Bless me!

Between the couple sneezes and "sick-taste" I have, I am afraid I might be coming down with something. And this means one thing. I will be getting more than eight hours of sleep before I am forced to break down and drink dayquil. I refuse to get sick right now and end up like the girl in this Norman Rockwell painting envying the dance she seems to be missing. Forcing myself to stay awake last night to post more wedding ideas may not have been the best decision given my current state...

And though I should probably take this time to sleep, I can't help but post my slightly more refined vision of The Day.

First off, I love this blog! It's a diy wedding with incredibly cute

and unique ideas. The picture to the right is of wedding pictures

the guests donated. The bride and groom requested everyone provide a picture of their own weddings which were used to line the aisle the bride walked down for her own wedding. They have several other cute ideas I may use. If you want to see their wedding, click here.

Secondly, the picture I posted earlier of the hale seating did not depict exactly what I am looking for. The picture to the left is definitely a better representation of what I want. If we were to set this up in front of the old-country-store-style-shed in my parents' backyard, I would love it. After the ceremony, we could then turn the bales around in a way to provide a more welcoming lounge area for the guests. (Price: $5 per

bale/ $150 max for ceremony)

Because the reception will have to take place at night, I have already started the process of asking for any mason jars anyone may have to use

as candle holders for the wedding. I have already been given/loaned

about 15-30 mason jars so far. Though we will have globe lights at the reception, I love the look and feel a candle gives. Not only does it look beautiful, but, because of the size of mason jars, it's safer.

AND, as a side note, a co-worker has offered to loan me 12 flower vases! This cuts the cost by at least $50 to $100. Given bouquets of flowers can be bought for $5 to $7 at Kroger, Publix, or Walmart, having real flowers at the wedding may actually be an option now for less than $100.

Though I can manage to decorate cheap and pretty, the challenge is to find seating, food, photography, and location that fit the budget.

I have had several suggestions for photographers so far and am torn. I have one official starting rate for one

photographer/videographer. ($300 for one/ $500 for two) Though this is incredibly cheap and they would be doing me a

GREAT favor, Kenny and I are still unsure of whether we can afford this just yet. But at least we have a price.

As far as food goes, I am leaning towards lasagna and renting chafing dishes. In doing so, we do not have to fret over the cost of having servers and preparation time. Also, we can feed both our vegetarian and non-vegetarian family and friends. Though I don't have the cost of the food just yet, the average cost of renting chafing dishes is about $25 each. Hopefully, we can manage to feed everyone with about $500. This may be a stretch, but my fingers and toes are all crossed.

So, now, what about tables and chairs? I plan on using personal dressers as tables for the main tables, such as the buffet table, party favor, and guest book table. My parents have a linen dresser similar to the one on the right, except theirs has a wooden top, is painted an off white with wooden knobs as handles, and is longer. This would be perfect as the buffet table or gift table. (Price: Free ^_^ )

I have ideas for seating, but no set plans just yet. The issue with this is that we have not decided on the venue. Hopefully, we will have a place within the next week. I can't wait to get the big stuff figured out so I can focus on the small details. ^_^

(Pictures found on GoogleImages or TheKnot.com unless otherwise specified.)