More tentative wedding tidbits
I hesitate to give out any details because with my whole relationship with SO and any hope and dreams we have, it seems like whenever we count on something good happening it gets crushed, but being the scientist that I am, I know that is only anecdotal so I guess it won't hurt to put some hopes and dreams out there. So TENTATIVELY . . .
Two weddings, one here in MI for my family who are too old to travel, and one out East for SO's family who are too sick and are of limited means for travel. Guests list will be parsed by geographic location. SO and I have roots in both places.
Both weddings tentatively will take place outdoors, one at a camp and the other one perhaps at either a country church or rustic resort or another camp, that just went back up in the air again but I am home from work trying to sort it out today. Both will have indoor accommodations in case it rains.
MI wedding will an homage to my mom and her family. Methodist service, and tentatively if I can convince SO to stand for something, I'll be taking a cue from Meghan and having the theme be "This Little Light of Mine." It's a Methodist hymn after all. And human rights anthem, and I have family that were Methodists and some that were civil rights activists. East coast wedding will be similar, although I'll be adding "Tikkun Olam" to the theme for dad's side of the family. (Jewish religious idea of the point of human existence being to manifest God's spirit to heal the world, i.e. be a light unto the world.)
Very little decoration wanted or needed for the venues. In MI, my cousin is helping me gather some easy family heirlooms to decorate the tables, etc. We'll use grandma's quilts and rag rugs, and her and mom and other family member's tea sets to fill with flowers on the dinner tables for centerpieces. I might take a quilt or two with me out East, but there I will probably plant a tree as part of the ceremony, so I'll probably just get two trees and use them to decorate the alter and then maybe some native plants or mums for centerpieces, that can be left and planted at the venue.
Wedding favor will be monogrammed champagne flutes, although they will get filled with non-alcoholic champagne at both venues due to regulations. If that doesn't work out maybe little flashlight key chains.
Dinner in both places will be picnic type foods. In MI, a fish fry of local caught fish, with hamburgers for those who don't like fish and veggie lasagna for the vegetarians since it is one of SO's favorite foods. Out east we may have to go totally Italian, lots of pasta to cut costs. I'd like to do a grilled turkey meal, but we'll see . . .
SO and I are going to play/sing our own wedding songs, if we can agree on some songs. Local musician family and friends will fill in where needed. SO is making a mix tape for the reception and his son is going to be the DJ out east. I think SO will do it in MI to avoid socializing with my family and friend since he is quite introverted. (Slight sarcasm there . . . ) Hopefully though I can find a competent friend to take on that role, master of ceremonies. No probs out east, but some in MI. I can do it since I do that kind of thing for a living, but that's a bit awkward. Some dancing but nothing elaborate. Wedding over early so guest can travel back home, but maybe an after party at a local pub for those coming in from out of town if there ends up being a lot of them.
To me this is the best part! Cake will just be small for bride and groom, carrot, everyone's favorite. Cupcakes for guests. Cake will look like this, sort of. Cupcakes maybe decorated with leaves if I can find some ready made to put on top. In MI, will use some small china pixie figurines from mom, but out east will use gnomes, they have personal significance to the venue actually! Or maybe the birch version. But, NO CARVING INTO LIVE TREES though, that is terrible for the tree and can lead to a fatal infection! Especially nowdays.
Comments (16)
robo (z6a)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agol pinkmountain
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
How to introduce tent camping to newbies?
Comments (15)Well, this is a bit off the subject, but, when i was a kid of ten or so, my Dad and Grand-father would take me and my brother on a camping trip, up to Pymatuning Reservoir, in North-western Pennsylvania, for a week of fishing and row-boating, and seeing the sights. (This was around 1933 to 1940.) We had two old WW I Army tents, and cots, blankets, a gasoline stove, cooking utensils, plates, etc. We didn't have an ice chest. My Dad would dig a hole in the creek bank, and we'd keep the perishables there, in the cool water, in a bucket, with a lid. We'd rent a row-boat, and Daddy and me and my younger Brother would go out on the lake and fish. We'd spend a week there, and had lots of fun. We'd turn in at dusk, since we didn't have a big lantern. One night, there was a great commotion outside our tent, and the head-lights of our car were shining into our tent and the horn was blowing loudly! (Around 3 a.m!) I awoke, and asked what was happening. Daddy shouted:"There are skunks in your tent"! Uh-Oh!? "Be very still"! I didn't move, and could hear rustling under my brother's cot, so i managed a peek. And there were two skunks worrying an old half empty can of fish-bait! WOO-HOO! Well, they finally "licked the platter clean", so to say, and ran off. Daddy finally quit blowing the horn, and it all cooled down then. Also, when my wife and i went up to Hammonasset State park, in connecticut, we set up the camper, then went in to town to buy some groceries. As we drove back into the park, we saw 3 skunks walking into a tent that was set up nearby. We watched to see if anybody came running out, but no one did. Then, a car pulled in and four girls got out and started for the tent!! I hollered and told them about the skunks---woo-hoo, they hollered, ran out, got into their car and drove madly away! Don't know if they ever came back! Hammonasset was a nice park to visit. We went there several times. It was close to where our son lived. We went there one 4th. of July when the holiday fell on a Saturday. This was on Wednesday. the park management said we could camp there, if we left on Thursday, as the weekenders would need the space. We agreed, and we left....See MorePop up, Quick Set, Instant , Tents- the non coiled variety
Comments (3)Allow me to inject a tip here, for all of the new tent campers: Whatever you buy---first take it out of the box or bag, and in the privacy of your back yard, practice setting it up, and taking it down, and repacking it! that way, if you get to the camp ground, or where-ever, you won't look like a real dumbo, trying to set up a completely unfamiliar tent. And, the circus performance provided by your tries to set up the tent, with little success, will stay with everybody who sees your performance, long after the day! I can still remember, several couples, from Quebec, who slid a brand new blue shelter canopy out of the box it came in, and then spent 2 hours wrestling with it, while spurning all offers from campers who had put those types of canopies up, already. There are tricks to putting one up, and i offered to show them how, but all i got were nasty looks, and gruff answers. So, wife and i sat in our coach and watched! Got lots of laughs! Finally, they folded up the poles, tore the canopy into shreds, tossed the spikes into the garbage can, along with everything else, and left! But, not before the males of the party used the ladies room, along with some other ladies from the camp! Those images are still fresh! We went to my Nephews' wedding and reception, up near Erie, PA. A lot of his friends attended, and brought tents etc, so they wouldn't have to drive home with John Barleycorn! One couple slid a brand new tent out of the box, and attempted to set it up, but old John Barleycorn had other ideas. About the time the sun was darkening, my wife took pity on them and did the set-up for them....See Moreusing a tent frame inside
Comments (14)I'm reading the thread and hearing that people don't come into a "booth" as opposed to a table. I can tell you from experience that if the booth is not well lit, nobody will come in. If you use your canopy frame you should have at LEAST 6 lights attached to the frame. A well lit booth invites customers in, a dark booth drives them away. Also, where you stand is important. You should have your "checkout" off to one side and in the front. This way you can greet the customers and chat with them as they browse. You have less than 5 seconds to attract your customer. You do this by having a well lit booth and a nice display. But also a good personality and a nicely dressed exhibitor. Also, don't sit there "making stuff". Unless you're a real "craftsman" making brooms or something like that, don't make inventory at the show. The customer won't want to "bother" you and you'll lose sales. And again, in this economy, you shouldn't be sitting at all unless you have a disability. You need to be at eye level with your customer. And I was told this by an old sage in 1980 whe I started out doing shows and I remember it to this day. "There's NOTHING at a craft show anybody NEEDS!" So it's up to us to make the customer WANT what we sell. And in today's economy, just sitting there and expecting customers to hand you money won't cut it. Christopher H (aka Old VT Crafter)...See MoreHosting a wedding in my yard...
Comments (11)OK, all, thank you for some great tips from the PROS that you are :) I have since found out she chose the bolder color scheme of hot raspberry pink and lime green with accents of tangerine. Very tropical and vibrant ! I agree with your suggestions about using the tropical "colors" in decorating with locally available plant material, not necessarily the with "tropical" plants. That is a good money saver. I can envision the impatiens in hot pink and orange with cascading sweet potato vine, and the beautiful caladiums in hot pink and cool green and white, and the rich tapestry of coleus in the green/hot pink range. I am getting tired of my 2 patio pots right now, so I may try to recreate some "wedding ideas" now to see how they'd look. That would be fun ! I want to rent fuchsia table linens (would an orange cloth with a fuchsia overlay be too strong ?) I see your point in renting enough chairs and will do that. I guess I need a full # of tables then too. We plan on renting the glassware, dishes, etc. as well. I was in a restaurant and saw a very simple but chic "centerpiece" int he lobby. It was a tall square glass vase with black river stones in the bottom, with a stem of 8-9 orchids in it, submerged 3/4 of the way in the water, so that most of the flowers were underwater. It looked just beautiful, almost sculptural, in it's simplicity. I would like to recreate that on each table with some votives surrounding each vase. That would save some $$ on flower centerpieces, although I love that lush flower look too. Remember, strict budget :) I have to keep telling myself that. They said they DO want a dance floor, so that will have to be incorporated in somewhere too. I don't think the tent will fit the tables and a dance floor, so is it OK to have the dance floor next to the tent, yet uncovered ? We could put potted flowers at each corner to dress it up. I think the signature cocktail will be rum punch, yum :) Should that only be served the first hour, or - since this is a cocktail reception - should we plan to serve it the whole time ? Since the party will be from late afternoon thru early evening, I was going to add white Xmas lites to the trees and the gazebo, and accent the gardens and outer edges of the tent with tiki torches. I am looking into a steel drum duo for the reception, I think that would add a ton of ambiance and get people dancing ! Still up in the air is the catering. The bride's neighbor owns a restaurant, so we may be able to strike a deal there... Since this is both their second wedding, it is going to be more of a celebration of family than a formal shindig. However, the groom's first wedding was at the courthouse and he didn't really have a "wedding" so to speak, so we are doing this mostly for him :) Heck, I'm just happy to be involved !!! Thanks again for being my sounding board to bounce ideas off of, keep your thoughts/advice/ideas coming !!!! Sincerely, Amy...See More
bpath
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