Luckily I started looking at flowers early in the process of planning for the wedding. Chuck and I visited one florist in Gig Harbor together a few months ago, and I wasn't impressed. When I asked if we could make an appointment to talk about flowers for our wedding, we were told to look through some books on a table.
We did that, and no one ever offered to help us. I finally went back to the counter and gave some general ideas of what I was looking for, but the lady didn't seem eager to help me make any decisions, and didn't offer any advice or input. As we continued to look through the books I didn't see anything that was grabbing my attention very much. I did make some final selections just because they were the best that were offered.
The selections were not creative. It felt like any other flower shop. Finally I turned to Chuck and said, "We have some time before this decision has to be made. Maybe we should just go."
And go we did. And we never went back. I told Chuck on the drive home that I would rather just go to a grocery store and get a couple of bouquets and mix the flowers together to make my own than pay a high price for just another bouquet.
I realize some brides know exactly what they want down to the material of ribbon on their bouquet. I am not that bride. I have a general idea of what I want, but I need an expert to guide me.
Fast forward to three weeks ago. I called a different florist to see if I could come in and talk to them about wedding flowers. The lady on the phone set an appointment, gave me advice on what to bring with me, and general information about the appointment.
My appointment with Steve at Blitz Florist in Tacoma was great, and I was very relieved. He asked me a lot of questions, showed me a lot of pictures of bouquets the shop had created for other brides, gave me some advice on types of flowers that look great together, and put me totally at ease. He understood my vision, and I am confident that I will be carrying a beautiful bouquet, and that our flowers for the ceremony and reception will be lovely.
Unfortunately, some of my favorite flowers are spring bouquet flowers, and I won't have lilacs. I'm bummed about it, because I wanted something that would represent my mom for me that day. She loved lilacs, and I really wanted to include them in my day. She will be in my thoughts, and I've found a way to include her in the music.
The estimate for flowers came in over budget, but it was easy to communicate with Steve about how to cut down on some of the arrangements and bring it back to budget.
Here are some tips I can share about this experience:
*If you can't spend a lot of money on flowers, don't. My daughter had a beach wedding, and she and a bridesmaid went to a local grocery store and bought a mix of different bouquets. She used one as decoration on the dock where they were married, and chose the best flowers from the bouquets and wrapped them with ribbon for her bridal bouquet. It was beautiful!
*If you are getting married between April and October, and you have a local farmers market, check out the farmers selling flowers. We have used farmers market flowers for some major events that I've helped plan. They were gorgeous bouquets.
*If you've been to a wedding and the flowers were incredible, ask that bride who she used for her flowers.
*Know what is in season in the area where you live on the date of your wedding. I wanted lilacs, but they will be out of season by the time we get married. I can still get them, but the florist said depending on the distance of the supplier, those lilacs could get pretty expensive. (California, not so bad. South America, ummm, probably not a price I can pay. Plus, I have to buy bulk in order to get them because the suppliers won't ship just a few of anything.)
*Be clear about your vision of what you want your wedding to look like. I am going for simple elegance. Some people go for big bling, some for fairytale, etc. Share that vision with your florist, and if you don't think they are listening, find another florist.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Silver Trays: Wedding Plans
What started out as a completely catered and rented reception has turned into a DIY reception.
The food plan changed when we got an estimate of the cost. With tables, linens, and "light hors d'oeuvres" it was going to cost thousands of dollars. Even though we could have scaled it back, I wasn't willing to spend a fraction of that and still shell out thousands. We decided to do it ourselves.
But in order to do this ourselves, we still needed to come up with some tables, linens, food and dishes and trays to put the food on. (You can see my previous post on linens here.)
I checked on renting trays for the food, and they are quite expensive. For a large tray it was around $12 give or take depending on the company.
I'm the thrifty sort, and I enjoy finding a bargain, so I began looking at our local Goodwill stores. I found some very nice silver trays for a lot less than renting. Luckily I could see the beauty of the tarnished, dark, gray layer. It means it's silver, or at least silver plated. I checked the mark on the bottom to be sure. I brought them home and used silver polish to bring back that shine. (It's a messy job, but so worth it.)
We thought we could do this without bringing anything else into our storage areas, but it looks like we've managed to blow that plan. I think we can use the silver trays for nice family functions and some of the parties we host here. I might sell a few, too.
Next Post: Flowers: Wedding Plans
The food plan changed when we got an estimate of the cost. With tables, linens, and "light hors d'oeuvres" it was going to cost thousands of dollars. Even though we could have scaled it back, I wasn't willing to spend a fraction of that and still shell out thousands. We decided to do it ourselves.
But in order to do this ourselves, we still needed to come up with some tables, linens, food and dishes and trays to put the food on. (You can see my previous post on linens here.)
I checked on renting trays for the food, and they are quite expensive. For a large tray it was around $12 give or take depending on the company.
I'm the thrifty sort, and I enjoy finding a bargain, so I began looking at our local Goodwill stores. I found some very nice silver trays for a lot less than renting. Luckily I could see the beauty of the tarnished, dark, gray layer. It means it's silver, or at least silver plated. I checked the mark on the bottom to be sure. I brought them home and used silver polish to bring back that shine. (It's a messy job, but so worth it.)
We thought we could do this without bringing anything else into our storage areas, but it looks like we've managed to blow that plan. I think we can use the silver trays for nice family functions and some of the parties we host here. I might sell a few, too.
Next Post: Flowers: Wedding Plans
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Tables and Chairs: Wedding Plans
Lucky for us the reception venue has a bunch of tables we can use. They are the long ones, and there are more than we need.
However, their chairs are ugly. They are also uncomfortable. So we decided to rent chairs and also a few of the bistro tables. Our reception isn't a sit down dinner event, so we want to encourage people to stop for a minute, use a table to rest their drink, and then mingle and move around. We will have 50 white chairs.
Our idea is to have chairs for everyone who needs one and really can't stand and mingle with ease, and for the rest of us to have a seat for a few minutes and then move on.
We can pick it all up the night before the wedding, which we hope will make it more convenient. Since we have a truck, and since the delivery fee was more than $100, we opted to pick up.
I found this company through word of mouth from my future daughter-in-law, Cass. She and Alex, Chuck's son, will be renewing their vows on our property in late July. The prices through this company were great.
Things are coming together, and we are getting so excited!
Next Post: Silver Trays: Wedding Plans
However, their chairs are ugly. They are also uncomfortable. So we decided to rent chairs and also a few of the bistro tables. Our reception isn't a sit down dinner event, so we want to encourage people to stop for a minute, use a table to rest their drink, and then mingle and move around. We will have 50 white chairs.
Our idea is to have chairs for everyone who needs one and really can't stand and mingle with ease, and for the rest of us to have a seat for a few minutes and then move on.
We can pick it all up the night before the wedding, which we hope will make it more convenient. Since we have a truck, and since the delivery fee was more than $100, we opted to pick up.
I found this company through word of mouth from my future daughter-in-law, Cass. She and Alex, Chuck's son, will be renewing their vows on our property in late July. The prices through this company were great.
Things are coming together, and we are getting so excited!
Next Post: Silver Trays: Wedding Plans
Saturday, June 22, 2013
The Linens: Wedding Plans
When we received the quote for our reception cost, it included linens. I wanted lavender organza table runners, and I thought I wanted the tablecloths to be gray.
Once we scrapped the plan to get everything through a caterer, I knew I had to come up with linens somewhere.
We were offered some by a person we know who hosts events, but it was becoming difficult to communicate about the sizes of the linens and tables, and I was going to have to compromise on color. It would have been nice to borrow them, but we would have the cost of laundering and would need to do it immediately so the person could have them for their next event. I wasn't so sure we would save money by borrowing them, so Chuck said to just buy them and get it done.
As I searched for the best deals, I found that it was going to cost as much to rent them as it would cost to buy them.
I searched around for different things. I first thought I'd try to find some lace tablecloths, because we have a vintage feel going, and I'm using lace in another way. But everything I found was either too expensive, had stains, or wouldn't fit the tables we have. I thought of using them as an overlay, but then I would still have to come up with the underlay. Ugh.
I looked on eBay, and at some of the local stores and even thrift stores.
Craigslist was another place I tried, thinking maybe someone had the colors and sizes we would need.
I found what we needed on eBay, and I tried to be sure I was getting them from the USA so they would arrive in time. I got tablecloths and organza runners brand new, in the package, from a company in Kentucky. (I'm really pleased with the way eBay lists the country of origin with the item. It made my search so much easier.)
I am sure they aren't all made here, but I wanted them to be shipped to us from the US. Some of the items I've purchased have come from other countries, and they are arriving in time, but as it gets closer I am more reluctant to order from other countries. Also, by owning the linens we can launder them a bit at a time on our own schedule.
I was hoping to do this wedding without amassing piles of stuff, but we now have 15 tablecloths and 30 organza runners.
Instead of gray tablecloths, I ordered ivory and went with organza runners in gray and lavender. They all arrived and are ready to go. I opened one of each just to be sure they were what I wanted, and they are beautiful. I can't wait to see how they look when the reception is set up and ready for guests to arrive.
Once we scrapped the plan to get everything through a caterer, I knew I had to come up with linens somewhere.
We were offered some by a person we know who hosts events, but it was becoming difficult to communicate about the sizes of the linens and tables, and I was going to have to compromise on color. It would have been nice to borrow them, but we would have the cost of laundering and would need to do it immediately so the person could have them for their next event. I wasn't so sure we would save money by borrowing them, so Chuck said to just buy them and get it done.
As I searched for the best deals, I found that it was going to cost as much to rent them as it would cost to buy them.
I searched around for different things. I first thought I'd try to find some lace tablecloths, because we have a vintage feel going, and I'm using lace in another way. But everything I found was either too expensive, had stains, or wouldn't fit the tables we have. I thought of using them as an overlay, but then I would still have to come up with the underlay. Ugh.
I looked on eBay, and at some of the local stores and even thrift stores.
Craigslist was another place I tried, thinking maybe someone had the colors and sizes we would need.
I found what we needed on eBay, and I tried to be sure I was getting them from the USA so they would arrive in time. I got tablecloths and organza runners brand new, in the package, from a company in Kentucky. (I'm really pleased with the way eBay lists the country of origin with the item. It made my search so much easier.)
I am sure they aren't all made here, but I wanted them to be shipped to us from the US. Some of the items I've purchased have come from other countries, and they are arriving in time, but as it gets closer I am more reluctant to order from other countries. Also, by owning the linens we can launder them a bit at a time on our own schedule.
I was hoping to do this wedding without amassing piles of stuff, but we now have 15 tablecloths and 30 organza runners.
Instead of gray tablecloths, I ordered ivory and went with organza runners in gray and lavender. They all arrived and are ready to go. I opened one of each just to be sure they were what I wanted, and they are beautiful. I can't wait to see how they look when the reception is set up and ready for guests to arrive.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Reception Food: Wedding Plans
After we saw the price tag for the reception through a catering service, we decided those plans were a bit lofty.
Thousands of dollars. Thousands. For hors de' oeuvres, tables, linens, etc.
Our ceremony is at 2 p.m. We figure people will eat lunch before they arrive for the ceremony. The reception begins at 3-ish, and only lasts a few hours. We aren't partying into the night or anything. They can have a light snack, mingle and socialize and have fun, and then make their way to a favorite restaurant or head for home for dinner.
That has been our plan all along. And we didn't want to pay thousands of dollars for some snacks.
And so we decided to scale way back.
We're still in the planning stage of what foods will actually be served, but we are doing it ourselves. We know it will be fruit and cheese type foods, maybe some kabobs and such. We definitely will have smoked salmon as the main dish, because we have a lot of it. We have one that has just been smoked, and our photographer has offered to bring some as well.
My friend Shane has offered to help with slicing cheeses with her fandancy food processor. I have a friend from church, Karen, who is my doorkeeper for Sunday School class and has offered to help with a punch or some other beverage.
I've looked at a chocolate fondue machine, but the lady at the shop said they had one at a formal event and chocolate was everywhere and got on their clothes, and so I put it back on the shelf. In my mind all I could see was chocolate all over the train of my dress from drips on the floor, and streaks down Chuck's suit, and chocolate all over the linens, and the floors, which we would have to clean before leaving the venue.
Maybe it was a bit over done in my mind, but I just didn't want to take the chance. Maybe we can dip fruit in chocolate ahead of time, thick chocolate that won't drip, and set those out with toothpicks.
It's all coming together and we feel ready.
Thousands of dollars. Thousands. For hors de' oeuvres, tables, linens, etc.
Our ceremony is at 2 p.m. We figure people will eat lunch before they arrive for the ceremony. The reception begins at 3-ish, and only lasts a few hours. We aren't partying into the night or anything. They can have a light snack, mingle and socialize and have fun, and then make their way to a favorite restaurant or head for home for dinner.
That has been our plan all along. And we didn't want to pay thousands of dollars for some snacks.
And so we decided to scale way back.
We're still in the planning stage of what foods will actually be served, but we are doing it ourselves. We know it will be fruit and cheese type foods, maybe some kabobs and such. We definitely will have smoked salmon as the main dish, because we have a lot of it. We have one that has just been smoked, and our photographer has offered to bring some as well.
My friend Shane has offered to help with slicing cheeses with her fandancy food processor. I have a friend from church, Karen, who is my doorkeeper for Sunday School class and has offered to help with a punch or some other beverage.
I've looked at a chocolate fondue machine, but the lady at the shop said they had one at a formal event and chocolate was everywhere and got on their clothes, and so I put it back on the shelf. In my mind all I could see was chocolate all over the train of my dress from drips on the floor, and streaks down Chuck's suit, and chocolate all over the linens, and the floors, which we would have to clean before leaving the venue.
Maybe it was a bit over done in my mind, but I just didn't want to take the chance. Maybe we can dip fruit in chocolate ahead of time, thick chocolate that won't drip, and set those out with toothpicks.
It's all coming together and we feel ready.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Killing a few birds, as they say --Best price on champagne glasses and reception stuff: Wedding Plans
(I wrote this post in late April, 2013 and forgot to publish it.)
On Friday night we dropped off both kids with the other parents and stopped a few places to gather things for the wedding reception.
First we swung by a house in the Green Lake area to pick up some reception decor stuff that I found on Craigslist. They are galvanized French buckets that I will use for flower arrangements. I got six of them.
Stuff in the trunk, we set off to find food. As we drove along Green Lake, we came upon Duke's. It's pretty famous for clam chowder. I'm not very famous for eating it, but Chuck really likes it. I knew I would find something on the menu.
There really were Crabby Patties on the menu. I have to tell Sean when I see him.
I chose the crab melt. Delicious.
Once we had our fill, we moved on to Ikea, where we found the champagne glasses for our reception. They were the least expensive glasses I could find anywhere, including Dollar Tree. They aren't anything fancy, but we don't care about fancy. We just wanted to have enough for everyone, and in this case we preferred buying rather than renting. We scored 100 glasses for, I believe, about $86.
We do entertain a few times a year, and we can use these again.
On Friday night we dropped off both kids with the other parents and stopped a few places to gather things for the wedding reception.
First we swung by a house in the Green Lake area to pick up some reception decor stuff that I found on Craigslist. They are galvanized French buckets that I will use for flower arrangements. I got six of them.
Stuff in the trunk, we set off to find food. As we drove along Green Lake, we came upon Duke's. It's pretty famous for clam chowder. I'm not very famous for eating it, but Chuck really likes it. I knew I would find something on the menu.
There really were Crabby Patties on the menu. I have to tell Sean when I see him.
I chose the crab melt. Delicious.
Once we had our fill, we moved on to Ikea, where we found the champagne glasses for our reception. They were the least expensive glasses I could find anywhere, including Dollar Tree. They aren't anything fancy, but we don't care about fancy. We just wanted to have enough for everyone, and in this case we preferred buying rather than renting. We scored 100 glasses for, I believe, about $86.
We do entertain a few times a year, and we can use these again.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Shoes: Wedding Plans
So, I can be a little bit undecided on some things. When I pictured my wedding day I had a shoe in mind, and way back when I was first shopping I found what I thought was the perfect pair of shoes.
They really are beautiful. They are Nina, ivory satin with a beautiful of center bow at the toe. I love them. However, they are 3-inch spike heels, and I know there is no way I can handle that, literally, all day.
I walked around the house in them one day, and decided they were 30 minute shoes for me. I wear heels to work once in a while, but I don't wear spike heels. Most of mine are 2-inch heels, and anything taller than that is a wedge heel.
Plan B. And by Plan B, I mean a complete 360 from the Nina's.
I started shopping again. After work one day I headed for Nordstrom, because I figured they would have the best selection. They had a great selection, but nothing appealed to me at all...until I saw a cute pair of crocheted Toms.
I tried on a pair of black ones, and a pair of gray ones, but decided on a different color. And I'm so glad I was there at that moment because I got the last pair of size 7s in purple.
Once I went for the fitting appointment I was so relieved that I had decided on the Toms. Standing there for more than two hours was difficult in Toms, but would have been impossible in those heels.
I do still love the Nina's. I put them on eBay and they didn't sell, so I've decided to keep them. I'm sure I'll wear them someday for some event that isn't an all-day affair.
They really are beautiful. They are Nina, ivory satin with a beautiful of center bow at the toe. I love them. However, they are 3-inch spike heels, and I know there is no way I can handle that, literally, all day.
I walked around the house in them one day, and decided they were 30 minute shoes for me. I wear heels to work once in a while, but I don't wear spike heels. Most of mine are 2-inch heels, and anything taller than that is a wedge heel.
Plan B. And by Plan B, I mean a complete 360 from the Nina's.
I started shopping again. After work one day I headed for Nordstrom, because I figured they would have the best selection. They had a great selection, but nothing appealed to me at all...until I saw a cute pair of crocheted Toms.
I tried on a pair of black ones, and a pair of gray ones, but decided on a different color. And I'm so glad I was there at that moment because I got the last pair of size 7s in purple.
Once I went for the fitting appointment I was so relieved that I had decided on the Toms. Standing there for more than two hours was difficult in Toms, but would have been impossible in those heels.
I do still love the Nina's. I put them on eBay and they didn't sell, so I've decided to keep them. I'm sure I'll wear them someday for some event that isn't an all-day affair.
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