April Fool's Wedding, Baby!

[Shari]

So we found THE PLACE to hold our wedding and reception. The original date was planned for April 15th (tax day, yuck). Scott had joked that at least he wouldn't forget our anniversary that way (typical). Anyhow, most of the places we looked at were ho-hum but when we walked onto the property of our choice, it wasn't hard to decide.

The only problem was, EVERYTHING on a Saturday was booked! A year in advance! Well, that was a shocker, I thought we were following the wedding "rules" so far, but were pleasantly suprised when they had an opening for the Saturday, April 1st.

I guess a lot of people are superstitious when it comes to wedding issues, and since Scott and I are not, we jumped all over it, and got a discount to boot!

Anyway, we've got at date! And now with my recent eye-opener of wedding planning, anyone mind sharing tips that made their wedding (and planning) easier? We've got several guides, but sometimes there's crazy stuff people don't put in that could have really helped in the long run.

[Atlanteax]

Heh, you could tell your parents and Scott's parents... that day...

"Thank God we're getting married, I'm pregnant!!"

After they do their shocked expression...

... do "April Fools!!!" :!: :roll: :lol:

[Hips]

I (obviously) have nothing to contribute as far as planning goes, but I think it's AWESOME that you got that date. :D

Edit: I thought of something I could contribute! TheKnot (http://www.theknot.com/). I poke around on there sometimes and it seems to have a lot of useful information, articles, message boards, etc.

[Edited on 4-19-2005 by GS3 Michiko]

[Wezas]

Originally posted by Atlanteax
Heh, you could tell your parents and Scott's parents... that day...

"Thank God we're getting married, I'm pregnant!!"

After they do their shocked expression...

... do "April Fools!!!" :!: :roll: :lol:

I think they used that for this past April Fools if my stalker notes are correct.

[Keller]

What's your budget?

I found the quickest way to find many service providers was through the wedding trade shows.

My bit of advice from our one wedding hitch is to make certain your unity candle lights BEFORE the ceremony. Oops?

[Wezas]

"Remember when I said that I would Love and Cherish you always?"

April Fools!

/dream

[Jorddyn]

1. Never forget that the marriage part is so much more important than the wedding. Not everything will go perfectly. It's alright. The best wedding stories always start, "You wouldn't believe..."

2. Keeping in mind #1, it is your wedding day, you will only have one. If the dress you want is $100 over your budget, buy it anyway.

3. Do not scrimp on pictures. I had a friend who did, and but for the clothes, you'd think they were taken in the 70's - 1 year later, they're already yellow.

4. Write thank you notes, and write them promptly. Write lots and lots of thank you notes - for showers, gifts, thinking-of-you's, bachelorette party. I guess along these lines goes this is your wedding day, people are excited for you, but you still need to step back and think of the time/expense your family and closest friends will be expending - hotel rooms, travel, clothing, gifts. Make sure they know you appreciate it and don't expect it.

5. Unless you have the budget to do something super-spiffy, skip the $2-5 per person "gift" for all guests. Most of them will leave it on the table anyway. Besides, $5 a person at a 200 person wedding will save you $1000. You can buy lots of alcohol with that.

6. Remember that everyone around you has a life outside of your wedding and will be ready to murder you by April 1 if you talk of nothing else. Blood really doesn't go well with wedding dresses.

7. Have 2 or 3 personal attendants in addition to your bridesmaids. Make sure they like you, and make sure to include them in showers, parties, hair/manicure/pedicure sessions, and the like. That way, they won't mind being servants for the months leading up to your wedding.

8. Do your pedicure/manicure last thing Thursday night if you're getting married Saturday. This way, you'll be able to do whatever you want Friday/Saturday and it will be dry, but you'll still be able to get a touch up if you need it.

9. Find a small town florist. They are so much cheaper.

10. Bubbles are overplayed and can stain your dress. Rice doesn't kill birds, the churches just hate the birds it attracts. A friend of mine bought a ton of roses, clipped off the stems, and put the buds in tiny bags the day of the wedding. The guests then pulled the bottom of the bud off and tossed the petals. It was pretty.

11. If your flower girl/ring bearer are really young - 3 or 4 - consider having an older kid pull them in a wagon. Kids hate walking down the aisle.

12. If you're doing the bus/limo to the reception, make sure you have enough space for everyone. Remember, some of the attendants will have dates that aren't in the party, and some people who aren't technically in the party should be included anyhow.

13. If you're hiring a soloist/organist, either hire a professional or someone you know will not miss your wedding. One of my good friends hired a mother of one of her other friends - and she backed out the night before because she had forgotten to take the day off work.

14. If/when Scott says "I don't care," he doesn't mean he doesn't care about you, he doesn't mean he doesn't care about the wedding, he just really doesn't care what shade of light pink the flowers are :smilegrin:

15. Take your camera everywhere you go while planning, and take pictures of anything you're even considering. It'll be much easier to judge what you like best if you have pictures. Additionally, pass out those disposable cameras to the whole wedding party the day before the wedding. The best pictures are often of the days before the wedding, rather than after.

16. Get your dress early. Nothing like the stress of having it arrive 5 days before the wedding.

17. Have comfy shoes for the reception.

18. I'm guessing no one is still reading, so I'll quit now.

Seriously, the best advice I can give is for you to ENJOY your wedding. If you feel you have to do something, but it is only going to add stress, skip it. No one will care.

Best of luck.

Jorddyn, been involved in way too many weddings

[Caiylania]

Originally posted by Keller
What's your budget?

I found the quickest way to find many service providers was through the wedding trade shows.

My bit of advice from our one wedding hitch is to make certain your unity candle lights BEFORE the ceremony. Oops?

We had our mother's light the unity candles before the wedding parties came in, and then used those candles to light our single one. They loved it.

If you have the money, do the throw-a-way camera's for guests to use. We didn't do this but a friend of mine did and she got some of the most amazing shots from unexpected sources. A lot of guests will even pop for the developing since they take pics of their family/friends attending with them.

I bought really nice silk flowers and my bestfriend /matron of honor and I made special corsages for rick and I's moms and grandmothers to keep.

search the web for unique wedding ideas for both ceremony and reception. One I loved was a couple that chose fish for centerpeices. Each table and a large vase with nice rocks at the bottom and one siamese fighting/betta fish in it. At the end each table had lottos for who got to keep the fish. It looked awesome.

and just brainstorm, anything is possible.

[Keller]

Jorddyn is spot on about Scott and not caring.

I put in some effort and helped where I could -- but it was Lauren's wedding.

Girls dream of this stuff for years, guys dread it. Realize that before you pass judgment. We care about you and our future -- we're just more concerned that our dad doesn't get drunk and hit on your mom before we can jet to the honeymoon sweet.

[Shari]

Jorddyn, that was VERY helpful.

Scott has already done the "I don't care." Which is fine with me, I told him I'd mail him an invitation and to make sure to just show up with the tux. :D

All kidding aside, I have a pretty good idea in my head what I'd like. The place is very Secret-Garden'ish so I figured I'd use potted bulb plants as centerpieces. I think cut flowers are a waste of money as they will die. I like the spring bulb idea (daffodils, irises, paper whites, tulips, etc.) that way we can do large 8" or so pots with a cluster of a certain type of flower, and perhaps smaller 3" pots with a single bulb in it. That way guests can take the small ones home and I can take the large centerpiece ones to plant in my garden.

I really like the disposable camera idea but I've heard horror stories of kids rounding up all the cameras and taking waist-high shots with the entire thing. We'll see what happens with that.

I'm HOPING that we can either throw birdseed, or light sparklers as we run out to the limo. Its going to be dark by the time we drive off to the hotel so it would be neat to have it all lit up with sparklers as we run off. Only pity is, fireworks are illegal here, but for some reason I could swear sparklers are ok. I'll have to check that.

Oh and, I already have theknot bookmarked on my computer. :D

[Caiylania]

Sounds like you've got a good start!

[Parkbandit]

Sorry Wezas.

:(

[Hips]

Originally posted by Jesae
Oh and, I already have theknot bookmarked on my computer. :D

I found the most perfect wedding dress on there... I just hope they still have it in four years or so. :lol:

You'll let us see which ones you like, right? :heart: wedding dresses.

[Shari]

WEEEEELL, the wedding dress I'd KILL to have is by Italian Courture. That, of course, would cost all of my left arm and part of my right leg though.

I'm hoping I can go to some place and show them the design I pulled out and pray they can make something similar. Its very simple for the most part, strapless, NO EMBELLISHMENTS. I hate all that bead, lace, crystal, pearl crap. The only decoration is the back, which is hard to describe.

.....

hehe, I'm going to see if I can take a picture of the magazine image with my digital and post it. Hold on.

[Shari]

Alright. My camera RAWKS.

I left the image HUGE so you could see the detailing.

I'm sick though...because I'm trying to still describe it in text-form so I can make a gown in-game that looks like it, just not white. Someone help me...(because of my disturbed mental state...I'd also take help with designing the alter though!)

[Jorddyn]

Originally posted by Jesae
Alright. My camera RAWKS.

I left the image HUGE so you could see the detailing.


That gown is absolutely beautiful. :yes:

Edited to add - The hair? Not so much. Don't do it!

Jorddyn


[Edited on 4-20-2005 by Jorddyn]

[Miss X]

That dress is gorgeous! I want it! :)

[DeV]

That dress is da bomb.

[Wezas]

Originally posted by Parkbandit
Sorry Wezas.

:(

It's alright PB. I figure I have a year to change her mind. Plus we can still harass her about the wet t-shirt pics.

[Parkbandit]

Originally posted by Wezas

Originally posted by Parkbandit
Sorry Wezas.

:(

It's alright PB. I figure I have a year to change her mind. Plus we can still harass her about the wet t-shirt pics.

Those were an obvious fabrication.. much like her lesbian moment with her hot red headed friend.

She is a tease.

[Shari]

Dear Wezas and PB,

:fu:

Everyone else, THANKS! Its so different, I love it. And I am definitely NOT doing my hair like that. Odds are I'm going to wear it down, with a small rhinestone tiara tucked on top of my head. Scott likes long, straight hair. A year from now my hair should reach my bra-line so I can play around with it.

[Parkbandit]

Originally posted by Jesae
Dear Wezas and PB,

:fu:


See Wezas.. nothing but teasing.

[Jadewolff]

I wore my hair down at my wedding and LOVED it. It's just not me to put my hair up. The photographer said that though it's not common, it's best to just be yourself since the pictures come out nicer too :)

By the way, another good site is weddingchannel.com. I actually liked their planning tools better personally.

[Wezas]

Originally posted by Parkbandit

Originally posted by Jesae
Dear Wezas and PB,

:fu:


See Wezas.. nothing but teasing.

http://members.cox.net/legendwezas/rockpaper.jpg
Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who goes first. Ready?

[Parkbandit]

She'll want to sow her wild oats before she gets married Wezas. NOW IS YOUR CHANCE MAN!

Paper.

[Vixen]

I'm a little late in posting, since there are already SO many good ideas.

But I had a good friend get married outdoors and did use potted plants in her chosen colors for the centerpieces, and I have to say, I LOVED the look much better than a lot of the cut arrangements I have seen.

Also check, check and recheck everything. Or have someone you trust do it. Not to say you should be stressing your brains out the day of your wedding, but I had the unfortunate experience of not checking my bouquet. The florist sent over the bouquets in vases to keep them fresh and the boutinier thingies (I know I cant spell) And they were all gorgeous. I'm literally walking out the door to go down the aisle, as I got married outside... and my bouquet fell apart on the table, because the florist had forgotten to tie it and stuff, just stuck it arranged.. in the vase.

Also if you are going to use one of those aisle runners from the outdoors, if theres no already made path for you to walk down, make sure the grass is either realllllly clipped, or find a way to tack that runner down. Springy grass makes for springy runner, which makes for tripping fathers.
(my wedding day was a hoot can you tell??)

Lastly in my long windedness, and from experience, if stuff goes wrong, laugh. Laugh long, and laugh hard, and remember regardless, that its what the day means to you thats important, not the little snafus you'll be able to laugh about later.

[Shari]

Hmm, well my father and I are total detail fanatics. I'm sure if I'm not double-checking everything, he will make sure everything on the itinerary is per-FECT. Obsessive compulsives are great for things like this.

The aisle, sadly, is paved stone. I had originally wanted grass, with flower petals sprinkled down the center. But the place we chose is SO nice, I'll let that minor wish slide.

But now, I'm totally crushed. I found out how makes that gown I posted...Peter Langner. He has a website and apparantly he's a big-time designer. I went looking for the price range for the gown and its over 2000 dollars. Fuck that. There is no WAY I'm spending over 700 dollars on a gown I'm going to wear ONCE.

Here's hoping I can find someone to make a gown that sorta looks like it.

[Jorddyn]

Originally posted by Jesae
There is no WAY I'm spending over 700 dollars on a gown I'm going to wear ONCE.


There are second hand stores that specialize in wedding gowns, in addition to discount and second hand gowns on the internet - if you have no qualms about wearing a dress that was already worn.

Of course, because you can't "order" them, you should start looking now if you're going to go this route.

By the way, holy crap! (http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/P451-500/Listing452.html) $5800 for a wedding dress?!?

Jorddyn

[Vixen]

I ended up spending 800 on mine. WAY more than I wanted to. And I tried SOOO hard to find a cheaper one, but I was in love.
Check fabric stores and pattern books for similar patterns. A lot of times you can find seamstresses willing to recreate them for a fraction of what you would pay for the designer one.
Also some fabric stores have areas that have business cards for people that do just those types of things, so check it out. Usually you can get damn close to the dress of your dreams without paying for the name sewn on the inside.

[TheRoseLady]

Jesae,

1. Check yourself when you find that you are obsessing over tiny details. Honestly, all the tiny details are forgotten, so don't get sucked into that.

2. Do not buy your dress online. If you do, understand that you will still need alterations and will still need to find someone to do that. In addition to that, you need a place that you can count on to get your dress in...not some website that can disappear. (It's happened.)

3. There's a few really awesome companies that sell brand new tiaras on Ebay. The tiaras that you find in the bridal shops for 100+ bucks can be had for 20-30 bucks or even less.

4. We had a smaller more intimate wedding, I commissioned some lady in Texas to make claddagh wine charms for every guest to put on their wine glasses. The guests loved them. I found the lady on Ebay - my point is that you can find good and reputable people to do all sorts of neat things - just dig.

5. You can get a picture matte that is designed to be a guest book. The guests sign the matte and issue their best wishes then after you can put a picture of yourself and Scott in there and frame it. We love ours.

6. We took one of our better pictures and used that to get photo note cards from Shutterfly as our thank-you cards. That served as a nice thank you to our gift givers and also gave them a nice 'picture' of us, amazingly I've seen more than one displayed in their homes.

Wow, planning the wedding was a good time. I know you'll enjoy it.

[SpunGirl]

My wedding tips -

Keep the ceremony short. Ours was about 20 minutes from the beginning of the processional to the windup, and I had a zillion people thanking me for it. Probably because the last family wedding before mine was a High Holy Mass that lasted two and a half hours.

Make sure you take all your pictures with you and the bridesmaids before the ceremony. Have Scott do the same with his groomsmen. That way, you cut the number of "after-ceremony" pictures in half and you don't have to compromise about letting him see you before the wedding.

If you're going to make people wait after the ceremony for you to arrive at the reception, have some snacks passed around. Also, THIS is the time to have an open bar. At my wedding we had a "cocktail hour" while the guests were waiting for us with three kinds of finger-foods and a full-on open bar. Once we arrived and moved to the dining room to sit for dinner, we served unlimited beer and wine. People could still drink but it cut back significantly on our alcohol expense. IMO, cash bars are tacky.

Make sure the people in your wedding party know how much you appreciate their help. Also, don't make your bridesmaids spend too much on dresses. The ones I wanted were $140, so I told them they were $100 each and coughed up the remainder myself. I let them pick their own shoes, as long as they were black, and pick their own hairstyles. I hate the way bridesmaids look if they all have the same, same, same of everything. The same dress is enough!

Someone mentioned it before, but I'll second it - don't skimp on pictures. I still enjoy looking at mine.

Don't play "here comes the bride."

-K

[SpunGirl]

Also! I almost forgot. Look into alternative guestbook ideas.

My friend had a smallish wedding, about 90 guests. She had everyone sign a big photo matting with a silver pen, and put a wedding picture in the frame after the wedding. It's a great guest book she can display on her wall.

At our wedding, we did a "wish tree." I tried and tried to find leaf-shaped cards, but couldn't, so I wound up making them myself - I cut about 210 leaf-shapes out of different shades of green cardstock and tied ribbons through the stems. We had a tree sitting on the table as you came into the reception with the blank leaves and a bunch of pens. The point is for each guest to write a "wish" for the couple on their leaf, sign it, then hang it on the tree. It's actually a Dutch tradition, so we did it in honor of my late Grandmother.

Someone else I know had everyone sign a silver platter with an engraving pen. My cousin had everyone write on a square of fabric with a fabric pen, then had a quilt made of all the squares.

-K

[Vixen]

heh I hated here comes the bride. I walked down the aisle to "How Beautiful" Its a religious song, but its amazing as an instrumental solo.

[SpunGirl]

Yay! Down with Here Comes the Bride, it makes me want to barf.

Here are my wedding musical selections - played on acoustic guitar by the same guy who played at my parents' wedding:

Seating the Grandparents/Ushers - "Storybook Story" (theme from "The Princess Bride")

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen - "Evergreen" (instrumental, not to be confused with Greensleeves kthx)

Flower Girls - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

Bride - "These are the Days" by Van Morrisson

Recessional - "Moonshadow" by Cat Stevens

-K