Decorating The Reception Site

After the ceremony and after family photos, we finally got to eat, drink and be married!  I made my way through some people who were hanging out on the balcony of the Members Club.  That was so great, we could mingle outside instead of all trying to crowd into the bar or the lobby of the club while we were waiting for dinner.  I wanted to see the set-up before everyone came in and I completely lost track of everything (which happened multiple times that day).

I don't know what it was but I sure wasn't all there most of the evening, maybe because my brain was going in 18 different directions at all times trying to make sure everyone was having a good time, that we talked to everyone (which we totally bombed on) and to just make sure we had a good time, too!

As earlier posted, we did the napkins/favors combo.  You can see our gorgeous tablecloths in some of these photos, as well as the table numbers that I made with the Cricut.  They were easier than expected to make using the Shadow Function for each.  The florist did the decorating, we added the votive holders that Mom dumped sand into.  I think they were lit for the reception (see: things I don't remember).

We had two different types of centerpieces.  

Half with rattan balls, half with real fishing floats.

Our seating cards were out (these were one of my favorite things I made for the wedding)

Our cake was here and the turtle toppers were up

The toppers were awesome, made out of gum paste.

I wanted to save them for eternity but um, I might have left them on top of the toaster oven one day

...that's all I'm going to say about that.

Our parents and Grandparents got recognition

And then there's the rub.

Florist: "How about roses?"

Me: "I hate roses"

Florist: "You're crazy"

Me: "I may be crazy but I.Hate.Roses."

Ooooo lookie what Mr. Florist put in THE BRIDAL TABLE CENTERPIECE!!??!?!  

Breaaaaaaaaathe, Jill. It's going to be ok, it's just a decoration.  Oh, but it's not just roses.  It's dead, dried roses.  Where, WHERE did you hear me say, "Ooo I think dead, dried, ugly and hideous roses would be a faaabulous idea?"  No where.  I checked with Dan...he heard me tell the florist how much I hate roses at least 4 times.  The florist must be dealt with.  One month post wedding, good news!  There's a sign on his door that he's retiring!  Good thing or we might have had to have words...and perhaps my Mother drove him to retirement.

Which leads me to this picture:

See that centerpiece?  No roses.  Click on it, go ahead, it'll get bigger.

My sweet, amazing mother realized my anger at the roses showing up in the corsages before the first look action, took it upon herself to find any orange flower that wasn't a rose in the city of Southport.  She went to the grocery store.  She went to the OTHER florist in town.  She called our florist repeatedly and um...she might have banged on his door demanding he open up and fix the centerpieces.  My determined, wonderful-beyond-words mother did this on my wedding day, arriving back home just an hour before the ceremony.  She didn't find any flowers and she didn't get a hold of the florist so she just asked our reception coordinator to take the lilies from the chapel centerpiece out and put them in our centerpiece for the reception.  Of course, the best part of it all was I was completely oblivious of it all.  

The above pictures were taken while we were getting 'freshened up' after the first look.  The fixes all took place after the ceremony, while we were getting the family photos taken.  Huge thanks to the friends and family who helped move all of the centerpieces, pew markers and lanterns from the chapel to the reception since we decided to re-use a lot of the items.  Turned out great.  Got more re-use than we thought we would!

Sometime after Christmas, I'll post about our reception and the longest Father of the Bride speech on record.

All photos by: Elizabeth Scott Photography