I could use some help-wedding plans
First off, I feel sad that I no longer have a best girlfriend to discuss this with. I don't even know who I will (or if I will) choose for a maid of honor. I don't have any sisters or close female cousins. My friends are good friends but not the type that I see or talk to enough that I could choose for a MOH. Sigh. I was going to have no wedding party at all in order to avoid this situation but Jason already has a best man so I guess I have to have a match for my side. Jason doesn't seem to understand the whole bride/moh relationship. He thinks I can just ask a coworker I've know for 3 months. But anway, whining about having no friends is not why I'm here.
I was hoping you all could help me with some wedding ideas. I've been searching through magazines and websites but nothing has matched what I think I'm looking for. So here's what I need help with. Let me preference this by saying I want to make everything as eco friendly and with as little waste as possible (nothing too expensive either). 1) Centerpieces. (To me they seem like a waste of time and money but...) I want something pretty but not something I have to throw out at the end of the night. Flowers seem the best bet but then there are all the vases or whatever to put them it. 2) Favors. I've had enough wedding favors that sit and collect dust that I don't want something someone else is just going to throw out when they get home. Something edible maybe?
Also, vegan wedding shoes? I've been on vegan shoe sites but there is nothing on them that looks like a wedding shoe. Thanks so much for your help guys. I know I haven't been around much lately but I have a lot more free time now.
I planned my own wedding, so I can share a few things I did.
I bought the majority of everything on eBay. It was all fabulous.
For "favors," I baked shortbread cookies with jam filling and pecan bars, and placed them in Chinese takeout box type things (the white ones with the metal handles), and decorated the outside with ribbons, and a little fortune cookie type saying.
I think a homemade thing is a great way to go.
For centerpieces, I bought all of the flowers from Sam's Club (really inexpensive, great flowers), and my uncle arranged them in vases that my parents had..and I bought some additional ones from Hobby Lobby....and some from eBay. Vases can always be used again.
If you have any other questions, let me know! I would love to be of some help.
are you planning on having a more "traditional" white wedding or are you planning something different? that would help us give ideas if we knew what you wanted.
It's basically traditional. With a large, Italian family it kind of has to be (especially since the rents are helping with the bills). So far this is what I have: The ceremony and reception are at the same place. It has a nice, rustic look to it. The ceremony will be outside (weather permitting-it's in September) and the reception inside (with cocktails and snacks on the patio). My dress is white. The colors (at least for now) are chocolate brown and ivory. It's going to be a late afternoon/early evening wedding. So since it will be in the fall and semi outdoors in an old converted mill with a rusticy look, I want to stick to something with that type of theme. I like the cookie idea. I can make them myself :)
ooh ooh! my friends that had an october wedding, (but it would still definitely work for a september one) used little tiny pumpkins as their centerpieces.. you know those really little ones that are only like 3 inches tall? anyway, they cored out the top/stem and put a little tea light candle in the hole. it was really pretty/inexpensive/easy.. and it was a nice change from the usual flowery centerpiece. afterwards you can just compost em!
i think edible favor are the best! maybe a big black and white cookies with the date of the wedding piped on edge of the white side..
ooh ooh! my friends that had an october wedding, (but it would still definitely work for a september one) used little tiny pumpkins as their centerpieces.. you know those really little ones that are only like 3 inches tall? anyway, they cored out the top/stem and put a little tea light candle in the hole. it was really pretty/inexpensive/easy.. and it was a nice change from the usual flowery centerpiece. afterwards you can just compost em!
i think edible favor are the best! maybe a big black and white cookies with the date of the wedding piped on edge of the white side..
Both are great ideas! I'm going to have to start a notebook.
maybe a big black and white cookies with the date of the wedding piped on edge of the white side..
I could even tweak the colors to make it chocolate brown and ivory instead of black and white!
What about food centerpieces? You could make "bowls" out of woven sticks or vines and then place fruit in the bowl, maybe with a small recipe idea for each guest to take a piece or 2 with them and enjoy. Apples, pears, or even nuts, though that could get expensive. You could weave an ivory ribbon in the sticks. Or you could make a bouquet of sticks/branches and bind with a ribbon and stand in a vase. Centerpieces don't have to be huge but unique ones always grab attention and will be conversation starters. I'll keep brainstorming!
Cookies are a great idea too - a friend of mine did biscotti that was a huge hit too.
My sister had tea cups with flowers floating in them as centerpieces. She borrowed the tea cups from my mother, her mother in-law and a tea room I worked at. She actually had very little waste at her wedding. The worst was probably the bottle water the venue provided. My sister used jelly beans in her wedding colours as favours wrapped in little mesh circles tied with ribbon. You could substitute the jelly beans with a vegan friendly treat and use mesh that isn't made of plastic. Good luck
A common center piece/favor I've found at "home-made" weddings are the disposable cameras, have 4-5 of them per table, with stickers and pens (so people can put their names/addy's on the cameras), then you send them doubles of their pictures and you have tons of pics to choose from!!
I know what you mean about favors. I don't think anyone really likes them....SOOOO, why not take the money that you were going to spend on favors & make a donation to your favourite charity in honour of your wedding guests? Let them know during a speech & I think you'll find that your guests will be very happy with that.
CONGRATS to you! :)>>>
Here are some links I found--some are in the UK so those are just "idea" links--hope some of them help :)
http://www.eco-friendlyweddings.co.uk/
http://www.weddingthings.com/category/eco_friendly_green_wedding_favors
http://www.beau-coup.com/green-wedding-favors.htm
http://www.blissweddingsmarket.com/store/eco-friendly-wedding-favors.htm
http://www.marilynskeepsakes.com/wedding-themes/eco-friendly/
http://www.marjennings.com/thinkinggreen/ecofriendlyweddings.cfm
I have the sweetest vison of you getting married in a big open field with beautiful flowing sheets in greens, blues and cream all around you, the guests stand through a short and sweet vow exchange and then throw flower petals. the reception is held in a huge, open wooden structure like a series of gazabos or barn--native flowers, tress and foliage decorate everything and the vegan food is buffet/potluck style--very community/family style with all the dishes and wear being mismatched--very thrift store chic! OK, maybe that souds totally stupid--I just love visualizing weddings and you seem like the kind of person who would want a very intimate, homey and kichey type event--but i could be way off...OK...I'm going now...sorry...
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq182/ecowedding/wedding-in-field_h528.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w202/Capture79/Food/wedding-cake-green-leaves.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w202/Capture79/Food/fall_pic_lighter_smaller.jpg
You could make centerpieces out of things you find outdoors, like pinecones, leaves/flowers, small stones, etc (check for bugs before putting them on the tables!), then when the wedding's over you can just put them back outside.
Or, if you like cutesy things, maybe get some inexpensive teddy bears (in your wedding colors), and put 1 or 2 of them on each table. Any that the guests don't take home can be donated to a children's hospital or something.
FTR, I did live flowers (pansies) at my wedding, and put them in cheap baskets to cover the ugly plastic pots, and most of them were taken home by the guests.
I love the black and white (or brown and ivory) cookie idea for favors. Along the same lines, you could give each guest a sugar cookie and a chocolate cookie, or a dark chocolate and a white chocolate candy, or something like that. My favorite non-edible favor idea is fridge magnets, because they're practical, but I don't know how much they'd cost.
As for shoes...how long is your dress? At my wedding I figured no one would see my feet so I wore white flip flops. They were comfortable and I can wear them again (I don't dress up much, so fancy white shoes would just sit in the back of my closet).
Hope that helps!