The Center Attraction Part II

Welcome back to The Center Attraction! If you missed part one you can read it here, but to refresh your memory this is a blog about us redoing our kitchen. Head to toe revamp! Isn't that exciting? We thought so, in fact its been quite the process. This will be a three part series because we did it in three parts. Part I was the before, Part II will be the interim and Part III will be the finished product.

The Center Attraction Part I

I'm going to throw you all for a loop today. I've decided to take a short hiatus from wedding planning, mostly because the stuff I'm down to are not something I'm inspired about. Today I want to write you about our kitchen. The kitchen is known for being the center ground for entertaining. Well in order for us to entertain we'd need a serious remodel. Someday that may happen, but in the meantime we needed help in other areas. Now our kitchen serves also as a hallway, being that both bedroom doors and the bathroom door are in the kitchen, so blocking the traffic flow doesn't make any sense, aesthetically or functionally.

Thrifty Floral

Flowers are supposed to only take up approximately 10% of your wedding budget, however than can often accumulate to much more than just that. Or it can quickly increase your budget astronomically. This is especially true if you have an extended bridal party or family. We of course needed the flowers for the bridal bouquet and the grooms boutonniere, but we also had a large amount of extra flowers. Our bridal party consisted of four bridesmaids(2), four groomsmen(2), the best man(1), the maid of honor(1), four ushers(4), two attendants (guest book and gift)(2), and the ring bearer(1). We also had to have two mother corsages, two father boutonnieres, two stepmother corsages(2), and two step father boutonnieres(2). Then there was the grandparents. We had four grandmother corsages(2) and four grandfather boutonnieres(2). So needless to say, we needed lots of flowers. LOTS of flowers.

Ceremony Deserves Love Too....

Every person who comes to your wedding you wanted there. Otherwise why would you have invited them? (If you didn't invite them you have every right to tell them to leave, but we'll deal with that later on in another post.) So just as your parents, and possibly grandparents get the boutonnieres and corsages to wear, and you have decorated your reception hall, why shouldn't the ceremony site get a little flair too? Depending on where you're ceremony is taking place, and the time frame you have to decorate/tear down, you can choose to go full scale or minimal touches.

On The Roster...

This project is one of those unnecessary things that if you don't have the time, well then don't do it. I had the time, and our officiant got our scheduling of the ceremony done early so I made them. Programs are also one of those projects you can make as intricate or as plain as you want. There are so many things you can do to make your program unique: incorporating ribbons, twine, fancy papers, hole punches (in various shapes)... Your possibilities are endless.

The -Second- Center of Attention

Of course the happy new couple are the center of attention, but there is a reason these beasts are called "centerpieces." Part of it is, yes, that they go in the center of the table, but the other part is that they're one of the first things people look at...Well, so commences the centerpieces. You would be surprised how inexpensive you can make some pretty extravagant centerpieces all on your own. And the best part, you don't have to break your budget doing it! Be creative in where you get your stuff, and know what you want to include in your centerpieces. Remember that people will want to talk and see each other. So, eye level is not the height you want. Either above or below eye level is key.  $AVINGS TIP: UTILIZE your resources!

Let Them Eat Cake!

Remember the other day when I told you that my stepfather created our slideshow? Well our wedding cake was created by my aunt and uncle (and his mother), you can give them props here. What I liked best about our cake was that I knew few things about our cake. I told my aunt I wanted marbled fondant (a relative easy feat as anyone who has ever worked with fondant before knows), I also sent her a link for butterflies and gave her the cake topper that I had actually had since the start of our engagement.

Sweeten the Bar and Save!

Don't get confused by the title, I like to create a little mystery to get you to read on.

This entry is about my uncle's favorite part of the entire wedding extravaganza: The Candy Bar. Now you might think: woo, candy... and then top it off with an eye roll. However, if your families or guests are anything like ours there are loads of children, or "immature" adults, and come on... how many kids do you know who don't like candy? So there are a few tricks to a successful candy bar, and a few helpful hints to make it a little less of a dent on your wallet.  First of all, we'll talk candy.. because that's what you came for right?

Reminders of the Past Help Conquer the Future

This is a special thank you to my stepfather who put a lot of work into this slideshow. We did experience a few technical difficulties but it was amazing. Thank you so much to him. Please watch and then feel free to give him props, here. Slideshows are particularly common these days as a way to remember (and occasionally embarrass) the new couple by reminding them how naughty they really were. They can be played throughout receptions or even rehearsal dinners and guests can view at their leisure, or you can set up a specific time where they are to be played so the show gets attention at the masses.

Save The Big Bucks For Your Date!

Alas, this is a little out of order, being that you typically send the save-the-dates a good six months before you send out the wedding invitations. This is especially true for destination weddings or weddings that are over a holiday. There are many kinds of Save-The-Dates: Postcards, Crafty, Photo montage, and Magnets. Some are slightly more pricey than others, but it all depends on what your budget allows.

You're - Almost - Invited!

Our wedding invitations were created entirely by me. Now I realize I have a slight advantage to this because I am a graphic design major. But, you would be surprised at how much money you can save by doing them yourself. Even more if you have someone willing to help you address them. Now when you order invitations through a printing company you get a volume discount (similar to if you are getting t-shirts made, they have to make the stencil no matter what and the more you print the less per item it costs), but even with the discount it can quickly chew up your "budget."

Wine, Dine, and ... Sign?

The most important thing that is easily forgotten? The Guest Book! Why is it the most important? Well the likelihood of you knowing everyone that stopped by the wedding or even reception is highly unlikely. We didn't have that many people (or so we thought) that missed our eyes, or hands (whether it be hugs or hand shakes) but when the important events happened people came and went and we didn't even get to say hi. Just make sure its in a visible place and that as many people as possible sign it. We had barely half of the attendees sign so we still don't know who we missed. Here are some ways to get your guest book to be that keepsake you're secretly hoping for.