Scavenger Hunting for Place Settings

So I'm not sure if anyone one remembers my inspiration for table settings, but I'm sort of going for a vintage/victorian/eclectic/whimsical/tea-party-ish feel. Rather than have all my plates and cups be matching, I decided to hunt for EVERYTHING.

That would be:
Dinner Plates
Dessert Plates
Saucers
Tea Cups
Knives
Spoons
Forks (Dinner and Dessert)

Many caterers will rent you these crucial items (who wants to go to a wedding with no plates?!) at a cost, but you are responsible for paying for anything that is broken (that has to be a downer for the weddings where plate breaking are a sign of good luck and well-wishes.)

I challenged my mother and future mother-in-law, Denise, to help me find these pieces.

And off to Goodwill we went!

Now, I used to not be a fan of Goodwill. Seriously, my mother and sister, Suzanne, would go on these seven hour shopping bends, and the last stop would ALWAYS be Goodwill. After seven hours of shopping ("Does this basket look big enough to hold my socks? Wait, wait- I just found these for a nickle cheaper! Do you like it better than this one? It's a bit smaller. Do you think this one is worth the extra nickle, or should I go for the smaller, cheaper one? I'm not sure how many socks I have. Maybe I need two baskets...") I am normally at my wits end by the time we make it to Goodwill. It's at this point that all I want to do is sit on the floor and cry like I did when I was four(teen).

But now that I went to Goodwill with a purpose I was renewed!! Now it was a treasure hunt! I relished in sorting through cups for hidden jems (a gold border? AMAZING! Hand-painted flowers? It's like it's Christmas!!) Mom loves anything for a good deal, so she was timing her shopping to the first Saturday of each month where EVERYTHING was half-off.

Apparently this is only valid at Nashville locations, because the lady at the Goodwill in Knoxville looked at me like I had two heads. I wanted to tell her they needed to have everything half-off because her prices were OUTRAGEOUS. Target had better prices on tea cups for crying out loud.

Denise also got in on the place setting hunt, dropping into vintage boutiques, both overpriced and super cheap. Denise loved the haggle- she got an entire bag of silverware for, life, five dollars. I would listen to her ask how much something was, ("10 dollars.") and then succinctly state what she would have paid ("1 dollar").

I do not have pictures of my mother's finds (those will come later) but I did photograph Denise's "staging" area in her dining room.

Denise's Finds
12 Dinner Plates
26 Dessert Plates
23 Teacups and Saucers
73 Forks (seriously- these are like gold. Everyone has spoons and knives, but forks were always MIA)
19 Spoons
12 Knives
6 Various serving spoons

10 Milk bud vases
Sterling silver salad tongs
Sterling silver butter dish
Sterling silver sugar and creamer set

5 Pie plates
15 Wine glasses
3 Mimosa glasses

Denise thought it would be nice to do a mock table setting in her kitchen. When I try describing my tables to family members and friends, I mostly get cocked heads and raised eyebrows. I am totally confident that the tables are going to be beautiful, but for the doubters, go a head a take a look.

Now just imagine how pretty it will be with peach table clothes, burlap table runners, and cloth napkins with button napkin rings?

Can yous see it? I certainly can.

Ceremony sites and Reception Plans

Long time- no see.

Let's see- an update shall we? I've been a busy little bee with only...

47 DAYS UNTIL THE WEDDING!!

Jumpin' jehosephats! A little over six weeks!

I've actually been fairly productive though. It's such a weird feeling, seeing everyone head back to college. This is the first August I've not done the typical school supply shopping, elbowing the other girls for Lisa Frank folders (oh, wait. That was second grade.)

I'm, like, done with school. Weird.

Anyways, with all this free time NOT going back to school, I've been finishing up this wedding business. Here's what's left on my To Do list:

1. Print the invitations and pay the postage
2. Bridal party gifts
3. Guestbook
4. Escort cards
5. Family Wedding Photo table
6. Rent the sound system
7. Finalize the song list
8. Finalize the officiant (We may have found one!! Hooray!!)
9. Photobooth

And I really think that is it! Mom said all that's left is too look pretty and open gifts.

Last week Matt and I FINALLY got to see the Allandale. Besides those ice cream socials Matt attended as a boy and the 5 second walkthrough I got with Denise that one day, neither of us had really seen the place.

It took 2 WEEKS to get a hold of them. The first time I tried calling to pop by, I was told that one day was too short of notice. Then, we I tried the next week to set up a time, no one returned my call. Or my message. Then I sent an email. No response. Then Matt left a message. No response.

I was getting kind of antsy at this point. I finally called the city of Kingsport's Parks and Recreation department and THEY got the Allandale to call me back.

Denise, Matt and I headed up last Thursday. And I have pictures!

Here are the three potential ceremony sites:

The front of the house.
Pros:
Included in our fee
Pretty
Stately

Cons:
You can hear the traffic from the road
I'm not sure how I'm going to get to the back of the aisle to walk down it. Coming out of the front door is a little anti-climatic. Matt said I could just hide in the bushes while the guests are seated. Denise has mentioned a horse and carriage ride, but those are EXPENSIVE.

The gazebo at the back of the house.

Pros:
Pretty- not a lot of decor needed
I can walk out the back of the house and down the aisle
Guests will be right by the reception site

Cons:
Extra fee
I'm not sure if you can see it, but there are heron statues inside the gazebo. Random.

Pros:
Included in my fee
More casual and laid back- like the wedding
No road noise

Cons:
The walking down the aisle thing again- how do I get at the start of the aisle??
Ground is kind of not even- makes chair difficult
Someone would have to clean up the branches
I don't exactly scream "nature lover"


I'm not sure if you have noticed yet, but all three sites are OUTSIDE. Just like my reception site:

The dance floor!


So if it rains... well, I'm trying not to think about it. I'm not too thrilled with the plan B.

The inside of the house is beautiful.

But here is where I would have my ceremony AND reception:

What's that you ask? Did I type ceremony and reception?

Yes, I did.

I was told I can fit 72 people in the living room, but 62 would be a bit more "comfortable." After the ceremony, everyone would get up. Someone would have to move all the chairs, roll out five of the tables, and then set them up with the linens, plates, and centerpieces.

What are all the guests going to do? Stand and watch? I think it just sounds so... awkward?

Not to mention there would be NO dance floor. So we'd basically eat, cut the cake, and roll out.

So, I'm putting in a personal request to God for no rain. Hooray!