Wedding Size

fwmcathy said:

Thinking about just honeymooning at home.
It's a nice, secluded apartment almost like a treehouse.
I'd feel more comfortable in familiar surroundings.
I would prepare casseroles ahead of time that can easily just be cooked when we need nourishment.

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yes, that would be sweet! no matter how small the wedding though, it is a lot of planning!! i wish i could be there to help!

fwmcathy said:

I told him you wanted to come.
So when will you be here?

Does he go by your place?
The route he took from Columbus was thru upstate New York - including Albany and Buffalo.

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cool! i live about 45 minutes northeast of Albany. I wouldn't expect him to drive me though!! LOL!

Hey Tropical Winds...did you watch the sunrise or sunset from cadillac mountain?? Wasn't it just beautiful!!?

We had about 130. Our wedding was not super small, but definetly not big. No drinking or smoking. We didnt have any dancing either. We just ate and had fellowship in our beautiful reception hall.

Tropical Wilds said:

We saw sunrise on top of Cadillac (the first part of the US to see the sun!), but we saw sunsets by the coast, always. It's "my thing."

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cool! my DH and I got up super early to watch the sunrise...and this local coffee shop opened the door for us so we could get some coffee...it was very chilly that morning! but it was still beautiful!

fwmcathy said:

Just wondering what size wedding you all had?

I prefer a small one - possibly even just an "at home" wedding.

Thinking of using parents backyard with gazebo (weather permitting).

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I had 50 guests. The wedding was held in the chapel at my church and the reception was at a local restaurant. Pretty low-key compared to my sister's wedding.

Now that I am divorced, I would probably just elope or have a very small ceremony (immediate family only) then throw a rocking reception the next time. Of course, it would depend on what my future husband would want to do, too.

Man, I remember up until the day of my wedding. That was all a blur.

We had about 100 guests. Children, family and friends and people we did not know. I couldn't imagine not inviting everybody I knew and love. So we did,

But I prepared for anything and everything by over preparing, (which was out of pocket) about six months in advance. And boy it was fun for me and surprisingly cheap. (mainly because I served comfort foods)

I made my cake. $50 (I took up cake decorating two years before)

bought food that was on sale and stored it in in advance either in freezers or in my special wedding pantry. we had a smorgish board of food. (lots of wings, fried chicken, three differant salads, greens several desserts, fish, and finger foods) $575

no alcohol (but that didn't stop someone from bring any)
but ther were plenty of drinks

plenty of dancing and games for the kids and an after party for me and the groom.

My wedding gown was a prom dress from Sears. It was on clearance for oly $50.

The church- free
Reception site was marked down 90%- $150 (the hotel failed to mention to me the they would be under renovation during that week.)

And the honeymoon- free. (my husband has generous family members.

we recieved over $2300 in cash and checks that day.

There were 40 guests at the Church and 30 who were invited to the reception afterwards. We always wanted and both agreed on having a small wedding, just inviting family and close friends, it kept the budget low (we never had a fortune to play with anyway) and it meant more to us to only have those close to us to share in our special day. I'm happy we kept it small, it was a nice relaxed atmosphere at the reception and everyone enjoyed each others company.

Tropical Wilds said:

LOL! You say that now, but then when you see how much a wedding like that costs, I bet you'll sing a different song.

My husband was from an Irish Catholic family, so he has tons and tons and tons and tons of friends and relatives. Teachers, co-workers, former co-workers, second cousins, casual friends... He wanted them all there, no exceptions or excuses. Then he started to see costs of everything... Well, then suddenly it was "Close family and friends only! No exceptions!"

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I not too worried about what it's going to cost. You only get married once (fingers crossed). Even if I had to spend the rest of my life paying off my wedding, it would be worth it to have everyone I wanted there celebrating the happiest day of my life. It's going to be fun if it ever happens (fingers crossed).

150-200 guests.

No alcohol - some would enjoy it too much, some would be offended, and my husband and I were indifferent on the matter (we're not big drinkers). Seemed easiest to just avoid it.

Kids allowed to both wedding and reception - reception site (a community center) actually had a kids play area on site which helped keep them entertained.

Reception was very laid back, kind of more of a casual BBQ gathering feel. We had each table themed to something significant in our lives, which was a fun, personal touch. Catering was done by a place that had a BBQ pork sandwich buffet - nothing fancy, but good food. Hired a decent DJ for the dance, and had a chocolate fountain with several dippings for dessert (which was a hit!)

Our main philosophy: invite everyone who is meaningful in our lives (but not everyone you've ever met), and don't stress out over fine details and worry about keeping it "formal" or "elegant"; just have fun. I realize that's not what everyone wants in a wedding, which is fine, but it worked for us

bluebug83 said:

Our main philosophy: invite everyone who is meaningful in our lives (but not everyone you've ever met), and don't stress out over fine details and worry about keeping it "formal" or "elegant"; just have fun. I realize that's not what everyone wants in a wedding, which is fine, but it worked for us

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This was our philosophy as well.

We had about 40 guests - all immediate family and very close friends of the family. We did have a nursery for the kids during the ceremony, but only 2 of the 10 used it (but it was worth it). The reception was simple. No alcohol (neither of us drink), roasted chicken and simple fixings, and I made the cake.

my wife jokes about us having the cheapest wedding in human history

we had a private wedding (no guests) , just us 2 and the Rabbi to perform the service.

the way we viewed it this was far more meaningfull as we were making a commitment before G-d, not before man

fwmcathy said:

Just wondering what size wedding you all had?

I prefer a small one - possibly even just an "at home" wedding.

Thinking of using parents backyard with gazebo (weather permitting).

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When I read this I got a big smile; our wedding was in a gazebo in my parents backyard!

We had origanally planed on only having 150 people of so there, but there was a slight problem--I HAVE A TON OF RELITIVES!!!!

We ended up inviting about 350 people and only had 200 chairs.

Some people were standing...

200, give or take.

We would have had more if my parents (who were paying) had allowed, however we did have more than they had originally quoted!!

We had about 80 at the Church, 65 to the meal and about 130 to the dance

it was the best day of my life but being honest, I wouldn't have cared what happened that day as long as, in God's eyes, I was married to Sandy at the end of the day. He is God's gift to me (and me to him) and I thank God for him every day

Jay