OMG, I want it all!

christal8

So fiance and I are planning a small wedding for about 30 people in November. Ceremony and reception will be at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. (Yes, home of Winter the dolphin from the movie!) It's a very plain venue so I'm all over the internet looking for ideas to dress it up.  WOW!  I want candle chandeliers hanging from pipe and drape type things, big flower arrangements, chair covers, the works!  But then I wonder, is there a point at which it gets ridiculous as in too overdone for a reception this small?  How do you stop yourselves from getting caught up in all the wedding decor frenzy?  I'm overwhelmed by all the choices.

Jells2dot0

I'm probably not much help, as I am a minimalist. I wanted nature to speak for itself at my second wedding; my first was much fancier, but I let the location speak for itself. I say figure out a budget for decor and then decide which items are most important to you. For some, centerpieces may be the focal point, others may want to upgrade chairs, some may want to focus on lighting. Remember that too much can really take away from the actual place and if you mix and match too many things, it will look all jumbled!

right1thistime

^^ What Jells said.

I chose stunning flowers & let the venue (rocky New England coastline) do the rest.  ~Donna

radleyboo

I agree with starting with a solid budget and going from there.  I, too, am more of a minimalist and sometimes think that less is more.  Ask if your venue has a design consultant you can sit down with and run some of your ideas by, an impartial opinion may help you make some of these decisions too.  Have fun!

christal8

Thanks, ladies.  I think part of the problem is that I have the beachy marine life/dolphin option and then the Christmas option.  (The event is the Saturday after Thanksgiving.)  I am finding things I love for each theme so I do have to be careful not to have it look too mixed up, as one of you said.  There isn't really a design consultant at this place but there is an event coordinator.  It's primarily a working marine rescue center so as far as letting the scenery be the decor, except for the view of a boat marina and the lights of Clearwater, the scenery close up is blue and white painted concrete.  And some dolphins. 

Sue-n-Kevin

We had a small elegant wedding, but more people than you are planning, we had 73.

I think you need to keep in mind that all the stuff you want may overwhelm the size of your guest list. Not sure what size tables you are planning on, but most seat 6-8 people. So your plans for the chandeliers, etc, might look a bit overwhelming with only 4-5 tables.

Decide your budget, then determine the decor. For what it's worth, it's possible to mix the Christmas theme and seaside theme. I have a shabby chic living room with a seaside cottage feel. I decorate my Xmas trees to match the room they are in (anal, I know, LOL). I spray painted real shells in the living room colors of yellow & white, and found blue & green shiny ornaments and seaside styled ornaments in those colors all over.

Here's a close up of how it looks.



You could find lovely glass bowls and search for some fish or seaside type ornaments, as well as simple colored ornaments in your color scheme and use those as centerpieces, surrounded by votives that have candlelight that bounces off the ornaments.

Good luck.

beautifulmama28

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_second-weddings_omg-i-want-it-all?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:35Discussion:cc7c9680-8b99-466e-a1ca-c12a854d37f9Post:18edc412-2663-4514-8037-acbeb3c3a05f">OMG, I want it all!</a>:
[QUOTE]So fiance and I are planning a small wedding for about 30 people in November. Ceremony and reception will be at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. (Yes, home of Winter the dolphin from the movie!) It's a very plain venue so I'm all over the internet looking for ideas to dress it up.  WOW!  I want candle chandeliers hanging from pipe and drape type things, big flower arrangements, chair covers, the works!  But then I wonder, is there a point at which it gets ridiculous as in too overdone for a reception this small?  How do you stop yourselves from getting caught up in all the wedding decor frenzy?  I'm overwhelmed by all the choices.
Posted by christal8[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>AH yes....I recall feeling this way. It was like...5 minutes ago LOL</div><div>
</div><div>The only thing that has kept me sane during the process of deciding what is and is not important is 2 things... #1 I've tried to only do or use things we can reuse, sell or donate when done. Example...all my centerpieces at my reception will be given to guests, hopefully they think they are as cool as I do lol</div><div>and #2 its ok to do a little extra to make it special, in other words, don't deny yourself, but don't feel obligated to fall into the wedding industries idea of perfection either.</div><div>
</div><div>A lot of things can be done cheaper, easier and DIY than paying someone to do it. (i.e. center pieces, ceremony decor, bouquets, etc)</div><div>
</div><div>certain things on the flip side cannot.</div><div>I am having my hair/make up professionally done that day, but choose to forgo a headpiece to afford it. I've seen far too many headpieces for sale on the internet, that I cannot justify spending that kind of $ for something I'll have to resell or gift and be out the $. But...thats just me, every bride is different.</div>

MikesAngie

K.I.S.S.  Keep It Simple Silly! 

I was getting a little overblown with my floral creations and was talking to the restaurant manager and she reminded me to keep it simple.   

Here's what your guests will remember:

  Tney witnessed your ceremony

  The food was fabulous

  The setting was unique

  The view of the marina

  And the dolphins

Create a budget and stay within that budget. 

christal8

Thanks, Sue and Beautifulmama.  Your ideas are saved in my idea file.

Sue - Yes, that's what I was trying to avoid - overdoing it for such a small party.  While I love the look of the chandeliers, candelabra would be more appropriate and much easier.  They have round tables there already but for a group this size, I like the idea of a long banquet table.  I love your picture of the ornaments.  I'll bet your tree is gorgeous.  I do the coordinating thing too so not anal at all!  and I have at least a small tree in every room. (Years ago, ex hubby and I lived in a log home w/ a fishing themed family room and the ornaments in that room were the red and white fishing bobbers.) I've seen several pictures on this site and others of sea shells, sea glass and Christmas ornaments with scattered votives candles so I'll be going that route instead of dolphins on everything.  I don't want it to look like an under-the-sea-themed prom.  Thanks for the ideas.  Love reading your posts and advice. ;-)

Beautifulmama - The thought of "what am I going to do with this afterwards" is keeping me in check as well.  What I am discovering though, is that if you can dream it up, you can probably rent it from someplace.  So that's when I have to switch over to "Will this be overwhelming for a party of 30?"  Whatever I don't rent will most likely be donated to the aquarium for future brides and other types of parties.  The event coordinator there is trying to build up the recognition of the aquarium as a venue for weddings, receptions and other events as a means of fundraising.  I want to help them with that by donating what I can so other brides have less to purchase or rent.  It's so much fun to look at all the ideas....but the ideas are endless!  And put the word "bridal" or "wedding" on something and the price immediately goes up!  I have no problem at all going to a consignment shop or Ebay for my dress or anything else.  It's not how much you spend, it's pulling it all together to make the day special.  It's good to know that even with your wedding less than 3 months away, you still feel the way I do.  I was starting to wonder about myself.  I'm not a flashy person at all. Your engagement pictures are adorable.  And your dress is beautiful.