Mom sent me a coupon for World Market, and I used it, spending $29 and saving $19 on two large orange vase/votive-things and a string of 35 mini lanterns with all the hardware. While checking out, I signed up for their rewards program thingy, and they will continue sending me coupons. This could get dangerous.
The other day I found some other great things at Goodwill - a beautiful aqua votive, some smaller aqua tealight votives, and two unused orange candles plus vintage plates to put them on, all for $10. The savings are intoxicating, but that puts my total wedding spending at $39 this week alone.
Making the decision not to have identical tablescapes has been liberating; it gives me the freedom to pick what I want where I can. But the odd things I've purchased so far still don't fit into any scheme - no matter how loose my definition of 'scheme' is - and I wonder if I'll just end up with closets full of orange- and blue-colored things that I don't end up using. The space (crossing fingers!) is versatile enough that I think I can find places for a variety of things. In the bathroom, for example! On the bar! On little side tables, at the front entrance, on a random counter that just happens to be there. But to what end?
Also, our preferred wedding date is over a year away. The things I'm buying now will literally just take up space until then.
I have no idea if I'll look back and think, "Why the hell did I buy all that stuff? I didn't use half of it - what a waste of money." I could look back and think, "Thank goodness I bought all that stuff when I did, because now I'm putting my money towards bigger wedding expenses/the orange stuff this season isn't what I want at all/I lost my job and I'm poor as shit." Who knows these things?
I tell myself that I'm being good. I don't scoop up every single thing that is made of aqua glass, because then I'd be the proud owner of a glass basket (what) that I saw at Goodwill the other day, and that is just dumb. I'm looking for specific shades and sizes and materials, and I don't put anything in my basket on a whim. Also I refuse to pay full price for anything. This is immensely emotionally satisfying and makes me feel successful at planning a wedding that my guests and I will find lovely. But I'm not sure, at this moment, that it's the best tactic.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Entertainment During the Waiting Game
It feels like everything's on hold. I can research caterers and photographers and anything I want until my eyes explode, but we can't make any more decisions until we nail down the date with the Theater Off Jackson, and they can't help us - at least not for now. They're negotiating the renewal of their lease, and until that gets signed, our contract won't be signed, either.
They seem optimistic that we can get a date in August 2012, and they seem eager to work with us. In the meantime, Mr. Fiance has suggested - very practically - that we look at other venues so as not to put all of our eggs in one basket. I agree with him, but it's not like our initial search was just our top 4 from hundreds of possible spaces - we have a budget, and we have a huge number of people, and there just aren't that many places to choose from that accommodate both. Plus, I've spent HOURS with Microsoft Publisher trying to figure out how to fit the maximum number of guests into the layout, and I've finally found a plan that seats 120 comfortably, with room to walk and dance. How can I walk away from all of that work and start over?
Maybe it should be HIS job to look for venues while I worry about more important things, like decorations?
I found delightful inspiration for tablescapes from this picture, and as with everything else wedding-related, I've spent some time trying to figure out how I can achieve the same idea for cheaper. I love the idea of little oranges, but they'll be out of season, so I need summer-appropriate, local fruit that will be cheap and fit into the color scheme. I'm not sure what to do about flowers, but I like the orange-in-blue idea. And sure, I could get matching containers, but wouldn't a mix of thrifty finds be more interesting? Also, Mr. Fiance likes the soda bottle idea, and I love the little blue and orange votives - although I would like them more if they were gilded.
The goal: shallow, long containers filled with orange flowers, seasonal orange-colored fruit, and moss or some other filler; orange soda bottles; blue and orange candle votives
The solution: For the containers, I've started scouring Goodwill and TJ Maxx (My kingdom for a HomeGoods in Seattle!). Both of these places are most well-known for affordable clothing, but they also carry a large selection of home items and decorations. I found a surprisingly nice aqua-colored oval glass bowl that is very pretty at Goodwill last week for about $4, and TJ Maxx had some orange jugs in clearance for $5.50, so I got two and will tie some blue ribbon around the top to make them more festive. I love an excuse to window shop, so if I go back when I can - a few times a month - I'll probably find some really interesting items every time I go. This helps me spread the cost out over a long period of time.
The flowers are tricky. I have entertained going to Pike Place Market to get flowers without really caring what color they are, but I have friends who know about wholesale options. I don't like the look of silk flowers, but I really like wooden flowers, so those might work. I can use fake moss, or that green foam stuff. This is something that I'll have to figure out closer to the date, but needless to say, I will not be paying a florist to arrange centerpieces.
The internet tells me that apricots, peaches and nectarines will be in season here in Washington, and I can probably find those fruits in orange-enough shades to satisfy me.
Personalized soda bottles - like personalized anything - will cost $texas, and I don't really care if they say "Mr. & Mrs. Whatever". Thomas Kemper Orange Soda already has an orange label, so I could just set these out on the tables or in buckets of ice for easy, decorative refreshment. I could even make my own stickers or paint the cartons they come in if I really felt motivated. Plus this gives me an excuse to have my signature cocktail involve orange cream soda in some way. SCORE.
The votives are tricky. I love the idea of gilded votives like these, but at $4.95 a pop plus tax and shipping, they'll add up quickly if I want my tables littered with them.... which I do. These are a cheaper alternative, and if I find myself with a lot of free time and some gold leaf on hand, I found this tutorial on how to put gold on stuff your own damn self. I could also just tie ribbon or twine around them and call it a day.
Since I've already got a few vases at home and some flowers from Mr. Fiance that are on the verge of death, maybe I'll do a mockup of what this concept would look like?
They seem optimistic that we can get a date in August 2012, and they seem eager to work with us. In the meantime, Mr. Fiance has suggested - very practically - that we look at other venues so as not to put all of our eggs in one basket. I agree with him, but it's not like our initial search was just our top 4 from hundreds of possible spaces - we have a budget, and we have a huge number of people, and there just aren't that many places to choose from that accommodate both. Plus, I've spent HOURS with Microsoft Publisher trying to figure out how to fit the maximum number of guests into the layout, and I've finally found a plan that seats 120 comfortably, with room to walk and dance. How can I walk away from all of that work and start over?
Maybe it should be HIS job to look for venues while I worry about more important things, like decorations?
I found delightful inspiration for tablescapes from this picture, and as with everything else wedding-related, I've spent some time trying to figure out how I can achieve the same idea for cheaper. I love the idea of little oranges, but they'll be out of season, so I need summer-appropriate, local fruit that will be cheap and fit into the color scheme. I'm not sure what to do about flowers, but I like the orange-in-blue idea. And sure, I could get matching containers, but wouldn't a mix of thrifty finds be more interesting? Also, Mr. Fiance likes the soda bottle idea, and I love the little blue and orange votives - although I would like them more if they were gilded.
The goal: shallow, long containers filled with orange flowers, seasonal orange-colored fruit, and moss or some other filler; orange soda bottles; blue and orange candle votives
The solution: For the containers, I've started scouring Goodwill and TJ Maxx (My kingdom for a HomeGoods in Seattle!). Both of these places are most well-known for affordable clothing, but they also carry a large selection of home items and decorations. I found a surprisingly nice aqua-colored oval glass bowl that is very pretty at Goodwill last week for about $4, and TJ Maxx had some orange jugs in clearance for $5.50, so I got two and will tie some blue ribbon around the top to make them more festive. I love an excuse to window shop, so if I go back when I can - a few times a month - I'll probably find some really interesting items every time I go. This helps me spread the cost out over a long period of time.
The flowers are tricky. I have entertained going to Pike Place Market to get flowers without really caring what color they are, but I have friends who know about wholesale options. I don't like the look of silk flowers, but I really like wooden flowers, so those might work. I can use fake moss, or that green foam stuff. This is something that I'll have to figure out closer to the date, but needless to say, I will not be paying a florist to arrange centerpieces.
The internet tells me that apricots, peaches and nectarines will be in season here in Washington, and I can probably find those fruits in orange-enough shades to satisfy me.
Personalized soda bottles - like personalized anything - will cost $texas, and I don't really care if they say "Mr. & Mrs. Whatever". Thomas Kemper Orange Soda already has an orange label, so I could just set these out on the tables or in buckets of ice for easy, decorative refreshment. I could even make my own stickers or paint the cartons they come in if I really felt motivated. Plus this gives me an excuse to have my signature cocktail involve orange cream soda in some way. SCORE.
The votives are tricky. I love the idea of gilded votives like these, but at $4.95 a pop plus tax and shipping, they'll add up quickly if I want my tables littered with them.... which I do. These are a cheaper alternative, and if I find myself with a lot of free time and some gold leaf on hand, I found this tutorial on how to put gold on stuff your own damn self. I could also just tie ribbon or twine around them and call it a day.
Since I've already got a few vases at home and some flowers from Mr. Fiance that are on the verge of death, maybe I'll do a mockup of what this concept would look like?
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