I am 32 and this will be my first marriage, and I have been to very few weddings in my life maybe 2......I am reaching out to you wonderful ladies for help, ideas, etc.
We have the place, its outdoors and on the lake, so time will be evening on July 10th
I have cake picked out but not someone to make, need chair rentals, and all but trying to do it all affordable on a budget! HELP:)
Have band, place is on eagle mountain lake, Fort Woth side, most likely have photographer.... is $400 bad for 16x20, 6 8 1/2x11 1/2, and 40 thank you cards & envelopes? Not catering, do a smoker with picnic style food, and already have most the beverages purchased, have ring pillow, flower girl basket......thats where were at so far!
I have an invitation business and would be happy to help with invitations and favor ideas. If you are interested email me and I can work up some custom pricing for you =)
My website is www.WorksofaWink.com
All of my designs are custom so if you don't see what you are looking for I can make something custom for you. Good luck, and congrads!
If you are having it outdoors, I would see if I could reserve a large tent in case of rain. You never know with the weather around here. Look for rental companies, such as A-1 Rentals where you can get chairs and almost anything else you need. If you don't mind some used items, post on freecycle.org and see if you can get anything free. Look at places like walmart and michaels for the smaller things. Hope this helps some. Don't scrimp on the photographer-- I made that mistake & now totally regret it.
Congratulations!
I found theknot.com to be a wonderful resource. You can find local businesses along with reviews and recommendations from local brides.
I am from Michigan so I don't have any other answers for you! Just make sure that you take the time to enjoy your big day and don't sweat the small stuff. The most important thing is that your husband shows up and that you get married. That's what you are there for =)
For instance...ALL of my flowers arrived closed and there was no chance of them opening in time for the wedding...solution? We were given beautiful red and orange roses and made due with that. I didn't care and actually ended up liking the new arrangements better!
Take care and best wishes!
I made my own invitations from kits at Michaels. I would take people with me to go shopping and we all had a 40% off coupon from the sunday paper. That really cut down on the cost of invitations!! We made all the favors, center pieces, ect. A friend's mom made the cake, and my family members made all the food. You can really do things cheaply if you tap into all your resources.
One thing I do not suggest is having a friend or relative take your pics. This is really the one area where it is better to pay. Not top dollar though!! Alot of photographers take advantage and charge top dollar for weddings. When I had my photography business I only charged $100 an hour. You should be able to find someone around that price from craigslist. Just be sure to do your research, ask for a portfolio, and see if they have references or letters / quotes from past customers. Everything else will fade, but the pictures hold your memories forever. You really want them to be nice. Another thing to look for is how much they will sell you the cd/dvd of pictures for and if that comes with the copyright so that you can print wherever you want. Although it may seem expensive, it really is cost effective to get all 1000 pics for a small cost so that you can see them all.
I am wondering if you could get away with providing only a few chairs for the parents of the couple or for grandparents and allow the rest of the guests to stand? I saw a cute idea on line about favors for guests of little organza bags with packets of seed inside - just seemed useful and inexpensive thing to do. I got all my flowers at Kroger's, bought the very minimum, got my dress off the rack for less than $90, got my daughter's dresses made by future grandma in law, stuck flowers in my hair, got my shoes at Payless (they were actually slippers but I needed the ivory color and they worked)
You CAN have an inexpensive wedding if you are careful, don't get drawn in by the wedding industry and do what YOU want to do. No one is going to be remembering your wedding as much as you will in 50 years. It makes me sad to see brides freak out.
Stay calm and have a good time! God's Blessings on your new life!
I am 32 and also planning my first wedding! It is on the 27th of this month. I am getting very excited. I would def check out A-1 rentals or Ducky Bob's. I used www.tastefullyyourscakes.com. She does amazing work and is very reasonable. I also have a photographer that I would definitely recommend. Her name is Jillian Hamp and she has a blog at www.jillianhamp.com. (The 21 Feb is me an and my fiancee.) She has also done my bridals which she won't post for fear of my fiancee seeing them. She is wonderful and very sweet. If you need any names of people don't hesitate to ask and i will give you any info you need.
Best of luck and congratulations!!!
I agree about the pictures, my first wedding my pictures were expensive but SOOOO worth it. My second wedding my family took pictures using professional equipment and they were over exposed, washed out, and the other friends who took their own pictures were the only ones I got.
I planned a wedding for a friend's son who got married at a lake and it was very sweet and romantic. I actually made the wedding dress too. The dress will of course be the big deal. The rest of the wedding goes by what your dress is like. Is it simple, short, long with a long train, short train, etc...the style of wedding depends on that.
The dress I made was tee length, just above the ankles but not up to the bottom of the knees, she didn't want a dress that dragged on the grass and got dirty.
We borrowed chairs from a local church we went to, used a 4"X4" post attached to a 18" square on top and bottom to make a place for flower arrangements to be on each side of the bride and groom, we painted them white to match my white dress. If your dress is another color you can always paint them another color. We covered the top with square peices of satin that was hemmed on all 4 sides. I just bought a few colors of satin and got several yards and made them myself. For example, the fabric is 45" wide I would cut it at 45" long and have a square 45 by 45, then hem it. You can make various sizes and then lay one down on the flat top, then take another color and turn it slightly and put it on top of the previous on and so one, You get a layered look and all the colors show. We also used twisted paper and made bow with a few tiny sprigs of flowers on the backs of the chairs, just to make it more festive. The side flowers that went on these tables were in white baskets that resembled a flower girls little basket. With pretty handles and a wide open top. The flowers coordinated with the brides bouquet but were not identical.
If you borrow the chairs from a church you might see if they have a portable podium you can borrow or a music stand. You can also cover the podium or stand for the clergy to put his notes or scriptures on.
I had a friend make my flowers in my second wedding, she charged me $100 and it was worth it to not have to worry about them. I have made the flowers for several of my friends kids weddings too so I know that it's easy also. Hobby Lobby has all kinds of base supplies for you to use. They have bouquet bases that you just poke your flowers into and then fill in the rest with greenery or filler. They also have tons of books on "How to do it" too. If you want an arch or anything behind the clergy then you can rent stuff from Hobby Lobby too. I think they are cheaper but I don't know what's avail. to you in your area. My sister bought a light weight garden arch and then decorated it with greenery from Hobby Lobby that she bought when it was on sale for 50% off.
There are lots of things you can do that will reflect your taste and personality that you can do your self at little or minmal cost.
I am a cake designer and baker, if you would like to talk about having your cake made (depending on what part of DFW you will be having the wedding). I am not familiar with "springtown", is that far from Midlothain?
