Thanks Shelly Prairie Joy is a good suggestion. I have prairie dawn, or I should say I thought I did, as it does not look like many of the photo's I have seen...mine seems to be a paler pink and very cupped bloom shape in large clusters. It is very lovely as each cluster looks like a bridal bouquet. The repeat was also quite good. It is a very lovely rose and I like it very much, as soon as I can figure out what it is I would heartily recommend it....lol I like many of R. Erskine's roses very much, I just wish they weren't so hard to get. It was your photo's of Prairie Peace that made me decide I have to get it somehow someday. I am such a sucker for that colour and very much liked the height you were getting out of yours. The link you posted above is the only source I have seen for it but P.Peace is sort of pricey, do they at least ship a decent sized plant?? I really really really shouldn't order any more, I have 30 coming from Pickering and Palantine has expanded their list of Geschwinds and I really want to give them a try. So I have toasted the budget already for this year. sigh, sure wish I had a bigger yard. cathy

Please don't take this the wrong way, but here is another very strong vote for having a caterer do this for you, even if it means much less expensive refreshments. It sounds like you don't have a whole lot of cooking experience (you wrote, "I don't know how to prepare anything"). With all respect, a wedding reception for 120 is NOT the time to learn -- even if it weren't your own daughter's wedding. This would be a daunting job even for those with lots of cooking and entertaining experience. I think even -- perhaps especially -- the most experienced would be inclined to get a caterer for a group this large, especially as mother of the bride. You will have so many other things you'll have to attend to, and even more than that that you don't want to miss. Do you really want to be refreshing the buffet when your daughter and son-in-law are having their first dance? If I were in your position, I would call a few caterers, tell them your budget -- and tell them it's FIRM -- and ask what they can do for that money. You may be very pleasantly surprised. If it's still out of range, consider ordering platters from a food store or inexpensive restaurant, and perhaps hiring a few servers/cleaners. You can supplement the latter and probably even the caterer option with some dishes you or friends and relatives make ahead and have the caterer serve along with his/her food. Your peace of mind, not having to worry about this in the months leading up to the wedding, is really important, too, along with being able to enjoy your guests on the big day. To me, that is worth some money. So if I were in your position, I'd cut way back on everything else if necessary: liquor (certainly a fountain is unnecessary), decorations, types of food, prom-y stuff like limos and favors, and even fancy wedding clothes if necessary. Being able to be a relaxed hostess who can enjoy her guests is more important, in my opinion, than fancy arrangements. Everyone is different, but that's just my experience. Congratulations to you all!

We got two gifts in total. A vacuum cleaner and a pressure cooker. Both most welcome and the pc is still in use. No ’shower’ and only 8 wedding guests. Just parents, siblings and their spouses. DD got married during covid with the permitted 6 guests but a year later we had a party with 100 guests. They requested no gifts, just donations to two charities. The Italian side of the family found this diffcult to grasp and gave a lot of knickknacks they neither want nor need.

I just want to put in that Cynthia and Sweeby are *both* right on this, since it's a frequent argument. No buyer is looking to buy your furniture, but the furniture in a room creates a very real psychological impact about the feeling of the room. Staging isn't intended to persuade people in a rational sense, it's an effort to appeal subconsciously. It can absolutely create a more positive perception of your house. I've found this initial perception tends to persist for the buyer even after you move out. I have shown a lot of houses as an agent, and I have found that the houses that show best are the ones with very nice, sparse furniture that suggests a story line. (Even if the story is just "People who read high-falutin' magazines lounge here.") This effect has been especially noticable for me when I've shown the same houses over time- once with well-placed furniture and art and another time when the house is vacant. (The order these states occur in varies.) At the staged showing the house feels luxurious and spacious, or warm and cozy; at the other it usually feels small, dark, and much older. If you decide not to invest in a professional stager's help, my suggestion is that most houses still look better with a little furniture than nothing at all. People actually have an easier time envisioning their own things in a room that isn't empty, because whatever is there lends a starting point of space and size. And above all go for lots of light. The price of a lamp to brighten up a dark corner will pay for itself. Good luck!