Reception Decor Change

I've blogged a few times in the past about my ideas of reception decorations. My thought was to use balloons and somehow string them from the top of the tent. But no matter what I tried, I couldn't make it work. And I was terrified about how much time it would involve. So I decided to just scratch the whole idea altogether and just not have anything in the top of the tent.

But a few weeks ago, I got an Oriental Trading Wedding catalog and found the most beautiful and affordable lanterns EVER! I've always wanted to use lanterns to decorate the reception tent. But I couldn't justify the cost because I just couldn't find any that were reasonably priced...no matter how much I searched online. Oriental Trading has fulfilled my dreams of having beautiful paper lanterns hanging from our reception tent!

Both the large and small lanterns come in white, black, pink and silver. Here's the pricing details:
Large Lanterns 18": $24.99 for a set of 6 (basically 4.15 each!)
Small Lanterns 10": $13.99 for a set of 12 (basically 1.15 each!)
They also have metallic silver and gold lanterns that are 6 1/2" and they are $12.99 for a dozen lanterns.

I bought one large set and one small set, all the silver color (not the metallic though). I originally thought about spray painting some of them purple but have decided not to. The silver is beautiful and lets face it, I don't need to add anything else to my list that's not absolutely necessary and especially nothing that adds more cost! These lanterns were a splurge for sure but I'm so glad I bought them! Here are some pictures of the lanterns I bought. I love the unique shape of them!

(Source: yours truly)

So what do you think? If you're wanting lanterns, you really need to check out Oriental Trading!

Just A Few Things

So our wedding website is now up and ready for the viewing! Go check it out here and let me know what you think! Be sure to sign our guest book too if you'd like! :)

I haven't talked anymore about our Save-the-Dates because I haven't done ANYTHING with them. I've decided to wait and send them once we get our engagement pictures taken and I have some fabulous images from Wes & Danielle to play around with. My rush in wanting to get them out ASAP was my OCDness and the major planner in me rearing its ugly head. The wedding is ten months away, waiting until the end of July or early August to get the save-the-dates out is not going to be the end of the world! lol So I'm waiting. We don't have an appointment set for our e-session yet because our photographers were out of town and I'm hoping to lose a little more weight before I get in front of the camera.*

Yesterday, I had an epiphany. I got the most random idea in my head about how I can achieve the balloon look I'm envisioning in my head for the reception tent. Use white decorative fishing nets! Let me explain, the nets can be hung from the frame supports of the tent and connected together to cover the whole area of the tent ceiling. The balloons can be tied to the net all at once before each section is hung from the frame and the nets tied together. That way, we won't have to hang one balloon at a time (which would take forever to put up and take down). Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to illustrate what I'm thinking so I can show you. I was worried about the cost of the nets, but I found some very reasonably priced ones on amazon.com!

And because no post is a good post without beautiful pictures I bring you these.....

(Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7)

Those stunning images are from Kauai, Hawaii. Kauai is where Charles and I are planning to honeymoon! We don't have any other details about the honeymoon at this time so there will be more on this later. But I wanted to give you a sneak peak. ;)

*When I bought my dress back in March (which should be in at the end of this month/beginning of July!) I didn't set any goals with myself about losing weight. I was at a comfortable and healthy weight for myself and didn't feel like I needed to lose any weight for the wedding. I just didn't want to gain anything. So guess what happened....I've gained weight since I got my dress...and more than just a few pounds too. I was so mad when I discovered this. I can be a stress eater....and things at work for a while were oh so stressful. I'm talking not knowing if I would have a job the next day stressful. On top of that, I don't have much to do at work and I was having literally having to eat to stay awake (caffeine didn't help) while I was at work. It wasn't good. I'm being VERY careful about what I'm eating now and have been taking Alli to help shed the pounds even faster. I've already lost some weight and want to lose a little more before we get our e-pics taken.

The Makings of a Reception

As I mentioned in my last post, the budget I was hoping to stick to has gone out the window. With the photography cost and my estimate of the rental costs, I'm up to $7,000! Yikes! And that doesn't include food, all the little details, stationery, bouquets, decor and so on. (I am not including the cost of my dress in the budget because I already had the money to cover that cost...thank goodness!)

So to continue on with the dreaded budget talk I'm going to share with you how I'm trying to be as cost effective as possible when it comes to the reception.
1) I will not be renting enough tables to allow everyone to sit down at the reception. Every wedding I've ever been to, there are always guests who prefer to stand during the reception thus leaving tables unused. (Maybe this is because I've never been to one with a sit down meal?)
2) I am not renting china, glassware, flatware, etc.
3) I am not getting custom printed napkins.
4) We are not having a sit down meal.
5) We will not be having large elaborate centerpieces.

Now to elaborate a little on these things...
Because we are not renting tableware, I have purchased plasticware. Yes you read correctly, I said plastic. Sam's Club has some very good quality and pretty good looking plastic plates, cups and forks so that's what I went with.
These are the plates we will be using. The larger for the food we will be serving and the smaller for the cake. Cost breakdown:
Dinner plates (40 count pkg.): $8.82
Quantity:6
Total Cost: $52.92
Cake plates (70 count pkg.): $8.24
Quantity:3
Total Cost: $24.72
(Source)

These are the forks we will be using.
Cost breakdown (300 count box): $8.68
Quantity:2 (we'll have way more than we need)
Total Cost: $17.36
(Source)




And these are the cups we will be using.
Cost breakdown (200 count pkg.):$7.48
Quantity:1
Total Cost: $7.48
(Source)





As much as I would love to be able to afford some pretty custom printed napkins with our names and the wedding date on them, it's just not in the budget. However if at all possible, I still wanted to be able to use purple napkins. And I found just the napkins I was looking for at a great price and the exact color! Where? Dollar Tree. Don't underestimate the power of dollar stores....especially Dollar Tree because they're a true dollar store.

These are the napkins we will be having at the reception. I purchased 13" Lunch Napkins as well as 10" Beverage Napkins. Both will be in the purple color shown here. Cost breakdown:
13" Lunch Napkins: $1.00
Quantity: 12
10" Beverage Napkins: $1.00
Quantity: 12
Total Cost: $24.00
(Source)



Because we are not having a sit down meal and the reception will not be held during a "meal time", we are opting to serve finger food/hors d'oeuvers. So what's on the menu? As of right now, this is what we have:
-Fruit Salad with fresh strawberries, pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe, raspberries and kiwi
-Cheese tray
-Crackers
-Rolled meats: turkey and ham, possibly chicken
-Fresh mini rolls
-Sausage Balls
-Vegetable trays with fresh carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower and ranch dip
-Relish trays with: sweet pickles, dill pickles, green olives, black olives
And to drink we will have:
-Grape punch (Still looking for recipes. Will be served in a punch bowl.)
-Ice cold water (Served in the dispenser below with round slices of lemon in the water.)
-Raspberry Tea or Peach (I'm still undecided about what kind. This tea will have caffeine for those that would like it and will be served in the dispenser below with either fresh raspberries or peaches in the tea.)
As far as the actual food costs go...I won't know exact numbers until the time comes to purchase the food. However, I'm estimating that it will be somewhere around $500-$600.

The only serving ware items I've bought for the reception are:
-a package of round basic serving trays with lids
-Two 2.5 Gallon Drink Dispensers (This was a little bit of a splurge but they will eliminate the need to have some prepare drinks for the guests and enable the guests to help themselves. And they can be used after the wedding or sold.)
Cost breakdown: $39.99 each
Quantity: 2
Total Cost (including shipping & tax): $97.38
(Source)


-2 Fifth Avenue Crystal Portico Cracker & Dip trays (Not included in the budget because I bought them months ago when Belk had a 50% off sale.)
(Source)

-2 Fifth Avenue Crystal Portico 3-tier Buffet Servers (Not included in the budget because I bought them months ago when Belk had a 50% off sale.)
(Source)





-1 round crystal punch bowl (for punch) purchased at a local Antique Mall that included 9 cups (The cups won't be used for the wedding. But the bowl and cups can be used or sold after the wedding.)
Total Cost: $22.00
(Source: yours truly - not sure why it looks green, I assure you it's not!)



-1 square punch bowl (for the fruit salad) purchased at a local Antique Mall for $12.50 that included 11 cups and 11 hangers (The cups won't be used for the wedding but this punch bowl will have a place in our home because it matches the shape of our square dishes.)
Total Cost: $12.50
(Source: yours truly)



As I mentioned before, I made all the centerpieces for our tables myself. I decided to make more than we will need for the dining tables so we can use them to decorate the food, cake and gift table and anywhere else I like.
Cost breakdown (per centerpiece): $7.33
Quantity: 24
Total Cost: $175.92
(Source: yours truly)




The only other decor we will have at the reception will be balloons. Now I know some people have mixed feelings about balloons and weddings. However, I assure you they will not be used in a tacky or cheesy way. There will be no balloon arches or shapes at our wedding!
I'm not entirely sure how I'll use the balloons yet. My mom and I talked about blowing them up without helium and hanging them on silver curling ribbon from the top of the tent using different lengths of ribbon to give a staggered affect. That's most likely what we'll do to avoid the $80 rental fee of a helium tank. But I have no idea how we would secure them to the tent (tie them to the frame? tape them? would they hold, would we be allowed to tape?) because I don't know what the underside will look like as far as the frame goes but we'll figure something out. I couldn't find a good picture of what I'm envisioning so you'll have to take this (<--) one and use your imagination. I think it would be a cool effect if we can swing it. (Source)



-2 packs of Lavender Purple Pearlized Balloons
Cost breakdown: $6.99 (72 pack)
Quantity: 2
Total Cost: $13.98 (plus shipping)
(Source)


-2 packs of White Pearlized Balloons
Cost breakdown: $6.99 (72 pack)
Quantity: 2
Total Cost: $13.98 (plus shipping)
(Source)


-1 spool of Metallic Silver Curling Ribbon (100 yards)
Total Cost: $1.89 (plus shipping)
(Source)


So the grand total for the reception at this time is: $1011.21 (estimating the food costs at $600). Not too shabby in my opinion. And I'm pretty sure that covers everything we'll need (except for the cake)!

In what ways are you keeping the cost down for your reception?

DIY Centerpieces!

Believe it or not, I've already started working on the centerpieces for the reception tables! Yes I suppose I am crazy since the wedding is over 300 days away! lol But since I have the time and the materials I'd be a fool not to get what I can done now rather than wait. I'll have my hands full closer to the wedding. My mom's running joke is that I'll have everything done and planned out two months before the wedding and will then have nothing to do! lol And honestly, she's probably right or at least close. When I have things I'm working on for a big project they eat at me till I can get them accomplished. You have no idea how hard it is not to get the invitations done now! lol But I'll wait on those as hard as it is. Anyways on to the centerpieces!

I originally wanted to do submerged centerpieces. I love the look of them! Plus, they make a big statement without having to use tons of flowers...which is ever so helpful on the budget. Here's a picture of a submerged centerpiece I love.

(Source: unknown)

As much as I love the look of submerged centerpieces it soon became clear to me that I wouldn't be able to incorporate them. Why? Because of budget reasons, time and labor. My mom is doing all my floral decor including the bouquets. I read on a florists blog that submerged centerpieces have to be put together the day of the wedding at the wedding location to avoid messing them up. This picture got my attention and I instantly fell in love with the look.

(Source)

But how on earth would I recreate something even close to that!? There's no way I can afford orchids...as much as I'd love to be able to. While browsing Save-on-crafts.com my vision came into being with my mom's help. Here is my completed vision:

(Source: yours truly)

What do you think? I absolutely LOVE them!!!!! I am so glad that what mom and I had envisioned in our heads really worked and looks so amazing, stunning, beautiful, and expensive!

So now I bring you the materials list and step by step instructions on how I made my centerpieces.

(Source: yours truly)

Materials Needed:
A) Clear Glass Cylinder Vase 10 1/4" tall and 3 1/2" in diameter.
B) Natural Curly Willow Branches 27 to 30" long.
C) Purple & White Preserved Orchid Blooms 2 1/2" wide (3 blooms per vase).
D) PVC Grass Onion Bush 24" tall.
E) Glass Nuggets of your color choice (mine came from Michael's but they no longer carry this purple color).
F) Natural Sheet Moss 1.5 oz. bag (make sure you get natural and not artificial).
G) Mini Glue Gun and glue sticks (not pictured).
H) Scissors (not pictured).
I) 7" Round Centerpiece Mirror (not pictured).

(Source: yours truly)

Instructions:
A) Cut curly willow branch to just under the height of the vase (9.5 - 10 inches).
B) Cut two pieces of grass from the bush.
C) Curl the grass using scissors (keep them closed), just like you would curl curling ribbon.
D) Place enough glass nuggets in the bottom of the vase to cover the bottom and allow for the willow branch to stick down in them.
E) Using a mini hot glue gun glue an orchid bloom into place on the willow branch. You decide on where and at what angle to glue the bloom, it's entirely up to you. Start either at the base or top of the branch though when placing the first bloom.
F) Let the glue set for a few seconds and then place a small pinch of the sheet moss over the glue. Make sure you can see no hot glue and be careful not to burn your fingers! Tweezers can be used to aid in this process.
G) Repeat steps E and F two more times placing the remaining blooms on the willow branch. Again, it's up to you to decide on where to place them, how to angle them and how much space to leave between each bloom. (My centerpieces will be going on round tables at the reception so I tried very hard to make it so each of the blooms faced a different direction. This allows every guest to see a bloom no matter where they're seated at around the table. In picture "G", I rotated the branch three times to show this.)

(Source: yours truly)

Once you've followed the above instructions, you can do the next step in whatever order you find to be easiest.
A) Place your willow branch with the blooms inside the vase and insert (on at a time) the curled grass. You decide on how you want it to look. (I chose to stick the end of the grass into the glass nuggets and then let it curve around the inside of the vase. I tried to get one piece of grass to start from the base on both the left and right side.)
B) Then repeat with the other piece of curled grass.
This part can be a little frustrating and tricky because there isn't room to get your hand into the vase once the willow branch is in place. You may find it easier to put the grass in first and then put the willow branch in.
C) Sit back and admire your work!!!
Note: I prefer that the top orchid bloom not stick out above the top of the vase so if yours does just cut off a little more from the bottom of the willow branch to shorten it. *If you have any questions about the DIY process feel free to leave me a comment or send me an e-mail!

When I placed my order with Save-on-crafts, I was initially worried about how fragile the orchid blooms would be. However, they stand up pretty well when working with them. I didn't have any break while putting them together. I will say though that you need to order a lot more blooms than you really need because through shipping, some of them get the tips broken off.

COST BREAKDOWN FOR ONE CENTERPIECE:
1) Cylinder Vase $3.99
2) 7" Centerpiece Mirror $1.12
3) Glass Nuggets $0.50
4) Curly Willow Branch $0.33 (it's actually less than that because you don't use the whole branch for one centerpiece)
5) 3 Preserved Orchid Blooms $1.26 ($0.42 per bloom)
6) 2 Pieces PVC Grass $0.0093124 ($0.0046562 each piece of grass, $1.49 a bush w/ 320 blades of grass)
7) Natural Moss $0.12 ($2.99 for a 1.5oz bag-I'm making 24 centerpieces so I divided 2.99 by 24 to get the price.)
GRAND TOTAL PER CENTERPIECE:
$7.33!
Note: I already had the hot glue gun and glue sticks on hand so I didn't incur a cost for those.

I cannot believe I was able to use real orchid blooms (although they aren't fresh they're real!) in the centerpieces. I absolutely love how they turned out and I'm so glad I was able to make them myself! And the best things about them....the cost was low, they can be made in advance and I can give them to special people as gifts if I so choose, sell them or use them to decorate! LOVE THEM!! :)

So let me know what you think...Do you like how they turned out? And can you believe I made each one for under 8 bucks!?

Did you have a DIY project that saved you a ton of money and turned out exceeding your expectations?

Floral Ideas and Inspiration Part 2

Time for the ceremony floral ideas! First off a beautiful Baby's Breath Garland as seen below. Mine will NOT have the paper birds hanging from it! haha I love this look of this so much. So delicate but at the same time it gets your attention. Baby's Breath is cheap and we'd be able to make this in advance by drying the Baby's Breath instead of using fresh which would wilt. Where would I put it? Somewhere above and around the entrance to the gazebo perhaps? I'm thinking we'll be standing in front of the gazebo. See below pics.

(Source)

(Source)

Aisle chair decoration ideas and info will come at a later date. The idea is in my head and I don't have all of the materials needed to complete what I have in mind and test it out. So more on that in the future.

Reception floral ideas and inspiration! I'm super excited that I've finally committed to a centerpiece design. A little more about that in "Good News and a Few Updates". I cannot wait until my supplies come in and I can actually see if what I have in mind works. I'm going to give you a teaser and show you my inspiration photo for the centerpieces but will leave you hanging on the details until I can try making one. The inspiration...

(Source)

I will have one big arrangement at my wedding and it will be placed somewhere on one of the buffet tables. Below is my inspiration for the arrangement.

(Source: unknown)

I love the shape of this arrangement but will be changing a lot about it...mainly that mine will have a lot more purple to it. I also found the perfect vase for it, an apothecary jar...

(Source)

The jar will be filled with Clear Water Pearls that I found on sale at Michael's. What are Water Pearls? These polymer pearls are created by simply adding water and can hold 100 times their weight in water! This causes the water absorbent beads to expand into perfect miniature spheres. Water Pearls are reusable and are non-toxic and biodegradable. Here's what they look like...

(Source)

I haven't tried out the water pearls yet but hope to this weekend so I really know how they work.

Well, I think that's about it for now.

What are your floral decor ideas for your ceremony and reception sites? Did you utilize the internet to get your inspiration?

Keep an eye out for more details in the days to come!

Good News and a Few Updates

Over the weekend I worked on a new personal budget. With the help of my mom I was able to determine that despite having to cover my own health insurance I can still save $350 a month towards wedding costs. Praise God! :)

In other news...my mom and I have an appointment on Thursday evening with Emily Herrod the owner of the Bed & Breakfast where the wedding and reception will be held. It will be a short meeting though because she will be getting ready to go out of town for almost a month! Once she gets back in town at the end of May, we'll have a more lengthy and detailed meeting with her.

I've had my eye on several Mori Lee "Affairs" Bridesmaid dresses for sometime now. At the end of May, I will know for sure if the designs I've been eying will still be available! Once I find out which dresses are still available and can share that info with my attendants, I will be able to share them with you!

I placed a HUGE order with Save-on-crafts.com over the weekend and cannot wait until it comes in! With the help of my mom and hours spent surfing the net I finally have my reception centerpieces figured out! I had been very undecided about what I wanted until this past weekend. All the centerpieces will be DIY projects and I cannot wait to share my vision and then process with you!

Over the weekend, I also ordered our cake topper! Once it comes in I will share that with you all as well!

Are you waiting for a big order to come in so you can get started with a DIY project?

Up next: my floral inspiration.