Outdoor Farm Wedding Need help

anaztazia · December 2009

I’m having a farm wedding in Southern Minnesota at the end of July on my Grandfathers farm all of the guest will be from out of town most from Des Moines and California, I’m all out of ideas and I’m on a tight budget I’m trying to do it all for under 4,000. Any ideas you have or venders you know would be a great help, the wedding will talk place in Kellogg MN which is near Winona. I have never planed anything like this and I need help. Any ideas would be great. Our colors are watermelon green and pink and I’m thinking the flowers will be daisy and sunflowers. I’m also thinking that the centerpieces on the table will be carved out of watermelons with mixed fruit. the reception and dinner will be held in a tent in the hayfield so we have to build or rent a dance floor also work something out for bathrooms. The food is going to be chicken and other church picnic food it will be served buffet style. Any help would be great thanks so much and any questions please feel free to ask. i'm also thinking hayrides.

Bimbi284 · December 2009

It sounds like you have a really good basis as far as ideas are concerned!! Are there particular things that you are feeling particularly stuck on? Or I guess a better question would be, what is the next big thing you want to figure out? I totally know how it feels to be overwhelmed when you look at everything as a whole, but when you break it down, it becomes easier to work on.
So yeah, I think if you give us an idea of the next thing you want help on, we could hopefully help you out!

beka0404 · December 2009

I agree with PP - it sounds like you're on track with ideas, but maybe stuck on the big stuff? The good news is that by being able to provide your own food and alcohol, you're saving a ton! Tent rental can be expensive, but my guess is that prices from vendors in Winona will be less expensive than the Twin Cities.

As for the bathrooms, I've been to two tent weddings where the bathrooms were portable, with hand washing stations and mirrors - it was quite pleasant.

If you need more ideas, private message me - my fiance & I were originally planning a farm wedding and I have a ton of pics uploaded to my Flickr account (I don't want to post the link for all of the internets to see).

anaztazia · December 2009

i'm feeling lost on what to do for a dance or how to make a floor or if we should use a dj or what. Also bathrooms what to do with them. I think the guest list maybe 200 people and children will also be invited. for food I'm thinking of using disposable plates or is that cheap.

beka0404 · December 2009

I think you can rent a dance floor when you rent your tent. As for a DJ, I'd check to see what kind of electrical voltage their equipment needs, and see if you have the ability to connect at your site.

The bathroom thing - What if you made a port-a-potty area? You could put them away from the tent, and make a barrier out of fabric and stakes - kind of like a giant fabric screen. That would make the whole area a little more aesthetically pleasing.

I really don't think that people expect fine china at a farm wedding - do whatever makes sense to you and don't worry about what people expect. If you hire a caterer, they'll be able to advise you on what will work best.

A hayride sounds SUPER fun! You could set up bocce ball or badminton or beanbag toss, etc. - there are so many options for fun things to do!

Bimbi284 · December 2009

I think the most important thing for you to address right now would be the bathrooms, because you obviously need those, so start there.
Here's one company you may want to try which I found by doing a google search for "portable bathroom, southeast minnesota":
http://www.onsitesanitation.com/SpecialEvents.html

I agree with PP regarding the dance floor. Whoever you are getting the tent from may have them, or may know of companies that do.

As for plates and those things, there are plenty of disposable options that are nicer-looking for occasions such as this. Here's one such company: http://www.smartyhadaparty.com/

A DJ would be nice, but again, you may need to make sure that is possible based on your site. The DJ companies may have ideas as to how to do this.

Kanelope · December 2009

I'm using on-site sanitation out of Rochester. They may at least be able to direct you to someone more local. They are a bit more expensive than I thought they would be though. I got what they recommended for 250 people:

VIP Boudoir--$250 (Is handicapped accessible and good for a family bathroom)

Men’s regular toilet--$80

Hand washing station--$65

All teal color (only available color)

flower_lover · December 2009

If it's expensive to rent a dance floor, you could consider checking out local flooring stores or craigslist to see if anybody has any cheap vinyl flooring remnants.

Right now we have a remnant in our basement that we are ready to throw away, it was left when the original homeowners installed the kitchen floor. It's probably not enought for an entire dance floor, but if you got a few pieces and overlapped them, it would probably work just fine.

I remember at the place where we had our reception, they said it cost $650 or so to rent a dance floor. I thought that was outrageous, but the wedding coordinator said that was actually a good price. Yikes!!

MesmrEwe · December 2009

Back home we have an annual dairy breakfast on the farm and what works best, better than a tent, is just to use the Machine shed. It's quick and easy to clean equipment out, easy to block off any areas where you don't want people, usually has a water source (hand washing! - and no, hand sanitizer doesn't replace hand washing for your caterers or guests), level (no worries about random critter holes in the hay field), you don't have to worry about rain, you can use the cement slab (most machine sheds have one) for the dance floor, and most of all, you don't have to spend money on renting all that stuff. The machine shed also would have something else to factor in... electricity! You're going to need electricity for the DJ, Caterer, lighting, and if it's a hot muggy day, fans!!!

A friend did the tent thing on her farm wedding and they built a dance floor out of 2x4's and 4'x8' plywood, but in all seriousness, it was a waste because most people took their shoes off or already had on really flat shoes anyways because of the grass. They also wouldn't level because of the variation of the ground so it was a bit wobbly on them so people just danced on the grass.

As for bathrooms, ask your GP who he uses for his septic sucking. Most likely they'll have portapotties you can rent without much hassle plus he already knows the company.

As for plates, just go to Sam's if your caterer won't provide them (most will)... You'll find something you like in your budget and the appearance you want to have. They also sell prepacked utensils/salt/pepper so you don't have to worry about that.

Good luck!!!

Outdoor Farm Wedding Need help

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