Bridesmaids Dresses

I'm going to let my bridesmaids pick their own dresses, but that doesn't mean I can't get ideas for them, right?  And I see a LOT of cute dresses out there that I'd love.  Besides, I'm still giving guidance for my girls.  For example, I'd like them to wear either orange/gray/silver, and I'm going to heavily suggest something at around a tea-length or shorter.

One dress style I adore and will suggest to any of my girls who don't know what to do is the Infinite/Convertible dress.  It's a really simple, but really lovely little dress that can be worn in TONS of different styles.  You can dress it down for a day look, or dress it up for a super sexy evening look.  It's a bit expensive (the one I linked to is a little less than $100 before shipping), and would wind up costing more than my dress did in the end, but I think the sheer practicality of it is worth it.

More Drink Ideas!

Did I say Monday?  I meant Wednesday.  Conventions are exhausting!  But it's alright, because I'm back again with another fantastic drink idea (or two) for the wedding.  Both of these come in a variety of flavors, are fun, and feel really special while being more budget friendly than alcohol is!

Both my fiance and I LOVE Italian sodas, so we know it would be a lot of fun to have at the wedding.  We just buy several bottles of syrup and lots of seltzer water.  And you get to watch as people have fun making their own sodas, mixing up all night and enjoying their interactive drinks.  Plus, it gives us something bubbly to toast with, which is always nice.  It could get a little pricey, depending on how many different syrups we get, but I think if we stick to about 5-6 options, we should be alright.

Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

Ah, joy.  You know how I said I wasn't setting my heart on a date.  It's good that I didn't.  I finally got around to asking my last bridesmaid to be a bridesmaid the other day, and she reminded me that the weekend I was planning to have my wedding on might be Passover.  A quick check, and yup, it sure is!  I'd really hate for my friend to not be able to enjoy our delicious food (especially after I spent the first half of the phone call bragging about how delicious it was all going to be), so I'm probably going to reschedule.

Passover Seder is actually really fun to celebrate!

It's fine.  I still haven't set anything in stone (tick tock goes the clock!).  I'm still not sinking my heart completely on this date, as other family issues might have me changing it again, but now, I'm aiming for either April 9th or 10th, depending on whether I choose Saturday or Sunday.  I like Sunday because it's easier for several guests I can think off right off the bat.  But I know Saturday is more traditional, and I'd hate to interrupt family who go to church.

Centerpieces

Of course, everybody wants to hear all about the linens and tableware, but what really gets the eyes popping is centerpieces.  To add a bit of light and drama to the tables, I'm going to start with low lying tea candles in glass holders, which I already bought at a steal; I paid 8 cents for 24 of them!  I'm not kidding!  Thank you Dollar General, and your hidden penny rack!  And thank you Joshua, for working there when these hit that rack!  In the candleholders are orange-colored pumpkin spice scented candles, which were considerably more expensive than the holders but worth the cost for the extra pop they give.

I love these little candleholders!

In the center of the tables (or perhaps two per table, as they're rather long), I'm going to have a stack of books, covered in paper matching the colors of my wedding (which I hope to find on sale after the holiday season), and tied off with a ribbon and a bow.  I'll probably also have a small bouquet of paper cranes tied on, as well, in a simple, elegant sort of way.

Place Settings

Alright, last time I talked about my table cover plans, so this time, I'm going to talk about my specific table settings.  I wouldn't mind feedback here, so if anybody actually follows my blog, please leave a comment about what you think!  Since I'm on a budget, I'm probably going to go with paper plates and napkins, and plastic cutlery.  But that doesn't mean I can't be picky about WHICH paper plates I pick.

I'm thinking about doing something different on the tables with orange overlay cloths versus the ones with the white tablecloths.  Mostly because I don't think orange on orange is attractive, but that a table with no orange at all would be boring.  So for the white tables, I'm using orange square plates as a base, and on the orange tables, I'll be using silver.

Setting the Tables

Since I'm (probably) having my reception inside a picnic pavilion, I know I need to find a good way to dress up those scruffy old picnic tables!  The trick here will be to decorate the tables without them looking cheap, and without spending an arm, a leg, and a half on tablecloths, centerpieces, and other pieces that are usually far too expensive for their own good.

I sorta like the look of that table, though I think a shorter tablecloth with give a lighter, airier feel that will seem more luxurious in the end.  But the most important part is that the tablecloth is really light, and casual.  Not those weighted down polyester tablecloths I see at far too many weddings.  And plastic tablecloths (though I considered it) are right out!  They look obviously cheap.  But renting tablecloths gets pretty expensive, pretty fast.  Even the cheapest linens seem to be about $10 per table, which adds up pretty fast when you consider all of the tables for guests, food, and gifts and such.

Epiphany

An epiphany, for anybody who might not know, is a sudden realization or comprehension of something.  I just had one a few minutes ago, regarding my catering.  I mentioned last week that Joshua and I have a friend who owns a Japanese restaurant, and how he has already made a generous offer to provide sushi for our guests.  But I realized today that I was thinking about spending about $5-$10 per person on catering, and that the food at Sakura falls within that price range.

I won't be asking them to cut us a deal, or anything like that.  But we love this restaurant, we love their food, and we love these people.  There is absolutely no reason we SHOULDN'T ask Jun and Janice if they could cater.  We have to make it clear that we want to pay them for their services, of course, but I can't think of anybody I would RATHER pay for food.

Expenses So Far

bI've started realizing that a lot of the stuff that I'm getting for the wedding is going to be bought gradually, over time.  It's not going to be all at once.  This is MUCH easier on a tight budget, because it means you can pay for things as they come.  But at the same time, if you're trying to keep track of how much money you've spent, it's a bit of a hassle.  So today, I'm going to run through what I've already bought specifically for the wedding.  I'll also make mention of things I already have, so you can consider those costs if you're planning your own wedding.

My Engagement Ring

The biggest expense so far has been my dress.  It was $99.99, with no taxes (hurray for used items!).  However, I AM planning on altering the dress, and for that purpose, I've bought three yards of a simple, white ribbon from Wal-Mart.  At 33 cents a yard, that's $1.07.  I also picked up some fabric at $1.50 a yard to use for table overlays.  It's beautiful, and worth every penny, even if there was only 7 yards of it.  That was $11.37.

Wash It Down

While eating all that delicious food, you need a great way to wash it all down, right?  The typical wedding reaches for alcohol at this point.  However, between religious family members who don't drink, family and friends who seldom drink and could do without, and a few folks who are probably better off NOT drinking, I'd rather omit the spirits from our reception.  And besides, if I wind up having my wedding at a state park, I cannot legally serve alcohol without paying some pretty hefty fees.

But just because I don't have alcohol doesn't mean my guests can't be happily quenched.  I'll probably have a nice variety of non alcoholic beverages, including a signature punch, much like the signature drink other weddings also have.  I'll have to play around, but when I come up with a recipe, I'll be sure to share.  But it's worth noting that I love the look of orange slices floating in a punch bowl, so I'll probably use that.

Om Nom Nom Nom

Well, I have to admit, one of the most important things to me for my wedding is the food.  But the problem is that I don't have the money to splurge on a good caterer.  Heck, a good caterer could cost my entire budget twice over.  So while I'd love for this to be my 'splurge' item, instead, it's 'that thing I might pay to have done professionally.'

High end catering is completely out of the question, no matter how I look at it.  Heck, even lower end catering often charges $20 a person, which for 50 folks, is $1000.  And with the other things I have to pay for, that's just too much, unfortunately.  Besides, a lot of that catering is either down home Southern classics, or barbecue.  Not that there's anything wrong with a good barbecue, but I personally prefer something a little bit more special.