Recap #6: Cheap and Green Decor

We wanted our wedding to have a smallish environmental footprint, so it was important to us that the minimal decor we used be reused and reusable.

For reused items, eBay was my very best friend. To orient our guests to the importance of the place was chose for the wedding, I ordered a bunch of vintage linen California postcard from the 1900-1940s.

We used these both as simple Save the Dates (printed the wedding information on 3x5 stickers, and pressed them on the back of the postcards), and as escort cards, strung on twine with clothespins, which were the first thing guests saw when they arrived at the wedding site.

Postcards were a fitting theme, as both of us love to send postcards from our travels. I found some vintage toy mailboxes on eBay which complemented the postcard theme on the guest book table.

The postcard theme was picked up on the dining tables, where postcards from places we'd traveled together were the markers for each table.

The dinner table decor was simple:


Local, seasonal dahlias in blue glass vases (re-purposed wine glasses from Crate and Barrel, which guests report they love using post-wedding),

Persimmons and pomegranates, local, seasonal fruits, which guests reported enjoying for days after the wedding, and sunflowers in reused vases from eBay.

We were able to borrow white lights from a classmate who got married at the same spot the previous year,


And scored a bunch of borrowed/ donated paper lanterns from two weddings we attended previously that summer. (These lanterns and some of the vases have now been handed off to a friend getting married in August. Yay, Wedding Co-op! Yay, reuse!)

At the origami table, guests made paper cranes for good luck.

 I think our budget for decor was maybe $200. We spent another $300 on cut flowers, which friends arranged in our vases.

With the beauty of the location, we didn't have to do much.
Images, except for a few, by the incomparable Kate Harrison.
#1, 11, 12 by Doc Water.
Heron by Srabani.

Ahead of the curve

A whole photo spread of (non-wedding) pomegranates at Rock 'n Roll Bride, and confirmation that orange is the hot new wedding color at a 2000 Dollar Budget Wedding tells me we are on the right track with our 30 pounds each of persimmons and pomegranates for decorating. Not only are they are pretty color scheme, they healthy eating, full of vitamin C and micronutrients, and guests can take them home.

But what's that rain outside??? The forecast was for clear all week!

Is orange the new pink?

After seeing these vibrant centerpieces - Mason jars and all - at Doc Water's Yosemite wedding this past weekend,

And observing this spectacular chuppah quilt, handpieced by Doc Water's new mother-in-law,


Which was vaguely reminiscent of the flowers interwoven into the shelter at Bootcamp's wedding,

where she carried these beautiful orange posies,

I'm now wondering if my color scheme of persimmon and pomegranate
is just a wee bit derivative?

On the positive side, at least I'm "on trend."

I wonder if Doc Water and Bootcamp will feel a sense of deja vu in October?

Weekend scores

In a Friday afternoon brain-dead moment, I went down to the local fancy Italian shoe store to see if they might have the Chie Mihara's I'm lusting after.

Alas, they did not.

But the Crate and Barrel outlet was right next door, so I wandered in to see how we might spend the gift certificate the my brother and sister-in-law gave us last Christmas. (You know it's a busy year, when your Christmas gift certificates are still hanging around in JULY!)

I was super excited to find these stemless wine glasses, on sale for $1.75/ each, which I think will make great bud vases to complement the larger vases I found on ebay. If you need anything in the way of vases or kitchen ware, you've got to check out the Crate & Barrel outlet. The Thirty-something Bride scored some cute vases there last week.

I realized recently that the long tables of our venue call for more than one centerpiece per table. But at $25 and up for professional flower arrangements, that's going to be hard to fit in our budget. So these little vases can hold one or two stems each -- and when we're done, they're hip wine glasses. (A further bonus is that they're apparently 30% recycled glass, according to the Macy's website where they sell for $25/ 4 glasses! And $16/ 4 at Amazon.)

Feeling that the shopping gods were with me, I took a spin by the 99 Cent Only store.

Last time I was there, I scored eight blue glass vases like this for $1 (image from here, where the price is $15!)

My intuition paid off! I scored 40 of these glass votive holders for 25c/ each - or $10 for the whole mess of 'em! (A sign of the times, by the way, that my computer keyboard has no 'cents' sign.) It's definitely worth checking out the dollar store- you never know what you'll find.


Now back to C&B tomorrow, for the votives - 30/ $6 - to go in these, and our tablescapes are just about set.

The colors

Just the inspiration I've been looking for via Grey Likes Weddings. (though I'm not sure that this is a happy picture... it's hard to tell. It kinda matches the way my head spins when I think about the next six months...)

Timely, as I've been trying to figure out what to do about flowers, which will the main decor element on the dining tables, along with the persimmons and pomegranates.

For the Mother of the Bride?

My mother has been asking with increasing frequency and urgency what she should wear. I've been putting her off because I honestly have no idea! It's a fine line to tread between refined elegance and looking matronly.

Though I have strong opinions about fashion, some days I have trouble dressing myself. At those times, dressing - or guiding - a whole wedding entourage feels like a bit much. But then my control freak/ wannabe fashionista tendencies kick back in, and I realize that if I have strong feelings about the 'look', I've got to speak up.

These two looks offer the simple elegance that I think would flatter my mom (unfortunately, I saved them ages ago, and have no idea where they're from.)

Anyone have a good source for stylish Mother-of-the-Bride dresses? Bonus points for natural fibers, US-made or eco-friendly dresses!

Notes from the field: bocce, a bonfire, and Buddhist prayer flags

I'm just back from the lead off to a marathon season of weddings, that culminates with ours in October. I dunno what's in the air this year (new administration? end of the decade? milestone birthdays? graduations?), but no fewer than eight couples in our extended social circle are getting married this year, and we're going to a handful of them. (We had to skip the Dutch/ Indian wedding in the Netherlands in early June because of plane fares. The rest are, fortunately, more local.)

I want to capture some of the highlights of this weekend's wedding before I forget. Pictures coming soon...

• The setting: This is one of the most important things to us, and clearly was to my friends - let's call them Data Monkey and Mountain Man - as well. They chose a spectacular Buddhist retreat center in the Santa Cruz mountains for a weekend-long celebration. Redwood trees, a firepit, hiking trails, a pond, Buddhist prayer flags, rolling lawns - just spectacular! Perhaps the spiritual Buddhist vibe of the place contributed to a serene, peaceful feeling. Plus, we were blessed with sunny, warm weather this weekend, making the setting all the more spectacular.

• The festivities: Friends and family who arrived on Friday were treated to a Moroccan dinner, lawn games, a couple kegs, and a bonfire. When we showed up midday on Saturday, Mountain Man was organizing a croquet game. The game went on until 3:00. The ceremony started promptly at 3:30!
  

• The lodging: Camping and cabins on-site meant that everyone could hang out and get to know each other, change from casual clothes to fancy ones easily, and enjoy the setting. Plus, no worries about driving at the end of a late night. For our wedding, we've got on-site hostel accommodations for about a quarter of our guests. I wish there were a way to lodge everyone nearby, because it really added to the communal feel of the event.

• The vibe: When we showed up, two hours before the ceremony, Data Monkey, the bride, was driving around the site, attending to some last minute details in jeans and a t-shirt, looking completely at ease and happy. I wish I had a photo of her when we first met up - she was so joyful and peaceful. I've got to seer this image into my memory - this is how I want to be on my wedding day. (However, past performance is a likely predictor of future results. I need to work on the grounding and focus in the next five months.)

• The flowers: Data Monkey bought $100 of California-grown flowers at Trader Joe's the morning of the wedding! Friends and family helped her put them in vases that she had borrowed from another recently married friend. The flowers were gorgeous - so fresh, vibrant and seasonal. Data Monkey had planned to order flowers from California Organics, but they were unable to deliver because of the Mother's Day holiday. TJ's flowers were a great choice!

• The decor: Tons of colored paper lanterns lent a festive air, along with the bright flowers and votive holders filled with brightly colored candies (Skittles and M&Ms - a huge hit!). Small potted plants - rosemary and succulents - decorated each dinner table. The couple encouraged guests to take home the flowers and potted plants. They offered us the paper lanterns and a bunch of small vases to use at our wedding. One more item off the wedding To Do list!
  

• The favors: This is the endless debate on the bridal blogs. This couple had favors that were useful. Because there were no servers at the buffet dinner, the couple put corkscrews at each place-setting, and bottles of both red and white wine on the table. That meant the guests could help themselves to the wine, and have a memento of the wedding. And, being huge readers, they created bookmarks with 101 recommended books! So cute!
  

• The dress: Wow! A lace-up corset top creates an incredibly flattering shape. Just wow.

More on the ceremony, the dancing, and the honeymoon coming soon...

Darling dresses

from Saks

Totally perfect! But at $320, perhaps a little steep for some of my gals.

I'm beginning to have a vision of the Wedding Crew. We've decided to involve a bunch of people, in various roles. I think we'd all look a bit more organized and coordinated if we had similar dresses and colors, so I've been hunting for reasonably priced cocktail dresses that would echo the v-neck and ruffles of my gown, in bright punchy colors.

Calvin Klein, from Bloomingdales. So cute, and only $130! That will make me popular :)



Bloomingdales, my go-to place for party dresses, has Amsale dress I've been looking for. I love the color and flowy-ness of this one.



Another possibility, also from Bloomies.



*******

Eds. update: My BFF thinks that these floaty no-waist dresses will make her look pregnant again, which, after 2 kids, she has no intention of being! Mmmm... yeah, that was my lame-ass way of asking her to be in the wedding: asking her what sort of dress she'd like to wear. We both knew that she'd be standing beside me - we've been friends for more than 20 years (um yeah, I'm that old) - but I wish I'd done something a little more special. There's still time, I suppose. Thank goodness I didn't settle on one of these dresses!

Flowers and branches and yellow and blue

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Yes, these are the colors! With a bit more blue. Like this...

source

Yellow flowers, blue vases -I'm really liking the contrast.

And like these flowers seem pretty perfect for our season and locale:






Love the lavendar! All four above from Style Me Pretty

Thanks to these stellar tips on how not to get screwed by a florist, I'll know what to say when I eventually go to talk to someone.

Especially key:

5. Have a fairly solid idea of the blooms and styles you want. DON'T be talked down unless a reason sounds completely legit. Stuttering, "well," and other insincere answers means that you might need to find a different florist.

I'm thinking of going to San Francisco Flower Mart, and trying to DIY. I have no experience with this, but I'm inspired by these folks, who created this beautiful centerpiece.



I've ordered a bunch of blue vases... and -- ooo! wheat sheaves look nice, too. Also fits a fall harvest sorta theme. (But I'm pretty adamant that there will be no pumpkins. Just too, too.)

source

And then I really love the branches in vases. Manzanita grows all over Marin, and is such a pretty tree. It looks great with the candles, here, or maybe we could put white lights in the branches. Too Christmas-y?

source

Scheming about color

Ok, I love color. I've been known to wear a lot of black in the winter, and/or when living on the east coast, and/or when I'm depressed. Fortunately, none of those things are happening right now. I usually have some red or blue or green or purple or even orange in just about every outfit.

But the question of a color scheme for the wedding has been stressing me out. My brother and super-stylish sister-in-law had a spectacular wedding without dictating a color scheme. All the family members showed up in shades of pink/ red/ grey, just through intuition, and looked amazing.

How to pick a few colors? How to dictate what others wear? I know the photos will look better if we put a little thought into this... but really? A color scheme???

Then I saw these the other day at Brooklyn Bride. They're bold, hip, sophisticated, not pastel. They do give a unified feeling to the proceedings. Maybe we can develop a color scheme. Cobalt, pomegranate, persimmon... these colors speak to me.... Maybe Chrissy over at the Perfect Palette can help me convert these musings into concrete ideas.

Power flowers and pretty tables

Ooo, I love these flowers! Vibrant, bold colors, big blooms.



Found at A Practical Wedding

These might look good on the long dining tables in blue glass vases, like this. I'm trying to track down a bunch for cheap on ebay and/or the Dollar Store.



We've budgeted only $250 for decorations. We'll be outdoors much of the day, so we won't need much. But the interior is a renovated army building, and, as you can imagine, is pretty barebones. Some flowers and perhaps paper lanterns will warm it up a bit.

This is the other idea I like for the tables: manzanita branches in glass vases, maybe with some cranberries filling the bottom of the vases.
via Brooklyn Bride

More ideas on table decor

via Earth Friendly Wedding



via Toasts and Tables

Kristina at Lovely Morning on how to make succulent centerpieces


Seasonal fruits by Gia Canali via SMP's Little Black Book Blog