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As we are all being affected by the harsh economic times, budget's are becoming increasingly important. It is every girl's fantasy to have the wedding of their dreams and sadly most will begin their planning journey with the mindset that their dream wedding cannot be attained. One of the first steps in the wedding process is to secure a location, which usually takes up a large portion of the budget. When deciding on a venue, always take into consideration if the venue provides tables, chairs, security, etc. Anything that a venue provides will cut down on your outside rental costs, these additional costs should be a determining factor in your choice of a venue. A good friend of mine requested my help in the entire planning process for her wedding and she was on a strict budget. We had several obstacles in deciding on a location - it had to be centrally located, have enough room for 350 guests and be reasonably priced. After looking at several locations we decided to go with New Braunfels Civic Center, which fit all of her needs and included tables and chairs in the rental. Don't be discouraged by your initial reaction to ambiance of a location, it can always be transformed! Below is our initial look of the Civic Center:
The tables that the venue offered were standard 6ft. rectangle tables, which remind me of your school cafeteria room! So in an effort to cut the costs on the amount of tables and give the room a different, non-cafeteria feel, we decided to use two 6ft. tables together to for one large 6ft. by 6ft. square table. These larger tables were capable of seating 12 guests per table, which meant that we could have (30) 6ft.x6ft. tables instead of (44) 6ft. tables, a huge savings on the linens. This was an October wedding, so the color palette was rich chocolates and ivory's with the accent color of burgundy. Instead of using fresh floral, we opted to use natural items like curly willow, fall leaves, and hypercium berries, plus we added some silk's that my friend had purchased throughout the year on clearance. I had some burgundy colored luminaria candles that made the perfect centerpiece holder - so we had our touch of burgundy without having to spend a ton of money on floral. We covered the 6ft. x 6ft. tables with an ivory poly linen and then topped it with a warm mocha pintuck overlay. We added a fitted ivory chair cover and an ivory napkin that we tied with a soft gold organza ribbon. Since the reception was a buffet, I always suggest to preset the napkins at every guests seat, this give the tables a more complete look. With the added savings from the linens and the centerpieces, we were able to have enough money to drape the walls in an ivory organza and add some soft amber up lights - this made all the difference in the world! It is amazing to see the after photo:
What a Transformation and all within the Budget!
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