I think the candies are beautiful. They will look lovely with the napkins. I love the idea of antique architectural elements, even to just to use them on the guest book table etc. will help set the tone. You can look in craft stores, such as Michaels. If you go to their web site, you can sign up to get coupons for 50%off emailed to you each week. That is what we have been doing. Also, I was going to make the runners, but then I found this site, http://www.tableclothsfactory.com/default.asp The satin runners are only $2.99! You cant make them for that! Funny you mentioned Martha. That is what my friends call me : ), so I am feeling a lot of pressure to get everything just right with this wedding. It is hard because my daughter has her ideas and it is her wedding. I am being the good mom, supporting what is in the budget and what I think will work and waiting her out on things I don't. (I bet she is telling her friends the same thing.) Have you been to the Martha Stuart wedding web site? It has plenty of ideas and photos. Robin Here is a link that might be useful: Martha Stuart weddings

I have a bit of a palm tree motif going on im my dining room. New house: Old house: I have lots of palm tree art.

Hi there....I use GW forums for other topics, but ran into this one through a google search. We got married a few years ago. We're older, so we looked at our wedding a little differently, but i can share what we did. Rather than a theme, we thought of what we wanted to spend our money on. For us it was FOOD - REALLY GOOD FOOD. That was our starting point and drove the budget and choices for everything else. We chose a venue that allowed us to bring in our own caterer. It had a lovely patio with lights strung across in an old 1920's home. I had one MOH and picked a nice gray dress her to complement her figure and the silver beading in my dress. I love bright pink and found some paper lanterns in the dollar bins at Michaels so we hung them between the lights and used the same color linens on the tall tables. I also found some white ones so we hung them in the rafters of the room where we had our ceremony and used white linens everywhere else. I found large vases and put about 35 carnations in two and that was our alter. I did my own flowers using pink old fashioned roses on the tables. It was very simple and you know what? People are still talking about the food! So my point is this...if budget is no object you can think about a theme and spend a ton of money to make it happen. If budget is a consideration, then think about what is most important, spend your money there and let everything else follow. Your guests will have a lovely time.

This OP has a sort of similar story to one posted on GW a couple/few years ago. A controlling spouse who, I think, died. And she didn't/couldn't live her "new" life. Then an old friend asked her out. I don't remember what happened. I probably quit reading. Lindsey, I'm here for the same reason as you. My hints are 63,959 today. I don't even try to keep up with them. But a lot of them will be for indirect family so not as important as for my direct family. Still, they all count and for DNA matches it helps to have everyone.