Oh Boy, if you have a fall wedding, time is drawing near! The ceremony decorating is in a post, wedding -pt1. It was an outside ceremony in front of an antebellum home, and it was beautiful.
I then wrote a post on the wood lanterns that we made for centerpieces for the reception. This post will cover the reception decorating. And I am sad to say, that I don’t have a lot of pictures. Pictures were not on my mind. Yikes! I will show you the pictures that I do have and provide you links to the products that we used. As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a commission on a qualified sale and I would so appreciate it so much, if you use my links! It doesn’t’ cost you anything.
The venue that we rented, had a nice indoor area that could accommodate weddings, receptions, etc. It included a great place for the DJ to set up, a bar area, full kitchen, and some display tables that had whiskey barrels as bases to use for food, wedding cake, gift table, etc. We rented the table linens and gold plate chargers from the venue, which included being on the tables set up as requested when we got there to decorate. ***Tip: you do NOT want to be ironing those huge tablecloths! I had to iron 6 tablecloths for the rehearsal dinner, and they are a pain. But it was only 6, we had 20 for the wedding and if you are DIYing, there is more to worry about. Be aware of what your venue includes in the price being charged. A cheaper venue may provide tables and chairs, but you will have to set up and tear down! We were responsible for getting all the decor removed, garbage carried out and linens off tables in a pile. We did not have to put any tables and chairs away. Also, do you have to use their vendor’s list or can you pick your own. Believe me, it is cheaper if you don’t have to use their vendor list.
I apologize that pictures are different sizes. The photographer actually didn’t get a picture of the lantern that we made on the tables, and I think I remember editing stuff out of this picture.
We used 20 round tables, with 10 on each side of the room and the dance floor in the middle of the room. We chose not to go Matchey match. We made the wood lanterns (see previous post) and borrowed the other lanterns and glass cylinders. I bought the small vases and fairy lights on the table. We loved the variation.
- The glass cylinders can sometimes be found at the dollar tree or https://amzn.to/45ZLWMp
- The fairy lights were on every table, and we have used them for several different events since the wedding. They can be found here: https://amzn.to/3qW6WVA
- Floating Candles –https://amzn.to/481skJB
- Pillar Candles –https://amzn.to/45ZwiR5
- Milk Vases for flowers next to lanterns – https://amzn.to/3qUyMl7
- The wood rounds, I found on Facebook marketplace. A good place to find wedding decorations and save some money.
When I told Brianna we needed to order napkins, she said, what? But it turns out that she loved them, and they added that little something.
The CAKES!!! A friend of Brianna’s makes cakes at home on the side. This was a huge savings and I paid her to deliver and cut them for us! And they were absolutely delicious. The prices that bakeries are charging is ridiculous!
The cakes were sitting on a tree that we had cut down and made several slabs out of. Lots of sanding and polyurethane applied.
- Bride’s cake topper – https://amzn.to/45G9dD8
- Light curtain behind cake- We used two strands and they have been used several times since. Greenery was run across the top to hide wires. https://amzn.to/44ICfku
- Grooms cake topper was accidentally found in a discount store. My daughter went to MS State, and both are huge fans! The cowbells are from her college days.
The FOOD! I don’t have a picture of food table. The venue had beautiful real wood tables with whiskey barrels as the bases. We served supper food! If you’re on a budget, real dinner food is cheaper than finger food! I checked. We used a BBQ place that does catering as well. On the menu was Chicken Marcella, BBQ, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans, and Rolls. The drinks were Sweet Tea and Water.
The BAR! The Alford sign was a gift, and Brianna made a printout with the bar menu and stuck it in a frame. It was an open bar. She wanted a signature drink, and he wanted whiskey and beer.
We went to the liquor store, and they recommended how much we needed for the size wedding that we were expecting. They said they would take back any unopened bottles. We did have some left over, but I just kept them. The keg of beer was empty. Keep it simple!
If you going to have drinks and keg beer, you need glasses. – We used plastic glasses with a gold rim https://amzn.to/45HJSJ4
IF a friend volunteers to help! ACCEPT the help. One of Danny’s friends picked up the keg of beer the day of the wedding and returned the empty keg back.
We had a donut table. Gibson’s Donuts is quite famous and happens to be in our hometown. They are the very best donuts and they wanted to have a few. We had cake left over, but not an extra donut! It may have been because they had to wait for the cake cutting.
Gift table – the little Cards & Gifts sign and Card Box was bought used, from the same lady that the wood disc came from that were used on the tables. They were also used on the donut table, and I put gold dollies on them. Check Marketplace often!
The Guest Book:
Brianna came up with the idea of doing a photo album with blank places for their guestbook. Friends were able to find a picture of them and sign the book. It will something that will not be tucked away in a closet. Ordered from Snapfish.com
The FUN PART!
Mrs. Lisa that owns the venue suggested that the newlyweds eat in the dining room in the big house, so they had a few minutes to themselves after a very busy day, and a fun night to begin!
Light on the floor was provided by the DJ. I thought it was a nice touch to the dance floor.
Brianna choreographed a dance for the father/daughter dance. Bob is so laid back and it was totally unexpected for friends and family when they broke from slow dance into this! So much fun! The videographer lost all video of the reception. Something crashed! I
The tennis shoes were a gift from her husband, and they were monogrammed, Mrs. Alford. She changed into them after the wedding for the reception.
Personally, the best receptions that we have attended have been, if the wedding couple is dancing, everyone dances! That dance floor was hot!
Ringing of the cowbells raised a ruckus!
The moment you realize that you just ripped your pants.
It seemed that we attended a lot of weddings the year before Brianna’s wedding. The thing is to have a fake send off, so you have plenty of people for your pictures. The old people like the sendoff and then they go home! The party continues……..
Thank you for stopping by. I hope I have helped you in some way with ideas for your wedding. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask or leave a comment.
PS: If you have a moment, would you mind following my Melinda Donnell’s Amazon Page for honest reviews on purchased that we have made. As an affiliate, I do make a very small commission on a qualified sale, at no extra charge to you.
Oh how I love looking back on these!!