O.M.G. I have a little bit of "Wedding Fever" ..... they're the most fun to plan and think about all the little decorations and crafty things you can do before hand to prep for a really special day!
But, no, it's not mine! (Thank Goodness!!!)
My daughter is engaged. It happened back in December, and we've talked briefly off and on about a wedding. I'm sure she's looked at things and thought "How can anyone afford all this?" Well, no one can if you're looking at Bridal magazines, haute couture, and all the other things that A-list-ers want as part of their special day. But that's dreamin'.
We're just ordinary folk without a lot of excess cash -- in fact, probably more time than money on plates, so to speak. So how do you do a wedding without all the hoopla and yet still make it memorable??
As I was talking with my two kids, I was thinking back on my own weddings (yeah, I know, there were three of them. Ugh ) But in reality, do I remember them? My first wedding, well, there were issues and I wasn't sure I even wanted to go through with it right up until the last moment! So do I remember much of the ceremony or the reception? Nope. There are only two things in my memory about the reception that I remember; the receiving line where I smiled at people I didn't know, and having a "wedding party boys vs girls" contest to see which side could open and then chug the contents of a bottle of champagne. (The girls won, of course!) I don't recall dancing, or any of the people there. I know it was years ago, but shouldn't something that important stand out??
My second was very informal, held at my mother's house on Thanksgiving -- as long as the whole family was going to be there to eat, why not have a little something extra?? It was ... pleasant, but nothing spectacular. No special dresses, no bridesmaids, none of that.
My third wedding was informal and more fun. I planned out nearly every detail, sewed my own dress. Our kids (3 boys, 3 girls) were our attendants. I made vests for the boys and tank tops for the girls in matching fabric. Family made all the food stuffs, and it was buffet style. The ceremony was held in the back yard, and we played our own CD's for dance tunes. (This was back before digital music and playlists). But we had a good time :) Our neighbor's gift to us was a pony keg of beer, and we had wine coolers for the ladies. Yep, backyard fun times!
When my daughter was here last weekend, I asked her about wedding plans, and she seemed so disheartened, resolved that it was too much money, too much work, and maybe city hall would be the thing to do. We got to talking about places she'd been up here; there's a park with beautiful vistas around a lake with small waterfalls, a great wooden bridge, lots of trees and green. There's a spot that you can reserve, it's a 50foot circle of bricks, makes for a gorgeous wedding. We dashed over and checked it out. It rents for $25/hour. Now that's not bad! I'm hoping that after a little convo and some thinking, she's coming around to the idea of having a wedding here, it would be so pretty. And I'm sure after checking around, finding a community center to rent, bring in some food and some dancing for the rest of the evening. Would be great fun!
I think that's the key to a good, memorable wedding. Not what's traditional, unless that's the foundation for the couple's relationship. Using key events in their courtship and engagement would be the thing that make it the most fun!
Now if only I can get her to confess a few of her little secrets..... hahaha
