be hard pressed to ever love him more than that moment.

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Pre-reception ideas
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 | Filed in: Labels: ,


SL is set on having his first sight of me at the moment I stand at the end of the isle, headed down to become his wife. I cannot argue with this since he seems very adamant about the importance of this one aspect of our wedding. Understandably, I have been a bit concerned about what to do with our guests while they wait for us to arrive at the reception. I found these little cheese and cracker trays at the 101 DIY projects page and think they would be a great way to start! This, coupled with the wine and beer, should get the party started while our guests await our arrival.

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Where, oh where, is the party at?
Sunday, August 2, 2009 | Filed in: Labels: ,

Although the ceremony sight is usually the first thing on the list to decide on and book (love The Knot for month-by-month checklists!), I happened to look into reception sights first. In my little town there are only a few options for a reception: someone's house, the church, Community Center, an old grange building, the old armory, and a local hotel. I also had to consider that I had budgeted $1000 for renting the sight (also a convenient tool on The Knot).


A personal residence was out because that is a lot of stress for that household; especially since this could not be done at either of my parents' houses. It would inevitably be up to other close friend or family member, and I want these folks to have fun not worry all day about the state of their home/ property! As far as a budget is concerned, having a personal residence for a reception can get expensive. May whether is hard to predict, so a tent would be a must. In addition, you have to rent (or purchase) the tables and chairs, linens, and other staples of many other rentable sights.

The church was out merely due to size, as was the grange building and hotel. Past receptions held at these sights emphasized the need for more space in mid- to large-sized weddings (guest list is not secured as of yet, but we're getting there- it has been impossible to get lists from my parents and future in-laws. If anyone has suggestions for assuaging this issue, post as a comment below).

We are left with the Community Center (CC) and the old armory building, now fondly known as the "Event Center" (EC). The decision between these two venues was difficult. The CC would cost $175 up front for the whole day of the event, with the option to pay another $100 for each additional day needed to set up and tear down. We wanted a day for each. The total initial outlay would come to $375. The draw here was that a) it fell far below my budget b) the deposit for the kitchen would be returned if no damage was incurred, putting the actual cost at $300 for the three days! Of course, this price point makes this venue almost impossible to turn down, but there were a few drawbacks. It would take a multitude of decorations to turn this senior-center-by-day into a reception-by-night. More decorations means more money, and it may eliminate the savings for booking the sight. In the end, even with the decorations, I felt it would still scream "senior center cafeteria!" Although not completely eliminated, the CC was now in the "if we have to" pile. I knew I could make it work, I was just worried about the logistics of making it work.

From the minute I called the coordinator for the EC, I knew this was the place I wanted. I hadn't even seen it yet! She had so much enthusiasm and ideas; it was refreshing to know someone else might be excited for my wedding. She showed me the sight. The first thing I noticed was the character it had without any decorations. It also had a large room you could use for getting ready, or for a quick pep-talk from the MOH if needed. The kitchen (twice the size of the CC) is included in the rental fee, and there are two very large bathrooms right off the main reception room. Getting to the price, it quickly became apparent it would be more than the CC, but I may have already been sold. The rental for the day of the event was $300 with a $100 additional cost to serve alcohol. For each day added (either before or after) the cost to rent the building would only be $100. Originally, I thought the day of the event and a day to tear down would be sufficient: $500. My mother, told me to spend the extra to eliminate the stress of having to coordinate someone to set up the day of the wedding. So, the final cost of renting the EC would be $600.

Days of deliberating passed; I love pro/con lists. The final decision fell on the EC for several reasons: a) still $400 below budget b) much less required decorating= more savings c) larger, more accommodating space d) friendlier management (important since you may be dealing with them frequently in the planning process) e) less restrictions on decorations and food service and, most importantly, f) I felt more comfortable at the EC.

Total cost of wedding: $600


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