easy child 2 and his girlfriend just...

...announced their engagement. I felt this was coming, really it was only a matter of time. They have set the wedding date of 06/20/09 so we have a loooooong time to get prepared. Thank God, I need ALL of that time to try to lose these blasted 50 pounds, and now I have a major goal to get on it it!

I am happy for them. I am especially happy they are going for the long engagement. So, I WILL be an official Grammie for his fiance's 3 yo son. He already calls me Grammie and husband Poppie. I love her and her family, we all get along so well with many of the same family philosophies and interests.

Now I am just waiting for easy child 1 and her boyfriend to announce their's! LOL!! Looking like the next few years will be busy with fun things to look forward to. Fiance asked me to make their wedding invitations, I am so excited, I make cards like crazy, but this will be the biggest thing I have done.

I got to see a picture of her wedding dress, it is so beautiful, ivory, backless with lots of pearls and rhinestones on the bodice. She is going with the colors of peach and ivory and brown. I think it will be lovely.

Anyways, lots can change in 2 years, but we all know how fast the time flies by!!!

Any suggestions of places to get lower cost ANYTHING for weddings, please PM me!!

Thanks and hugs,
Vickie
 

timer lady

Queen of Hearts
Congratulations :smile:

by the way, as to the 2 year engagement & saving money for the wedding, for years before either of my sisters or I got married my dad always offered us 5 grand & a ladder to elope.

Now that I look back on it, I wish I had taken him up on it. While we had a lovely wedding day, I wish I had that financial boost at the start of our marriage.

Now, we as parents, are offering the same to our children (of course more like 15 grand & a ladder). I doubt any of the girls will take us up on it. :rofl:
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
Congratulations! :smile: It's extra special that you already know her and her family so well...and like them! Kudos~

I love the money and ladder idea...easy child has already told me she's getting married on the beach and difficult child of course cringes at the very thought of being with anyone for more than a year! LOL - :smile:
 

Lothlorien

Active Member
oh, and for saving money......I used the flowers that the catering hall had. I didn't want to spend hundreds on flowers for the tables. The hall had really nice silk arangements that were way up on pedestals so the guests could talk to each other past the table.

The catering hall also included a cake.

Get estimates. Haggle. We really wanted this particular DJ, but he was 200 bucks more than anyone else, I got him to meet us halfway and he took a 100 bucks off. He was the best DJ and this past January, our family used him again at another wedding reception.

I also bought my dress off of the rack. I got a gorgeous dress for $500.

Planning two years ahead gives you a better pick of dates with a catering hall. Receptions on Friday nights are cheaper.
 
LOL, Linda,

My dad offered us 1,500. to go elope and start our lives together without spending it all on ONE DAY! I, of course in my very mature 19 yo manner, said thank you NO!! Had the big day, it was very homemade and very family oriented and beautiful and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Man, that was back in the dark ages, LOL! I think the whole wedding: dress, cake, flowers, church, reception hall, caterers, tuxes, EVERYTHING only cost about 3,500!! We are from a huge family of vry crafty people, so I had tons of help with flower/table arrangements, wedding favors, etc. so that saved a ton of money.

My soon to be daughter in law wants it as homemade as possible so we are already looking for places to order the ribbon to be printed for favors and a I am searching through my crafting friends getting help with making announcements, invites and thank you notes.

No, the most difficult part of this whole thing will be losing this 50 lbs! PT was just here and I did great with a whole set a new exercises. Hoping I will be out and walking to the end of my court my middle of next week.!! Can't wait to start swimming again.

Anyways, gave me a good laugh :smile:at the memory of my dad thinking his stubborn daughter would change her mind and take the cash and run, LOL!!

Hugs,
Vickie
 

timer lady

Queen of Hearts
Vickie,

Given the prices of ladders today, I really regret not taking my dad up on his offer.

Enjoy the process of helping plan the wedding - don't get fixated on the weight issue, sweetie. You've enough to take care of with-o that added stress.

If it comes off wonderful - just don't make yourself nuts.

Okay??????
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Congratulations!

We tried to do our wedding as cheap as possible-instead of each girl carrying a boquet they carried a single rose. Our photographer told us how to go cheap on pictures. We had a buffet where people put together there own sandwiches so that saved on food. We hired an inexpensive dj instead of a band.
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
Congratulations!
:smile:
Since you have a lot of time, I'm sure you can come up with all kinds of ideas.

My daughter and sister in law pulled together a lovely family wedding in just a few months time without spending a fortune, so it can be done. They splurged on some things, economized on others. They were living in the town where his family lives and had the wedding there, so his family did most of it. Her dress was the BIG splurge, and his mother and aunt bought it for her as a gift. But it's a really nice dress!

My sister in law made their invitations himself on his computer and they're beautiful! You can buy the blank card stock for the invitations and the matching envelopes in a stationary store. You can't tell the difference and it cost them a fraction of what having them printed would have cost. She had only one attendant, her cousin as Maid of Honor, which saved on flowers too. They couldn't get a decent professional photographer on short notice, but several family members (including the uncle with the GOOD camera!) took pictures and then we pooled them - they ended up with lots of lovely photos.

They had LOTS of help from family and friends, which really made the difference. Instead of an expensive restaurant meal, the rehearsal dinner was a big BBQ at his grandmothers house for the wedding party and anybody else who wanted to come, with family members contributing the food. Much nicer and lots of fun too. And a low-key way for both sides of the family to get acquainted, since we were meeting for the first time.

The reception was held at a large hall that is part of the church, which also provided the perfect excuse NOT to serve alcohol! :blush: Saved a TON of money that way, plus it kept a few of the guests from "over-indulging", if you know what I mean, so they didn't have to worry about that either! And instead of serving a sit-down meal, they had the wedding cake, punch, and lots of snack-type things, also provided by family members. Some of his aunts also did the decorating in the reception hall and provided most of the utensils, etc.

One thing they did for the reception that I LOVED ... was a long row of pictures of the two of them, about 10 or 12 pictures each, hers on the left and his on the right. On the far ends were baby pictures of each of them, then pictures of each as toddlers, then in elementary school, etc. They each get older as you go toward the middle ... their H.S. graduation pictures, then her nursing school graduation picture and him in the military ... then in the very middle is a lovely big picture of the two of them together, their engagement picture. I had made it through the whole ceremony without tearing up, but then that darned row of pictures got to me! sister in law did those on his computer too, just scanning old pictures, making them all the same size, then printing them out. Cost next to nothing, and it was lovely!
 
Donna,

What a really cool idea! I will tell them about that idea of the pictures. How awesome, and I can tell you I'd be bawling as well!

Keep the ideas coming guys, this is GREAT!!!!!!

They know they want to be married in the Napa Valley somewhere (My older kids grew up there). We have many friends still there and are hoping as word gets out, the help might jump out as well.

Thanks and hugs,
Vickie
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
Vickie, the pictures really were lovely! He made them all the same size except for the engagement picture which was slightly bigger and they were in matching simple, elegant, but inexpensive frames. I didn't know they were going to do that, and many of the pictures of her were ones that I had taken myself. One of the baby pictures of herself that she had chosen was one taken when she was nine months old ... she's playing and laughing in a little plastic swimming pool and my dad is standing there smiling down at her. I took it when I brought her to Tennessee to visit my parents for the first time. She was the first granddaughter and he adored her! He died just a few days after we went home and it's the only picture I have of her with him.

Their reception was in the fellowship hall of the church. The kitchen opens to the hall on one end but was closed off with a curtain ... the pictures were arranged along a long counter in front of this curtain, with lots of greenery and candles - really pretty!
 
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