Country...NOT redneck...HELP!!!!!

[ameyn]

I need some advice on planning our wedding day and when to do what. I know this is long but please bear with me…I'm really needing some advice!! Here is what we are thinking of so far….…

I am 38, my fiancee (Wade) is 41. This is not a 1st marriage for either of us, but this is a first 'wedding' for me. I have 2 boys, ages 11 & 18 and he has a son that is 7. Our wedding is a real casual, country wedding…country NOT redneck :-) I am going to wear an ivory dress that is simple and flow-y. He is wearing black wranglers, a nice jacket, tie, boots and a hat. The younger boys are wearing boots, hat, black wranglers, white shirt and a vest to match Wade's tie. My oldest son will be wearing black wranglers, a jacket and a tie but in a different color than Wade's and he won't be wearing a hat or boots. The 2 youngest boys will be ring bearers, my oldest son is giving me away…we are not having a flower girl. We are planning on doing a sand ceremony with a different color of sand for each of us and the boys. There are only 2 rules for the wedding...NO tuxedos and NO tulle!!

We are planning on only about 50 guests and we are getting married up the canyon in the fall…outdoor wedding…just close family and a few friends. The place is about 1 1/2 hours from our home. We just want it to be fun and everyone to have a good time and be able to relax and enjoy the fall leaves and each other's company.

Our guests will be taken by wagons pulled by draft horses from the ranch up the canyon (about a 40-45 min ride). When we get up the canyon the area has a pavillion under where we will be getting married, picnic tables carved from the trees used to make the area, a good sized stream, a bridge to walk over the stream for me :-), an area for the kids to play on tire swings and a walking path through the trees. After the ceremony we will have dinner, the ranch serves an awesome BBQ beef dutch oven dinner with baked potatoes, salads, corn, drinks, etc. The place is here http://www.bakerranchlava.com/

After the ceremony and dinner we are planning on the adults going back to town and going to a tavern in town. (about 3 miles from the ranch)...(Kids will be going to the hotel where they will be baby-sat by the older teenagers). We found a tavern that will rope off an are for us and let us decorate it in 'just married' stuff and will give us a break on drinks for our guests. They will have the band play our songs and announce us. I really wanted a band and alcohol at the wedding and this is about the only way I'm going to get it on our budget. Does that sound hokey?

So…I'm at a loss for what to do for favors….would like to do something that I can use to set on the tables to let everyone know where to sit...something for the kids to make them feel special but the adults won't feel is cheezy...maybe seperate favors? 

And the bouquet & garter toss and cake cutting. My 3 sisters are the only ones that are single that would want to catch the bouquet and my 18 yr old son is the only one that is single to catch the garter. Would it be too redneck to do those 2 things at the bar and make it fun with all the bar patrons?

And then there is the cake…the ranch serves desert with the dinner….a selection of 5 deserts including cobbler, cheesecake, brownie sundaes….stuff a lot better than dumb cake. Would it be dumb to do that at the bar too? And serve cake with just the adults?

Fresh or silk flowers?

Any ideas for centerpieces for the tables???

Any help/suggestions/ feedback/ critism will be GREATFULLY appreciated!!!

amey

[kammysmom]

it is this fall right? well for the centerpieces you could do something with pinecones and leaves. maybe with candles in the middle. and for the flowers i would do real and make them like red and orangey colors. and the desert there sounds terrefic! better than trying to get a cake out in the sticks. and the bar idea sounds great. it would be a fun time! your plans dont sound redneck at all!!! good luck!

[ameyn]

thanks! i know it's no where near traditional but i just want it to be fun, simple and meaningful

[Gypsy98]

Get some old galvanized pitchers, tins, buckets, etc.  Fill them with floral arrangements in whatever flower you want.  Late blooming daisies, Mums, etc.  Some wheat would be beautiful mixed in with each arrangement.  Put a few on each table. 

Along with the floral pieces, you can get small, miniature pumpkins, gourds, etc.  Different shades, not just orange, greens would be a beautiful color to offset ANY color.  Just make sure to group them in odd numbers (preferably 3).

Get vintage cotton table cloths (like grandma use to have on her table) and put on each picnic table.  Go to the fabric store and get coordinating cloth.  It doesn't have to be identical, just needs to have the same color family in whatever pattern you like.  It can be many different patterns.  Cut 12x12 pieces, run a stitch around the out side and wash them.  It will fray the edges a bit and be soft and country.  Wrap the flatware inside the napkins and tie with raffia.  Get a large apothecary jar and put the flatware sets inside it.  Place it on the buffet table (if that is what it will be set as).  If not, just put each one on the table.

You can go to the garden section at WalMart and get the outdoor tabletop/hanging lanterns (you will need  pillar candles).  These can then be used in your own yard!  You can put one or two on each table or get shepherd hooks and hang them  around the area.  Or you can even just sit them on the ground.

As for favors, you honestly don't need to do much.  You can do the tile coaster DIY.  You can easily break it down to one per guest or two per guest.  It's cheap and relatively easy!

[ameyn]

Thank you VERY much!!! I love the metal pail idea...we are going to use that...and a few of your other ideas too. You are a HUGE help!!!

amey

[rebl_roze]

Your wedding sounds fabulous! No, it does NOT sound redneck...it sounds country, romantic, family oriented and lots of fun. Being in the fall will make for some breathtaking scenery. I think the bar later for the adults is a fabulous idea. And sharing your joy with the other patrons of the bar is a wonderful idea. We kinda did something similar at our wedding reception. We were in a private room at the Amvets Club but when we saw we had tons of food, we announced to them and the staff that if anyone wanted food, they were more than welcome. Later we had the whole middle layer of the cake left and I really didnt want to take it home so that went to the bar patrons too.

There are tons of ideas out there for decorations, lots of things you can do with little money too. Google country decorations and see what you come up with. Everything you have so far sounds fabulous....best wishes and enjoy your planning.

[lilmilitarywife]

Where is this place n Wats the price for the beggining main part

[IAmWhoIAm30]

I'm having a country wedding on my fiances farm.  Not hillbilly or redneck lol  I do like your idea of the tavern and not having the cake (we are having cake,  red velvet though).  As far as flowers and everything I think it's what you want.  I will be having daisies and things in fall colors,  probably some roses too since that's the first type of flower he sent me.  I'd love to see your dress.