PEW decor ideas, help!

tonz215 · October 2009

So, we got an outline of our flower bill in the mail and were AMAZED at how much one of the CHEAPEST flower shops in our town is charing for PEW arrangements.......we are definitely not going to be able to have nice flowers on even the first 2 pews......SO I'm really needing some help on ideas of ways to decorate the pews without spending a HORRIBLY high amount of money!!!?? I know there are bows you can buy, but I personally think they're so tacky and our colors are apparently not the most common and easiest to find things in -- we're doing eggplant purple with champagne and lilac accents. The pew decor doesn't HAVE to be flowers......just any sort of decoration so they don't look so bare....I'm a bit panicked and the future mother in law apparently thinks every other pew must have something........even though the church is pretty decorative and flashy. THANKS so much ladies!!!!

mbcdefg · October 2009

We're not even planning to decorate the pews. My mother actually asked me what I was doing for pew bows last night and I said I don't care for them. She seemed a bit surprised and said, "Well, I like them!" and I said "O.K., that's great." And that was the end of the conversation. If you don't like anything, then don't worry about it. It's not your FMIL's wedding. If she wants pew decorations that badly, then tell her that she is welcome to buy them and arrange for them to go on the pews that day. Otherwise, just nix them and don't look back. They're really a waste of money when you think about it. That being said, if YOU are the one who wants something ... one of the nicest ones I saw was a stem of floral stock (you can probably get this from any supermarket florist or farmer's market for a couple bucks) tied to the pew with a wide satin ribbon. Or you could make pomanders from styrofoam balls, artificial flowers, a ribbon loop and some straight pins. Some people have hung lanterns (maybe with a battery-tea light inside) from pews with nice results.

aerinpegadrak · October 2009

If you want to indicate the front rows, you can just do up a nice Reserved sign on your computer and print it on nice paper.And if your FMIL is so insistent on the pew decorations, you can politely tell her, "We looked at pew arrangements, but they're out of our budget. If you really want to have them there, they'll cost $X per row." I do think the one time it's appropriate to ask for a contribution is when particular family members are insisting on something that you've made clear is beyond your means. (Be aware that if she does decide to pay for them herself, she pretty much gets to do them however she wants.)If you'd rather not give in to FMIL, bean dip her. As follows:FMIL: So are you getting pew arrangements?You: We're still looking into that. Have you tried the bean dip? It's excellent.FMIL: But the church won't look good without it!You: I usually don't like cheese with my bean dip, but this is quite good.It works. And if there's no bean dip in the vicinity, the results are reportedly hilarious. It doesn't have to be bean dip, mind, but changing the subject and refusing to change it back is a perfectly polite way of communicating that you're not entertaining discussion on that topic.

Catwoman708 · October 2009

Pew decorations are not required, and often end up being distracting or taking away from the look of your wedding. I think the tulle bows look kind of tacky and dated also. Even so, I have trouble resisting the urge to decorate some of the pews, with just a little something at at least the front and back pews. So if you still want them, or if the FMIL is willing to help, you can: Tell FMIL she is welcome to pay for the florist to do some pew arrangements or DIY them herself (something simple, with your approval of course). Suggest she only do front, middle, and back pews, or every 2cd or 3rd pew. Buy a bag of plastic pew clips for cheap. They hook over the wooden pews, have a large loop, small look, and a little hook. You can also get pew clips with little plastic hangers, for oasis wet foam for fresh flowers/greenery. A few packages of greenery and small, inexpensive flowers from Sam's, Costco, a grocery store, or local flower market can be divided to do the pew clips. I've done some before, and spent about $30 on flowers and greenery, and about $10 on pew clips with foam holders (I think they come 24 to a bag). I did about a dozen pew clips for that. The foam holders are really small, so it doesn't take much to fill them up with flowers and greenery. With holidays coming up, you could probably find the large, wide rolls of wired ribbon to make you own bows in your color, like the champagne. Maybe tuck a small spray of greenery or a few dark purple flowers in them. They could be artificial flowers, or you could do fresh ones at the last minute. Or something like tassles, lanterns, small pomanders, paper cone hangers with a few flowers or rose petals.

Jamilynn627 · October 2009

Ditto pps. There's definitely nothing wrong with skipping them all together. We did lanterns, which were pretty inexpensive (probably cost us about $40 for the whole project). PIB.

langstrg · December 2009

I thought I needed them one every other row too but my florist said just to do the first couple of rows that you're reserving for family. If your FMIL still wants something on every pew--baby's breath is a good, really inexpensive option. You would just make small bundles and hang them from the pews with ribbon in your colors(http://www.weddingbee.com/2007/02/20/pew-decor/ or http://media.theknot.com/ImageStage/Objects/0003/0057798/thumbnail.jpg)

jenn.daniel · December 2009

I don't think there are been pew decorations at any of the weddings I've attended. Or if there were, I don't remember them. People realy don't notice.

PEW decor ideas, help!

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