| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Jul 09 2007 : 1:37:00 PM
My best friend and one of my hubby's best friends are getting married. They are my age (57) and want a quiet, very private ceremony. They asked us if they could get married in our living room. And of course, we said yes. Now, I am excited, and totally blown away. I want to make it a special time for them. They have been through a lot, but are good folks. What to do......I know it will include lots of white flowers, white candles, white linen, my white china and crystal.....a small cake and wine. None of us like champagne! But what music, what kind of traditions in such a non-traditional setting? She and I are going to talk - soon, I hope - the wedding is July 22 in the afternoon, with cake and wine following in the dining room and then dinner out.
Oh, how much fun, and how can I rise to the occasion? God will help me. I hope. :)
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Alee |
Posted - Jul 23 2007 : 8:18:09 PM
It sounds like everything came together wonderfully for you! I am so happy for you and your friend!
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora! |
| Linda Houston |
Posted - Jul 23 2007 : 3:16:12 PM
Everything sounds beautiful !!! Wonderful memories for your friends. I enjoyed reading all the suggestions and will use some for entertaining
Linda H. |
| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Jul 23 2007 : 12:54:33 PM
Jeannie, it sounds just beautiful! And what a boon to have extra flowers!!!! I can't wait to see the photos--if it's as pretty as it is in my mind, it's gorgeous!
Such a wonderful way to share your friendship, and how nice that a thunderstorm made the day more intimate, and even more memorable for them to remember.
Yay! Love is great!
"She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian. |
| Carol Sue |
Posted - Jul 23 2007 : 12:39:18 PM
jeannie,
How awesome and what a wonderful memory filled day for all of you. One that you will cherish always. Can't wait to see a couple of pictures.
CS
Enjoying the moments. |
| Maryjane Lee |
Posted - Jul 23 2007 : 12:36:50 PM
Jeannie! I am so glad it all worked out for you! Seems like the thunder storm was even romanic!!! What a wonderful memory you made for your friends and I am sure they are grateful for what you and your family did for them. Now kick up your feet...a job well done!
Hugs,
Maryjane Lee
The Beehive Cottage~
est. 1971 |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Jul 23 2007 : 12:12:39 PM
Hello! The wedding was fun! And it is so nice to know that a fellow farmgirl was thinking of us all day!
It has been so long since I posted a photo here, I will have to learn again, but I did have a CD made today of all the photos we took. So this week I will post a photo or two.
My dh made four beautiful (and huge) arrangements of white roses, baby's breath and fern. Two for the mantle, one for the entry table, one for the dining table and he even had some left to do the kitchen table. And here is where the God thing kicked in (as it did several times during the whole event) - we had a large wedding at our church the night before (Saturday). They left all the flowers in the church and narthex for Sunday morning! Six arrangements that were Queen Anne's Lace, White Hydrangea, and white Roses. The church let me use one of them for Sunday afternoon, after all festivities and services were over, and it looked smashing in front of the fireplace opening on the floor. I put five candlesticks in the center of the mantle with a hand carved cross on the wall above it. My walls are a blue grey.
We had a small cake with one tier. It was white with roses on the icing. I made the punch using champagne (and floated fruit in the center of it), and had lemon dill dip with crackers, and nut mix on the table for snacking after the cake.
After the wedding and the cake, etc,. we had a thunderstorm and our lights went out! So we gathered all the candles, took them to the dining table and sat around and had punch, wine, nibbles, and talked of old times in the candlelight.
The ceremony was so sweet. They exchanged rings, and their children were there, and a Baptist minister did the service. The bride looked so pretty in an off-white eyelet skirt with a crochet top. My neighbor loaned me an antique cake stand that is about 12 inches high, and it was wonderful. I wrapped white ribbon around a sterling cake knife, and they cut the cake together. Now they even have a top to share at their first anniversary.
Later, we all went out to eat at a restaurant that is housed in a historic home here. It was a fun day, and the weather (except for the quick storm) was quite balmy for Florida in July.
Yippee! Now they are man and wife. Life can be so full of joy.
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Jul 23 2007 : 06:39:14 AM
Just checking with you to see how the lovely wedding was! It was funny, all day long, I kept thinking, "why do I have this date (22nd) stuck in my head???" Every time I wrote a check, paid bills, this date (22nd) came up. I couldn't figure out what I needed to do on the 22nd. Then I remembered, it's not me, it's YOU--and your friends wedding at your home!
I'm sure it was absolutely gorgeous--please give us details when you've had your rest!
"She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian. |
| Alee |
Posted - Jul 12 2007 : 10:09:18 AM
Oh! And you can make those cream cheese wedding mints! Yum! I love those! I might eat more of those at my wedding than of my cake! LOL
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora! |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Jul 12 2007 : 07:58:02 AM
You gals are absolutely right - my hubby and I do feel honored that we were asked. I am getting excited, and just want to rise to the occasion, as they say! Reading all your thoughtful and supportive posts and ideas has really helped so much. I love this site!
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
| The Handmaiden |
Posted - Jul 11 2007 : 6:45:36 PM
Jeannie- nothing makes a day more special than spending it with the special people you love. Everything sounds lovely and now all I can think about is how it's gonna smell with gardenias and magnolias! Heavenly!! Remember anything done with love is charged with that energy and gives off a special light. Everything will be glowing - not just the bride.
"Faith shall finish all that Hope begins."
joan walsh anglund |
| Sweet Harvest Homestead |
Posted - Jul 11 2007 : 09:26:56 AM
What an honor Jeannie, to have your friend ask that her special day be in your home!
I know you will do a great job with it.
Lindy
www.sweetharvesthomestead.typepad.com |
| sunshine |
Posted - Jul 11 2007 : 06:24:42 AM
I know at my sister in laws wedding we had floating gardenias in bowls after the wedding I collected all them and dried them in cillica then on her 10th anniversary I gave them back to her ( I wanted to make a wreath but couldn't due to a move) But you could dry them and give them as a 6 month or 1 year anniversary gift as a remembrance to the wedding
have a lovely day and may God bless you and keep you safe
my bloghttp://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/
my web store http://vintagethreads.com/ |
| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Jul 11 2007 : 05:53:37 AM
I just know this day is going to be lovely!!!
The flowers you mentioned are going to be perfect--and LAST for longer than just the wedding day. Maybe make a special arrangement for them to take and place in their home, too (as if you haven't already done enough  ).
I can't wait to see photos!
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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| jpbluesky |
Posted - Jul 10 2007 : 8:40:25 PM
Thank you! Wow, that sounds delicious and it is beautiful! I am going to make it. Thank you for all of your suggestions. I am excited about it...thank goodness it is not for 100 people! The bride is ordering white roses for the flowers, and I plan to utilize what I have in the garden for the mantle and staircase - there are lots of Hygrangeas right now and Gardenias, too. And Magnolias. All of you are so helpful on this site - it always continues to amaze me. Thanks for you support!
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Jul 10 2007 : 6:45:21 PM
Hey Jeannie--
Here is the recipe for the Shade Hill Farm Wine Punch, and the photo, which REALLY made me want to make it. That Victoria Magazine could really make things beautiful!!! It tastes as good as it looks! The photo is a bit grainy--heck, it's from 1991!!!!
Base:
1 cup sugar
1 cup lemon juice
1 (1 quart) bottle cran-rasberry juice
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
Wine Punch:
1 48 oz. can pineapple or apple juice, chilled. I used apple..I'm not such a fan of "tropical"
1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine, chilled
2 (1 litre) bottles ginger-ale, chilled
1 (1 litre) bottle of lemon lime soda, chilled (I used 7-Up), it's less sweet
*Fresh rasberries, mint sprigs and (pesticide) edible free blossoms for floating and placing around punch bowl.
For base: in large saucepan, combine sugar and lemon juice. Stir over med. heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
Stir in cran-rasberry juice and 1/2 cup of mint leaves. Cool. Strain into bowl. Cover this portion and refrigerate until serving.
In 2 gallon punch bowl, combine cold punch base, apple or pineapple juice, and wine. Mix well, and gradually pour in ginger-ale and lemon lime sodas. Mix gently.
Garnish as desired.
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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| Maryjane Lee |
Posted - Jul 10 2007 : 4:37:13 PM
Jeannie good luck with the wedding planning! I can hear some excitement in your post, so I know you will do a wonderful job! Please take pictures and post them!
Hugs,
Maryjane Lee
The Beehive Cottage~
est. 1971 |
| ali2583 |
Posted - Jul 10 2007 : 12:59:10 PM
It sounds like the most perfect type of wedding. I know it will turn out perfect. Good luck with all of your planning Jeannie.
"God's gift to you is life. What you choose to do with that life is your gift to God" |
| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Jul 10 2007 : 08:37:36 AM
I'll see if I can dig up some photos of the bannister and stuff. I remember it being SUPER easy to do, and it was SO pretty after we were finished. I don't recall even having to use a lot of florist wire when wrapping it around the bannister. Only for the bows to tie onto the tulle. We sortof "puddled" it at the end of the staircase.
You could even get away with a pretty lace dresser/mantle scarf or light colored embroidered shawl on your mantle with the candles, and utilize a large crystal or white vase in the center with the same kinds of flowers as gathered in the bows with the tulle.
I know I have a picture of the daisy wreath. Besides getting married, I think that was my favorite part of the whole thing!
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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| jpbluesky |
Posted - Jul 10 2007 : 08:23:23 AM
I have a banister, and the tulle idea on it is great, with the greenery tucked in. And the wreath on the door. Like that too. You all are giving me great ideas, and I feel better each day as I think about things. I just keep thinking, keep it simple, keep it simple! Wish I knew a musician in our group of friends, but the CD player may just have to do.
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Jul 10 2007 : 06:04:41 AM
Jeannie, you can totally do this--and now that you've mentioned she is a professor of dance (and I'm a former ballerina), I think I have a pretty good idea of her tastes! The candle sticks sound lovely!!!! I love simple off white taper candles in varying sizes. It really gives warmth to the room when they are all lit, and the different sizes add depth. When I got married, we married in the law office I work in, which is a mansion from 1864. It's stunning, and really didn't need a lot of work and I'm pretty simple anyway. I got white tulle and draped it around the bannister, with large white bows gathered in equal distance, with oak leaf hydrangea blooms tucked in the center of the bows (that I cut from our landscape!). I also decorated with pre-potted multiple flower pots from a nursery placed on pedestals, and had a large white daisy wreath on the door to "announce" what was happening inside. We had a quartet (all friends of my husband, who is a musician), and they played Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and the Meditation of Thais by Massenet, both strong violin compositions.
I'd be glad to post the recipe, I even have a picture that I can scan that I cut from Victoria years ago. I know you can pull it off, and it's soooo pretty!!!! The punch absolutely sparkles!!!
This is going to be sooo great, you just wait and see!
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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| windypines |
Posted - Jul 10 2007 : 04:31:30 AM
Jeannie, things always seem to work better, when you work under pressure. Decisions are easier, cause you dont' have time to talk yourself out of them. Good luck and have fun. It will work and be beautiful. Michele |
| Alee |
Posted - Jul 09 2007 : 7:10:59 PM
Jeannie-
You will do great! Another idea is to get those flameless tealights. You can put them in a rose bowl with lightly colored rock salt. It makes a great glow and can add a softened spot of color wherever you want it!
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora! |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Jul 09 2007 : 4:45:34 PM
Wow - I love the white tulle idea. I do have to figure out what to do with the mantle. I have many candelsticks and the white tulle would soften it a lot. The music ideas are good, too. My friend is a professsor of dance at FSU. I know she knows all about classical music, so I may have to let her choose, but that is okay. It is her wedding! You all are making me feel as if I can pull this off for them :)
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
| therusticcottage |
Posted - Jul 09 2007 : 4:25:40 PM
Jeannie -- when my husband and I got married we had it in my friend's living room. It was a June wedding. We did the whole thing for $200 including clothes! I had pink geraniums, blue lobelia, and white alyssum intertwined with white tulle for the fireplace mantel. When the wedding was over I took the flowers home and planted them on my patio. How exciting. Please share pictures with us!!
Oh Christmas lights would be so romantic! As far as music -- what about some classical? Something relaxing.
Visit my Etsy shop at http://www.therusticcottage.net
http://therusticcottage.blogspot.com |
| MulberryMama |
Posted - Jul 09 2007 : 2:30:21 PM
My husband and I did a wedding for 275 in our backyard, talk about a lot of planning and logistics. But it was wonderful, and still talked about by our friends and guests.
When I got married Joann's Fabrics had a 50% sale on their flowers and greenery which allowed me to make bouquets and decorations very inexpensively. I used silks for the boutennaires and corsages, since these flowers really get beat up on the day of the wedding, and then I could make them ahead. I used fresh flowers from the grocery store (believe it) and my garden for fresh baskets of flowers for myself and the bridesmaids.
I looked into renting table linens but found that it was cheaper to purchase bolts of shirting fabric, cut it to the correct lengths, and do quick machine hem on the end of the table clothes, and the fabric has made many dresses for my sister's daughters and has a myriad of uses later on.
Also rectangular tables were cheaper to rent than rounds. So we went with that option.
My mom once did the wedding flowers for a neighbor's daughter, and since there was no money to speak of, she asked neighbors in the area, who had beautiful gardens, if she could have some of the blossoms. We collected flowers from several neighbors and since it was a fall wedding, people were happy to see the flowers go to good use rather than freeze in the garden. My mom had a lot of glassware and stemware in interesting shapes that she uses for holding tapers and tealights for a nice wash of candle light on the tables. We found that bulk candles from a church supply store were an inexpensive option.
Best of luck to you. Our best friends (whom we happened to introduce) where married in a house wedding, in front of a fireplace just before christmas. It was a small group, maybe 35, but it was magical. Don't forget some good scents, like vanilla or fresia.
Our friends used recorded music, I think Enya. but Liz Story (a pianist) has some great stuff as well, that makes great background music.
Best of luck to you. And remember, if something doesn't go as you planned, no one will know but you.
I wasn't born in a barn, but I was raised in one. |
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