Gold and cream

[neeni13]

My friend asked me to help her. all she knows is that she wants ballons and gold and cream are her colors. She has no dress, no idea of what color gold, and an unrealistic idea o what weddings cost. help She hasn't even told me a ball park of what her budget is. Every venue I come up with for the ceremony and reception, a she says is "Oh My God" thankfully it is next year lol

[WhiskeyGirl]

I think she should start by finding a dress. i found that the dress that I choose definately set the tone for the weddind and how fancy we needed to go. Thats the best place where I can recommend starting...from there on out, I have no idea how you explain the costs of wedding except, that it can expensive VERY QUICKLY!

~CanadianBride~

[LaceyinPgh]

Before your friend does anything she needs to decide how much money she realistically can spend. There is no point planning for a formal wedding with free flowing champagne and filet mignon when your budget only allows for coktails and hors d'ouvres. She needs to focus on finding a reception location and caterer since those are going to be her most two expensive items. Then she needs to put a guest list together and take it from there. There are several good wedding planning websites out there that offer online budget calculators and checklist of things to do. Maybe, have her look into one of those before she jumps feet first in.

[sstark1218]

I agree with Lacey.. I have really found www.ezweddingplanner.com very very helpful. Check it out! Good Luck!

[iluvweddings]

Your friend does not to decide on a budget. However, what I do that is very helpful is to create an Excel spreadsheet with the following:
Possible
Locations
Florist
Officiant
Wedding Gowns
Bridesmaid Dresses
Tuxedos
etc.
then I created different columns that included (for example) - the cost for the location per person, how many hours the location provided, if open bar was included, etc. You can just call to get that information - then the locations that were within my budget (or what I was willing to spend) I went to actually view, I crossed some off my list that didn't catch my eye. I think you can really narrow your choice that way.

A few helpful tips to save money on weddings are to choose a date that is off-season. I saved $1500 because my wedding is in January. If you aren't willing to do that - choose a Friday night or Sunday afternoon, you can save hundreds that way as well.
Try your location park district,it serves as a beautiful backdrop and is very reasonable for the rental space - although you then need to provide caterer, linen, tableware, etc.

GOOD LUCK!
...and just remember, you can have champagne taste with beer money!

[As You Wish]

A great place to start is a wedding show; they are usually several times a year in most cities. You can get a lot of ideas and it will help your friend to start thinking about what she wants and what things cost.

[neeni13]

We have decided to go with a few balloon arrangments around the room in gold and cream and have cadles on that mirror on the table and bell shaped cream chocolate with gold ribbons for favors. Lets hope the bride goes for it and the nonexistant budget will accomedate

[morgan]

that seems like a good idea, balloons are really difficult to make look classy!!

[CarlosHoney]

I'm renting a small room at a country club that accomidates 50 guests, and that's exactly the ammount of people that are comming. I'm paying $250, and that's the cheapest I could find.

This place will allow you to self cater, which we are doing, and I'm doing the flowers, decorations, everything myself. My step-mom is having her parents help by having her mom make my dress and her dad is a bee keeper and is supplying the honey for the favors free of charge. My step mom is also labeling, sealing, and decorating the jars for me, so that's something I don't have to worry about.

My guy's dad can perform ceremonies, so that's taken care of, and my mom is a hairstylist and my MOH is a makeup artist..

That's how I'm keeping my budget under $1000.. Good luck with all that, though.

[bobbijoandchris]

my girl needs help I am in the same situation I agree with all of your ideas!!

Chris

[Bride]

here is a little piece of knowledge to tuck in your brains....something i did not know until faced with this situation....

price mark-up on dresses is CRAZY!!!! :shock:

my bridesmaids dresses were approximately $350-400 each at one store...we went to another store where the same dress was only $180-200 and got that store to write down the price and model number on their business card. we went back to the other store showed them that information and we got the dresses at that price.

so it pays to shop and it's crazy when it comes to wedding people will overcharge, but are also willing to dicker about pricing.

have fun!

[neeni13]

The friend finally set a date and i'll meet with her tomorrow to see if I will still be coordinating this wedding since now she has a whole slew of people changing her mind about every 2 seconds on what she wants.

[CarlosHoney]

She sounds like she needs a shot of wedding reality.. She's gotta show you a ballpark on the budget before you can do anything.

Another thing for the decorations--I'm using ostrich feathers. Cheap, and you can dye them. I'm going to use them for the cake table.. Flowers are so freaking expensive, and fake flowers look just that--FAKE! I'm using candle centerpieces, and the only flowers will be in the bouquets, corsages, and bouts. Good luck, and I'm working on a budget wedding ideas page, once it's done I'll post the link here!

[SueMartin]

Sorry I dont agree that all fake flowers look fake, although being from Australia, maybe we have different suppliers etc.. I had silk flowers for my bouquet, and they looked gorgoeous

[CarlosHoney]

Not all flowers that are fake look bad, that's not really what I'm saying.. I type faster than I think, I think! The ones that I've seen around here are pretty crappy. I've seen really beautiful ones, but for what I've seen them costing, I can get real. I'm considering using fakes for my centerpeices if I can find pretty ones. I can make them in advance and set them aside months in advance.

Here's the website I promised:

www.freewebs.com/7uckily

It's still being worked on, and little bit, by little bit, more info and pics are being added.

[neeni13]

Yes some flowers are not pretty when fake but that is where you have to spruce it up. At my own wedding ,2 weeks before Christmas, my maids had big poinsette flowers of blue, pink and purple. I twined them together with a colored and gold ribbon. They doubled as added decor for thr bridal table later. I'll find a picture later.

As for coordinating the wedding of my friend. She has changed the color to a lime green because she let her maids change the colorand they put money down on their dresses. I think I can just add that color in with the cream and gold decor we were gonna use and have spent some money on already. HAve a venue for the reception , her mom is paying for it, but haven't caught up w/ her to find out details yet.

[neeni13]

Ok, the color is now Peridot . A green. the bridsmaid dress is from Davids bridal with that rhinestone broach. So she doesn't want to use the gold and cream. What am I gonna do? I bought some stuff already. But how to decorate with green? I haven't seen any pictures of anybody who used green as a main color let alone that color green for dress:censored:
Not that the maids paid for their dresses. yes the bride paid the balance on them and still haven't given me a budget. or cash for squat!

[WebLady]

If this girl is your friend you should talk to her and tell her that you can't help her unless she helps you.

According to David's Bridal, this is Peridot -

http://img.davidsbridal.com/db/fabric.xml?cmp-image=i,/db/fabric/satin.fpx&cmp-color=i,xD7DBCC&ftr=-5&cmp-end=1&wid=200&hei=200&cvt=jpg

I have seen green weddings before. They usually add in a little ivory and/or maybe a pale yellow and/or pink in there too. Here are some ideas I found for a green wedding ...

http://www.elegantcheesecakes.com/images/green-with-dogwood-detail.jpg

http://www.blumen.com/images/green%20cymbidium%20bouquet_small.jpg

http://www.sanfranciscoweddingflowers.com/winter-wedding-flower/golden-gate-park-wedding.jpg

Good luck with everything!

[bnd94]

What have you bought so far? I don't see any reason why you can't use them. What do you need ideas for, everything? or something in particular? When is her wedding date?

[neeni13]

Thanks for the pics. I had bought yards of gold fabric to drape around the room. ( This store was going out of business to go to another state so it was a big sale I couldnot pass up nor can I return it) We have a meeting with her this weekend coming, so I'll be able to show her and convince her that it could still work. Also not sure which is the low cost flowers that will work real or fake since still no budget. SHe has 7 months to go. SEPTEMBER 23rd 06

[neeni13]

ok so the reception site is booked and they have it all night.
her uncle is performing the ceremony but nooooow she doesn't have a ceremony location argh the wedding is in September 23
places that i had booked a year ago for her now those spots are taken. I 'm back at square one.:censored:

[neeni13]

Ok so here is the latest. Wedding and ceremony will be in one place. The venue will decorate and cater. The bride still has to get her undergarments and shoes, groom and men still has to get tux. The Jr. brides and hostess need everything and the bride is selling cookies and dinners to get extra money and get this she is making gift baskets for maids who haven't even paid her back for buying the dresses and she bought their jewlry as the gifts already. They still don't have the transportation in place yet. "Oh we have time" is what I get from this bride. Oh yeah, I told her in the beginning of June to go and have hubby to be to find or get a copy of his divorce papers so they could get their marriage certificate. They are still looking and the ex wife calls and says. "I heard you were getting married. I don't mean to cause no trouble but can you give me a copy of the divorce papers?" Her dauhter is in the wedding, how could she be just finding out they are getting married? ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGh. I'll catch you up later

wedding date you ask? September 24th, 2006 yeah a month away.

[CarlosHoney]

Hey, my DH ignored my multitude of inquiries about the tuxes/suits. He waited until 1 week before to actually talk to the GM about it.

[neeni13]

My sister just said she doesn't know if she could still be friends with her after this. She is so fed up with her friend. She was sorry she got me involved since I did alot of the leg work of finding places and people to do. "Can't hold anything if bride don't give up the cash"

[neeni13]

Sorry so long in getting back to you. There has been drama with this wedding. Not sure if I posted. The wedding was to be September 23, but now is set for November 4th. Get this. I told the bride months ago what she needed to do to get license and fiance's divorce papers in order when they go to get it. He kept saying it was at his moms. This man is 40 something, Well drama came in July when ex told him to give her a copy when he got his. A 2 weeks before wedding, they find out there were no papers signed but since its been over 7 yrs separated they could get that done in 12 days provided the ex signed. Meanwhile ex has showed up at rehearsals trying to cause trouble and calling his relatives. Drama.

On the otherhand the at-work- bridal shower was a hit. My sister and I totally orchestrated that wit no imput from the bride who doesn't think for herself, which is why it worked. Green vases from the $store with callalillies in them on doilies. Green petals scattered on the tables. be back gota pick up kids

[SerendipityCrafts]

We have decided to go with a few balloon arrangments around the room in gold and cream and have cadles on that mirror on the table and bell shaped cream chocolate with gold ribbons for favors. Lets hope the bride goes for it and the nonexistant budget will accomedate

We had balloons at my first wedding. We found a wholesaler for the baloons and a company that would deliver and pick up a helium tank for the cost of the helium. We had the neighbourhood kids fill the balloons the morning of the wedding. They had a blast doing it as they inhaled some helium along the way and made each other laugh.

The ceiling was filled with balloons. We also weighted bunches of balloons together and used them as centerpieces.

[kevinsbride2B]

Ya she deffinetly needs to show a budget, even a ball park figure. Wedding's mean $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ especially with some of the ideas you have shared. Soemthing can be one cost but when you mention the "W" word they go up drastically. I think the gold and cream would work really well with the green. It will make it very elegant. If you match it with a stark white or silver tone I can see it looking avacado 70's yuck.
Good Luck and pull that budget out of her!!!

[neeni13]

wedding was Nov 4th.

Yes there were incidents. The Decor for the hall were not acceptable to me for a place that does that sor of thing all the time. I could have and would have done better had they let us come early to change some things. The bride turned BRIDZILLA on the limo driver and the girls since she wasn' dressed. I figure had she been that way the entire time planning the wedding it would have looked better, been budgeted, all around not listenig to everyones opinion from people who never were married, nor been to amany weddings. soo glad its over and she is now married.

[BriansBride07]

Well congrats on getting your friends wedding done. It's one less thing you will need to worry about. So sorry that your friend was such a BRIDEZILLA and all the bumps on the way.

[Ms. Scribbles]

Whoops totally read this wrong! Congrats on surviving!