Combined ceremony/reception - need tips!

Garden centers that sell bushes and trees will let you rent their baby trees/flowering plants for a day, you could put three on each side of the room to make it greener? you could at the end of the ceremony have a projector/video on the back wall so everyones attention is on the back wall while your BP/friends switch the room from ceremony to dinner set up behind them. Heres some more budget ideas http://forums.theknot.com/discussion/1004446/a-budget-wedding-story-parisian-style

I'm having my ceremony and reception in the same place too..and we are just going to have the tables already up for people to sit at during the ceremony so that we don't have to worry about setting them up between the ceremony and reception. And then we are going to have a cocktail hour after the ceremony (by cocktail..I mean hot chocolate..no alcohol. lol) while the bridal party takes pictures..and then after the pictures we are going to come back inside and officially start the reception.

I'm also having my ceremony and reception in the same place because it's a restaurant. They are setting the tables up but they will be putting up room dividers. They will arrange all of the chairs in the center for the ceremony. After the ceremony as the guests chat the waiters will reposition the chairs and remove the dividers. Hopefully it will be seamless... during that time people will most likely go out of the room anyway - bathroom, smoking break, taking pictures, etc.

I think you should look into covering that back wall with drapery and poles you can rent the drapery a pole set and put it up yourself. This should cost you under $150.00 Just do a soft off white hanging straight down, don't try to do the swags they will require a professional to make it look nice. I would also shop around for chair covers I have heard of places that rent the stretch ones for $1.00 each. Then place a couple of tall plants/tree's to frame the area will you will be standing for the ceremony. Rose of Sharron/Hydrangea would be nice You can always plant this in your garden as a marriage tree after. I would have the guest sit in their seats on the one side of the table, have the tables all ready set up for the dinner Take the others chairs (back/side of the table) and place the chairs in the center of the room, leaving space for an isle. This way no one is sitting at the table with their backs to you. I would also look into renting floor lenght table linen for your head tbl

@Katie. That's exactly what I'm doing!!