Freaking out.....

[Spiritlite]

So Dan and I are officially getting married for his family (we secretly got married for other reasons they know not that we are married) this year. I'm freaking out. I want to marry in the fall and have NO clue how to do a wedding or plan one. I've never been in a wedding have had no friends get married, only attended on wedding in my lifetime. We're thinking of saying vows, and then having a bbq and maybe a potluck with it. How do I go about doing this? What do I need to do? Can someone give me some advice? We have little money to spend so we can't spend a lot on the wedding. I don't know what to do for favors.....I have no clue...can anyone give me advice? Prayers even...anything will help
Spiritlite.

[Silver]

Prayers, no problem. You can google ANYTHING, yes.

Maybe call around to some caterers that do small affairs, see what you can come up with.

Best of luck!

[ces]

How exciting........

Google is a great place to start. You could also have a look through some of the bridal magazines. Yes its all over priced but you could get some ideas and then come up with your own version of it.

Favours - maybe a printed verse on some lovely paper - something people can keep from the day but cost effective to produce?

BBQ sounds like a great plan - why not suggest everyone brings food to share - that way you only need to buy the bbq food?

Find somewhere to say your vows and work from there would be my suggestion.

[Spiritlite]

yeah I was thinking of asking people to bring food instead of gifts, if they want to give gifts we would ask them to donate money to a local non kill animal spca.....and the favors of the verse sounds fantastic I think I'll do that...thankyou
We're thinking of getting married at Dan's R/C flying field which is in the middle of the vineyards so it will be free. Also I don't want a wedding dress I have no clue what to do for that becuase I have a weird body type in that I have very broad shoulders, long torso and almost an excat hourglass figure so clothes are very hard for me to wear....UGH, any suggeestions on that? Plus I'm no slimy girl.
As for cateres I"m thinking a potluck with bbq would do just fine, so long as no seafood as dan is allergic.
UGH I'm panicking
Spiritlite

[ces]

Originally Posted by Spiritlite

yeah I was thinking of asking people to bring food instead of gifts, if they want to give gifts we would ask them to donate money to a local non kill animal spca.....and the favors of the verse sounds fantastic I think I'll do that...thankyou
We're thinking of getting married at Dan's R/C flying field which is in the middle of the vineyards so it will be free. Also I don't want a wedding dress I have no clue what to do for that becuase I have a weird body type in that I have very broad shoulders, long torso and almost an excat hourglass figure so clothes are very hard for me to wear....UGH, any suggeestions on that? Plus I'm no slimy girl.
As for cateres I"m thinking a potluck with bbq would do just fine, so long as no seafood as dan is allergic.
UGH I'm panicking
Spiritlite

Sounds like your already half way there. The field sounds ideal, the food is kinda taking care of itself. What is a potluck?
Frock - I have a book on body shape somewhere - hourglass you say? Will be back in a second.

[Topaz]

Congratulations Spiritlite Sounds wonderful x

[zipzip]

Spiritlite

I am so happy for you. Congratulations!!!

This is fantastic news.

Everything is coming together for you. Lots of people are doing potluck. I think it's great. And you hav the venue. You are part way there.

Go out and have fun trying on dresses. I probably have the same body type as you and I was surprised that some types of dresses that I would never think look good on me, look good on me. So, take a friend, sister, and try on different ones. You may be shocked. But more the idea is to enjoy yourself.

Keep us posted. And post pictures.


zipzip

oh how fun SL there are numerous ways to save on a wedding and reception, do a little research and you'll find some that fit just right! Enjoy the moment my friend!

nightowl

[Kaere]

Hmmm... I'd say first thing is to decide on what sort of officiant you want - who do you want to have do the ceremony. Then you need to set a date and find an officiant who is available that day and who will come to where you need them to be :)

How many people are you thinking of inviting is also a consideration - especially if you might need to rent chairs and tables.

Ways I saved on my wedding:

I made all the favours - I made chocolates (just a basic hearts mold), wrapped two or three in little tulle circles, and tied them off with ribbon and a card with a romantic verse on it. Just basic business cards through a printer - punched a hole in one corner and used a cheap craft scissors to make the end of the card all fancy. Some people give out little bubble containers as well - you can get those cheap cheap cheap at the dollar store.

For centrepieces, I took three candles and wrapped them with a ribbon that matched the tartan sash I wore. Fixed it with a pretty pin and fake heather, and sat it on an inexpensive shiny oversized plate. This is great for the end of the evening because the couple married the longest at each table gets to take it home. But for a very cool idea, I've also seen people make candy baskets for centrepieces! They don't last til the end of the evening lol.

I did the same sort of thing for my cake - three layers of ivory with a tartan ribbon at the bottom of each layer - very simple but elegant. And not expensive because it was so basic. And a custom cake topper of my husband and me - I splurged on that. It's got him in his uniform and my dress and flowers and everything exactly the same. Or you could consider a very small cake for cutting and serve petit fours in little cupcake cups for the guests.

Something special that I did for my wedding is that we ordered wine from a vineyard in BC that was special to us and we had custom labels done. It was awesome! It didn't cost extra and we had to buy alcohol anyway so that was more cost effective for us. BUT the point I'm getting at is that if you're going to be serving alcohol, a bottle of white and red on the table (or sparkling water or whatever) can be less expensive than open bar and you could do something cute with it too.

For a dress - try on try on try on! Little boutique places can be awesome for that. But then... try to find it at a bigger store so it's less expensive :P Keep in mind that wedding dresses are sized differently - you may find yourself wearing one with a label quite a few sizes bigger than you expect. Don't panic! It's all a lie. Ugh, I hated that - I was all 'no WAY I'm a size whatever..."

If you want a photographer, don't skimp. 'nuff said.


All in all - don't get wrapped up in it all. It's supposed to be a joyous party with all your friends and loved ones. Sometimes that part can be overlooked in the pursuit of the "perfect wedding". The perfection is in the celebration, not the stuff around it.

I didn't have a traditional wedding either. I got married by a JP in a restaurant. No music, no booze. Served buffet. Wore a cream Jacquard suit.