Cutting the non-necessities...

There are several wedding-related expenses I would happily cut to help the bottom line...things like transportation and save the dates. For me, these two items, among many other details, are really not that important in the grand scheme of things.

A) our ceremony and reception sites are literally right down the road from each other. Anna and I timed it...Southland is exactly .08 miles down Harrodsburg Road from Keene Run Golf Club. Why hire a limo or bus or other mode of transportation for .08 miles? Not only that, but have you been in a wedding party that has transportation? After the reception, you are scrambling to hitch a ride with someone back to the ceremony site to pick up your car. I think with our situation, opting against group transportation is the best bet. And it will save money.

What will we do for transportation? Well...maybe we will ask friends or relatives with a nice ride to let us borrow it for the wedding day...Not sure. These details remain to be discussed in depth. But the bottom line: no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a ride to take us less than a mile down the road.

And two, save the dates, in my opinion, are an unnecessary expense if you are not getting married on a busy holiday weekend or if you have a long engagement. (We are in both camps.) I can certainly see the need for a save the date if your wedding is over Labor Day weekend or Thanksgiving or any other holiday weekend (or any other especially busy time in the year), but September 18? And we have a 17 month engagement? No need for that. Sure, they can be cute and there are MANY ways to make these creative and really set the tone for your wedding, but are they really worth the extra expense?

I would rather put a little more into post-wedding thank yous. I have a great idea for these shaping up... Or another thought: what about getting postcards from the city/area your wedding is taking place and writing notes on them for those guests coming from out of town? It would be especially touching to have these postcards at the front desk of the hotel they are staying in for them to receive upon check-in.

What do you think? Are these non-necessities for you?

A fistful of flowers

My first floral consultation is tomorrow...

I love flowers. And I would have fresh flowers in the house year round if possible However, I cannot fathom spending an arm and a leg on flowers for the wedding. Primarily because they will die within a few short days, but also, I would much rather have more money toward other aspects of the wedding, like in catering, or my dress/hair/makeup/etc.

That in mind (and strict budget in hand), I made my first consultation appointment with a popular (she already has numerous weddings booked for 2010) florist through the Kroger network, Kim over at Chinoe. Kim worked with my sister, Katie, on her wedding flowers and did a nice job. Like Katie, I want to keep it simple. Yes, I know having 16 people in our wedding party does not quite constitute simple, but I am sure going to try!

Going into this meeting, I know that I want orange flowers. Bright pops of color and soothing greenery are my idea of floral beauty. Jacob and I both love lilies, so we are thinking orange lilies may be the way to go.

I have found several photos of bridesmaid bouquets made of orange calla lilies that I absolutely love! Wouldn't these look great next to emerald green dresses?? And if we kept to the calla lily theme for all attendants, these boutonnieres are super cute! For my bouquet, I love the idea of using lilies, just not calla lilies, just to be different. And to match, Jacob's boutonniere can match whatever flowers make up my bouquet.

Also, another thought that occurred to me for the bridesmaids' bouquets: bouquet charms. This could be a really fun DIY project! And would be an outlet for a little personality and fun.

These are just initial thoughts. Once I sit down and meet with Kim tomorrow, I will see what is possible within my budget and begin to firm up what I really want. Stay tuned!