wedding plans

[CityGirlintheCountry]

My last job was with a company that did lighting for weddings. I've worked a kazillion of them. Of course, most of them were $100,000+ weddings so they had very little basis in reality. Take my advice with a grain of salt.

- an outdoor tent wedding can get verrryyyy expensive. Not only do you need a tent, but tables, chairs, lighting, fans (if it's hot or buggy), flooring (if the ground is marshy, muddy or sloped)... the list can go on and on. Generally an indoor wedding and reception end up being cheaper.
However, you can get around most of this stuff.

-get a decent tent. It's worth the money. If it rains, one big tent is a better bet than a series of smaller tents. It's really hard to connect tents so that rain won't leak through. Go for the bigger tent. Get a frame tent as opposed to a pole tent. A pole tent is like a circus tent with big poles running down the center. A frame tent has an aluminum frame like a roof structure. It's easier to work with if you decide to not hire professionals for lighting.
- You'll need some lighting in the tent if you plan on any part of this being late afternoon or evening. If you have several thousand extra dollars to spend, hire a professional lighting company. If you are a normal human, that will be out of the question.

-What I would do is get all of the groomsmen, friends of the groom, random men that have volunteered to help, etc (usually the women are too busy doing other wedding hoohah, but feel free to volunteer them as well). Have a pre-wedding party to light the tent! Twinkle lights (white Christmas tree lights) look gorgeous in a tent and are amazingly bright. In a frame tent, wrap all of the horizontal pole and vertical legs. If you get all crazy, you can swag them around overhead too. They are really pretty in a magical sort of way. PM me if you need more info on how to do this (including how to power them up.)
- japanese lanterns, strings of colored lightbulbs, hanging candles, etc all look pretty too. PM me for more info on inexpensive ways to do these.

- look at flowers at the big warehouse sales places (like Sam's Club). If you have someone kind of creative to arrange them the actual flowers aren't that expensive. Consider things other than flowers. Glass containers filled with fruit, candy, random thematically appropriate natural items (pinecones, nuts, sea shells, etc). Think about the things that make you happy when you see them and use that. I'd love to cover tables with white paper and put out buckets of crayons. Everybody loves crayons!

- spend your big money on photos and good video. You get one shot for preserving the memories.

-Have fun! Be comfortable! Be creative! It is all about you and your honey and the love you feel for each other and the love your friends and family feel for you. Be happy!


Congratulations!

CG

PS If I EVER get married I swear the recessional will be the Hallelujah Chorus.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Thanks. I will email ya when I need ya. I love japanese culture so that would work. My mother loves to arrange flowers so she can have fun with that. I also love crayons

 

[Pelican49]

Congratulations! Have fun with the plans and don't get stressed. My daughter & I spent months making things and planning her wedding. Enlist friends and family with special talents you can use.

She had an outdoor Renaissance wedding. The ceremony was in a grove of trees on their property. The reception was closer to the house. They had several friends from their Renaissance group bring their big tents. We just used the tops of them for shade (would have worked if it rained also). We did everything ourselves, making the clothes & food and didn't spend a whole lot. The main rentals were 2 outhouses (didn't want 150 people tramping through the house), and an inflatable bouncy thing shaped like a castle for the kids.

My daughter's favorite judge that she worked with performed the ceremony, and good sport that he was he wore a Monk's robe. The music was performed by the local police bagpipe group (also friends of my daughter). They didn't charge, called it their wedding gift. The cake was 6 layers, not stacked, but staggered and each one was a different flavor. It was made by the groom's cousin, also as a wedding gift.


I made the invitations, and they turned out great, if I do say so myself. <snicker> I encouraged guests to come in costume. It wasn't required, but most did it anyway.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

That is so cool! I am an irish mix and I love bagpipes

 

[Wooden_Pony]

we got a frame and matte for a wedding photo, deliberately chose one with a biiiig wiiiide off-white matte, and at the reception we had everyone sign it (some just wrote names, others wrote little good-luck typr messages).

They sell them now premade at the big chain craft stores. It comes with the wide mat and in a frame.

We had a bbque for our wedding, it was outside on my Parent's ranch. We wrote in the invites to dress casual since it was on the ranch. We made a dance floor and then surrounded it in hay bales so people would not fall off of it. We strung white chistmas lights in the trees and around the dance floor.

Everyone said it reminded them of the one part in the movie Hope Floats. Our wedding cake was homemade, and the whole thing was eaten that night even the small top one!

My wedding favors were shot glasses(you have to know our friend's to appericiate that one)

The glasses were etched with our names and a cowboy hat surrounded by a lariat.

Our wedding, it was a blast! If you need to spend the money spend it on someone who photographs weddings and a videos them. Because you will never remember everything it goes so fast. CONGRATS!!​

 

[Pelican49]

We had so much fun planning that wedding, makes me wish I had another daughter or 2. LOL

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

thanks wooden_pony. I just cant believe I am getting married. time really flies by ya know. I am a western cowboy and she is a city girl so its going to be fun

. I love everybodys advice they have givin so far

 

[Pelican49]

Quote:
Here are her music makers. They stuck with celtic music all the way through, at the bride & groom's request.

A couple from the Renaissance group my daughter and son-in-law belong to came and gave everyone period dance lessons at the reception.

I'll stop now.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I love celtic music. I love everyones advice and experience dont stop.

 

[unionwirewoman]

Hey congrats ! I'm going through the same thing now . Mine is outdoor and we have kept the expenses pretty low . We bought 3 10'x20' tents on e-bay for $100 a piece shipping included . We decided to do this because the party rental places wanted $300 a piece just for renting . I am also making all of the decorations and since we have lots of pine cones , that is what I'm using . I also went to Wal-mart and bought some cute metal pails , spray painted them a dingy copper and put fake flowers of our wedding colors grouped in them . We also went to the dollar store and bought small glass bowls and colored glass rocks , we plan on filling them half full of water and adding a floating candle to them . We are having a pig roast , and my aunts will be making the salads etc.
An outdoor wedding does not have to cost alot . We are lucky enough to have 36 acres of our own to have it on . Everyone else I've talked to has paid $500+ just to book a place inside for a wedding . A good site I went to was theknot.com(hope I can post that ,if not then the mods can delete it ) It's a great site to find out what you have to do in what week , gives you a budget calculator , and a wedding list . They also have an online store . I bought some coasters that you can put your pictures in for .99cents for 2 . I also ordered my invites online , 75 for $190 , that's not too bad . Take into consideration the amount of time making your own versus buying them . Hope all goes well !