Oh my, Allison I am sorry! I wondered how your DD2 became engaged and married so fast :-( I should have known you would at least have posted a dress issue or something on the conversations board with all that wedding talk! Very sorry for that misunderstanding. But initially the posts that crossed over to houzz were not dated, so I had no idea the thread was four years old. Now I see they are dated, although in the faintest possible ink color. (Houzz must have mostly 20 and 30 something users with better eyesight.) At any rate, the groom may not have been a keeper but the flowers were lovely!

Do a google search on "frugal weddings" and check the parties forum for wedding tips. You can made very inexpensive and easy bouquets for the bride and attendants from long-stemmed flowers tied together with pretty ribbon (very romantic) I did this from the grocery store floral dept--VERY inexpensively!! The throwaway bouquet could be made out of a standard bouquet put in a holder made from a plastic cool whip container (hole in the middle) with lace on top so no one can see. Floral tape around the stems. Buy your dress off the racks or used. Make sure it fits in the shoulders and have a friend alter it. If too short--add lace. Don't buy the dyed shoes--just plain white or off white shoes and add a shoe buckle you ornament with pearls or rhinestones, etc.. Dollar store disposable cameras on each table for guests. Decorate the tables with hand painted wine glasses with tinsel spilling out of them and those flat stones used in floral arrangements sprinkled down the middle of the tables. One lucky guest at each table takes the glass home. You can get wineglasses for zip at dollar stores and yard sales (because they don't have a set) to paint.

If your area has a home improvement commission, contact them and file a complaint. Then, contact the contractor that did the original work and tell him you have had one assessment that the leak is due to his poor work. Let him know you are filing a complaint with the home improvement commission (if you have one). Ask him to look at it before you do, and correct the problem. Then get 3 estimates on where the problem is and if they all agree that it was due to poor workmanship, then you have an argument. If you just have someone come in and redo everything, the original contractor can merely say the problem wasn't in an area he worked and, there's no proof since the roof has been redone. Also, if you give him an opportunity to fix "his bad", that would be the right thing to do since the problem might get resolved and everyone ends up happy. If he doesn't cooperate, then it's time to get tough. Depending on locality and the watchdogs that are there, you can get some action. I coached a family member through this procedure over a poorly installed driveway and they received their $10,000 back, the contractor was fined (that amount) and his license was suspended for a year. He was not to be issued a license under a different company name in that time in that county. As for the web based contractor referral, they receive an amount of money if they schedule a contractor.

The disposable cameras on the tables idea doesn't always work as well as people hope. Even if people try to help you out, you are likely to end up with lots of pictures of a few guests (mostly from the younger tables) and few or none of many guests, including family. You don't want to end up with 20 shots of your work friends and none of Grandma. And someone has to remember to collect and store the cameras, and then later you pay for developing a lot of pictures that aren't always any good. I think that photography is an area where it is worth it to use a professional. They just do such a good job. And what is the one thing that everyone says they would save first from a burning home? You can (and should) give a pro lists to make sure that you get pictures of the people you want most. I would save costs instead by hiring him/her for only the minimum amount of time, and perhaps by skipping or at least minimizing formal poses. Call a couple of recommended photographers in your area, tell them your budget, and ask what they can do for that much. You may get a nice surprise.