beg, borrow, and buy cheap stuff

The best advice I can give you is that if you are having your reception at your own home and you need stuff - tables, chairs, decorations, anything - ask around and more likely than not, someone you know has it and will lend it to you. We borrowed a bunch of lanterns and ribbon from a woman I work with named Alyssa who got married recently. Newlyweds can be your biggest resource. I know I have two boxes full of stuff I would gladly give or lend to a friend in need. All of our tables and some chairs came from our parents and friends, and my job let me borrow another 30 chairs, speakers, and a microphone. I'd like to think it was that moment from It's a Wonderful Life where George gets all that money from his friends for being such a good guy to everyone, just instead of money it was folding chairs.

Another friend got all of our music for us through what I'm sure were completely legal means. We sent him our song list and he got us all 4 hours of music, and it cost us nothing.

There were a few things we had to buy, and we headed right to Oriental Trading. Terrible name, amazing online store. You should use this site for any party planning, and it's also great around the holidays. You get stuff in large quantities for super cheap prices. We got our plastic table cloths and clips to hold them on, paper lanterns, directional signage, shot glasses, beer buckets that said "eat, drink, and be married" which were our "centerpieces," the cardboard frames people used in the photo booth, and some hilarious novelty toilet paper, all for under a hundred bucks. Party City supplied us with all the plates, cups, and napkins we needed. I loved our napkins - blue and white, with the message "may your drink always be half full."

We found the lights we wanted at Target, and some other miscellaneous items at an Odd Lot Outlet - sparklers, citronella candles, and some other random things. And after searching through what seemed like 189 stores for carafes for the wine, we found exactly what we wanted at IKEA for two bucks each.

I would say for all of our set up in the yard and house, the tables and chairs, the plates and cups, all of the decorations, we probably spent under $300. Considering what most people spend of flowers, centerpieces, linens, and all that, we did pretty darn good. And I must say, it all looked perfect and adorable, and so very us.