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di's Insite
A Wedding on a Budget
When a woman is getting married at an age when her granddaughters can be in the wedding, it takes special preparations. After all, the influence of a grown family does put a certain kind of pressure on the whole affair. I thought when my dear intended wanted to get married that I would have an outdoor affair, something simple where the kids of guests wouldn't be bored. As I envisioned a park with bluebonnets in bloom, I thought of sunbeams shining on the flowers pinned to my long hair. That was before Texas decided to end the drought with flooding the parks.
Until a week before the wedding, we had planned a simple outdoor barbecue using a Texas theme for the tables. Nothing fancy, just something our budget could afford and our families and a few friends would enjoy. We would wear matching Texas shirts I had found at a sale, not the traditional wedding attire! Besides, my granddaughters thought I would look "cool"! Always the bargain hunter, I was proud of my find: Two shirts at $10 dollars each. With our black jeans and hats, we figured it would look sharp at our outdoor affair.
I figured if it was a cookout, at least the families would enjoy the reunion of others while we made our union legal. I called a cater to do the barbecue and bought a Texas flag. I picked out a small corner of the landscaped yard where a waterfall would gently soothe the nervous bride and groom. When you get our age, you need soothing more than ever.
When it looked like the rain would never stop, I called the pastor. Yes, I needed prayer and yes, the church was available for a night wedding! Hastily, I notified everyone, including a nervous groom, that the day had been changed to the night before, just in time for all the flights with guests to arrive here! That proved to be no easy feat as we live about two hours from the Dallas airport. Thank goodness for adult kids with cars!
Since I had a tight budget,and the outdoors in mind, I had no plans to decorate a room for a reception. I was ready to use the flag on the wall and just put on some colorful tablecloths. I thought I had used up my craft-making brain cells long ago in my scout leader days. Nevertheless, when time pushed me into a corner, I did what any respectable gal would do, I called my sister for help! Well, her flight arrived the afternoon before the wedding!
Together, we shopped right from the airport, looking for bargains that might fit my Texas Western theme. I didn't want to decorate the whole church, just an altar table and a couple of bows on the family pews. Besides, nothing but wedding bells were available to decorate this large sanctuary! I just couldn't see this older bride under white wedding bells. Of course, the reception hall had to have something on the tables to make it seem like there was really a wedding going on! Soon we had located yards of tulle, yellow roses, pipe cleaners, stars, small Texas flags, white plastic boot vases, ribbon and even silk bluebonnets, Texas' famous flowers and one of my favorites! Surely an angel was guiding us.
The night before the wedding we sat down to put together the decorations. My sister, Flybynite, (see her column on Skateboard, Woman's View under the archives near the bottom of the Home page) decided to delegate bow making to me. I had bought some glittering red checked gingham ribbon with wire in it. That is the best stuff to make bows that don't go limp! I quickly tied a simple bow around the white boot handles. She stuffed the bottom of the vase with shredded paper---a good way to recycle that shredded paper from your printer. Then on top of the shredded paper, she put some glistening confetti strings and stuck a stem of bluebonnets and a yellow rose. With a small Texas flag, we had our theme! We filled the spaces around the flowers and flag with chocolate covered mints wrapped in foil. Then around the bottom of the boot, we wrapped a string of red foil stars. We made enough to go down the center of our tables, giving them to the families as a favor to take home.
For the tables, we found a bargain at one of those dollar-for-everything stores: red, blue and white plastic table cloths. With big red, white, and blue stars found at a craft store, they made the room look festival! On the day of the wedding, we arranged our boots on red, blue and white stars on top of the brightly colored tablecloths. We were quite proud of the effect!
For the altar table in the church sanctuary, we chose creme colored woven table runner I purchased for later use in the house. On the runner, we sat a large fresh flower arrangement of yellow roses, ferns and Spring Pussy Willows in a galvanized tin. The flowers I got at the same place as the cake and was the most expense of the entire wedding, but worth the forty dollars I spent. I wanted something nice to leave for the church services the next day. The cake was not a big expense either as I opted for a sheet cake at Sam's club with our picture on it.
Beside the flowers on the altar table, we put the Unity Candles. Sis had written a Unity Ceremony just for me. I didn't want to spend the money for one of those large Unity candles found in the wedding sections of the craft stores. Again, we found a bargain: Candles for twenty-five cents! We chose two soft white candles and a gold taper one for the Unity center candle. The candle holders were expensive too so again we looked for a bargain. I found one I love: A brass holder with a heart shaped center. For the two candle holders to place at the side of the Unity one, we chose a package of gold plastic holders-- simple and plain. Cheap too! After choosing two for the altar table, we used the others with blue candles for the punch table and cake table. Sis glued a pair of doves onto the heart shape of the Unity candle holder and put a white rose on each of the side ones. It made the altar table look very nice when it all was assembled. And it made me smile!
For the bows on the pews, I bought tulle by the yard instead of one of those rolls of tulle ribbon sold for much more at the craft stores. Tulle by the yard can be found at Wal-Mart! By folding the tulle, I formed large bows, letting the tulle stand out by unfolding the bow part. Sis put a yellow rose and some small pearl ropes hanging down the center. When it was taped to the end of the pews, they looked elegant. I was so proud of our crafty talents and my budget was intact!
With the wedding now scheduled for the church, I took a good look at our wedding attire. The pastor assured me that anything I wanted to wear was fine. Well, I am sure he meant to wear something appropriate for church! Way in the back of my closet, sat a red western skirt I had found at last summer's sales. I had not had the chance to wear it. Bright red with long knife pleats and metal studs around it, it matched my Texas shirt perfectly! But what would I do for boots? Having none, I had some chunky heels with straps crossing my foot... that seemed good enough!
But my writer friend who was coming to the wedding, decided my plain black hat needed something wedding like-- so she made me a lace hat band with long lace studded with tiny yellow roses. It was perfect! She also made me a white lace garter with tiny yellow roses. The same friend came all the way from Arkansas to deliver it and dedicated a prayer she wrote to us. I made sure she read it at the beginning of our wedding ceremony. Our wedding was blessed with her prayer and my sister's original Unity Candle ceremony.
When granddaughters attend your wedding, they sure add to the excitement! I had them and the groom's neice hand out yellow roses to each guest. The yellow rose is special to me. Not only is it the Texas flower, it is the one my dear man always gave to me. In the ceremony, I gave him one too as part of my personal vows to him.
My wonderful daughter made all the silk flower arrangements for the wedding. She really surprised me with my bouquet and all the flowers for the mothers and men to wear! I have one very talented daughter! She has her mother's bargain hunting skills too-- she found lots of beautiful yellow silk roses for the arrangement. I was able to use my bouquet in a cobalt blue vase at home later-- it looks gorgeous!
So dear readers, an aged bride made it safely down the aisle again and in style! Wonderful memories too of making the wedding a dream come true with my family and friend's help!
Photo Gallery
Wedding Decor
Bridal Bouquet Done
Coming Up Nave
Cut Cake
Di Mom Wed
Hatband
Hat & Flowers Done
Married
Reception Tables
Sally and Us at Altar
Boot Punch
Shadow Laughing
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© 2000 di
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