Under $1000 for the whole wedding

I bought two different veils for my daughter who has decided she prefers not to wear one I'd be glad to send them to you at no charge if you email me your mailing address. ************@*****.*** - I understand if you prefer Not to email me.....but 100% not trying to sell anything. Would just rather send them to you than have them hang out in my closet or try to sell them. They're not fancy - two different styles, one fairly long and the other shorter with a bow.

^^^edit - sorry didn't realize you can't include email addresses. You can find me on FB under my name Pamela Lepley. Send me a message through messenger if you want the veils.

Also you might want to check out the parks in your area (city, county, state) - some of them have community centers or halls that you can rent that are indoor venues in addition to the shelters which are outdoors. They tend to cost a bit more than the shelters but also come with the tables, chairs, and sometimes a kitchen. You could also check to see if you have a local Agricultural Center, Senior Center, or Museum that might have a room to rent. We're having my daughter's bridal shower at a historic courthouse in my hometown in NC and the rental cost is just $75 - comes with tables and chairs (including setup by staff) and the use of a kitchen. We can self cater and serve beer/wine but no hard liquor.

It is absolutely fine to ask your close friends and family to help you have a potluck celebration for your wedding. This is about celebrating one of the biggest decisions of your life with the people that you love (and that love YOU) the most!! My husband and I got married at a city park 25 years ago. My mom made potato salad. His dad made bbq. Both of our grandmothers made cakes. His aunt made tea and lemonade.

Houston has a city park - Lake Houston Wilderness Park in New Caney. They have a really cool shelter called the Lazy Creek Lodge that is used for family reunions and corporate retreats. It is a screened facility with a electricity, floor and ceiling fans (no a/c) , refrigerator, tables, chairs, restrooms, outdoor patio with picnic tables, bbq, pit and a fire ring with benches. If your family likes the outdoors, check this out and/or explore a bit wider in your area to see what you can find.

https://apm.activecommunities.com/houstonparks/ActiveNet_Home/onlineimapshow.sdi?current_reservation_period_unit=8&start_time_hidden=&end_time_hidden=&lo=5&interactive_map_id=4&ft=96&start_date=Jun+24%2C+2022&start_time=3%3A00+pm&period_count=2&reservation_period_unit=8&end_date=Jun+26%2C+2022&end_time=12%3A00+pm&attnd=24&Go=Check+Availability&sdireqauth=1642556770913&xnetframe=false

Nothing wrong with boxed wine (if you like wine) - a 3L box is about 4 bottles and costs about $20. La Delizia has a pinot noir and a pinot grigio direct from the vineyard that comes either in bottles or bag in box that is delicious. We had already picked pinot noir to serve and then discovered that it also comes in a box - huzzah! Boxed wine is Also better for the environment.

Someone already mentioned FB marketplace. It is a good place to find tablecloths and acrylic/plastic wine glasses. if you don't care about cloth tablecloths, the plastic backed paper table cloths are pretty decent and you can sometimes find them on sale if you're looking for a one and done.

Depending on what kind of food you want/your family likes, you can self cater pretty cheaply. Seriously. Borrow some crock pots. Cook a bunch of chicken thighs in a crockpot with a large jar of salsa. Shred the chicken. Serve it with some flour or corn tortillas, black beans, lettuce and salad fixings for a make your own burrito bar. Prefer pork? Do the same thing with a pork butt except cook it with a jar or bbq sauce. Shred it and serve it with cole slaw and dinner rolls.

https://www.spendwithpennies.com/30-minute-dinner-rolls/

Publix makes a great cake. So does Costco. Or cupcakes for that matter. If you have an old ice cream maker (or one of your relatives does) it could be really fun to make some homemade ice cream. It's pretty cheap and the novelty of making your own ice cream is something that many folks haven't experienced and it's something they'd remember and talk about long after they forget what decorations you may have put up.

Trader Joe's has pretty cheap flowers. Raid your cupboards for different containers to use for flower arrangements. An old ceramic pitcher, mason jars.....a watering can. Anything that speaks to you will work.

There absolutely 100% is no have to other than 1) Enjoy celebrating this most personal merger of two people and two families and 2) clearly express your joy and appreciation for those family members and friends whom you invite to gather and celebrate with you.

Congratulations....enjoy your time planning.....and have a ball on your special day. Oh, and let me know if you want me to send you those veils

OK, You could rent a classroom at the Houston Museum of Natural Science for a half day (during the daytime - not the evening) for $200 (half day is 4 hours).

You have to scroll down to the Daytime pricing, look at the Classroom category.

https://www.hmns.org/visit/rent-the-museum/rental-prices/

And here's the info about the science classroom:

https://www.hmns.org/visit/rent-the-museum/event-spaces/science-classroom/

You have to use one of their preferred caterers for food - but there is at least one that has decent pricing for cakes...and even sandwiches if you wanted to go that route.

http://frenchgourmetbakeryhouston.com/FRENCH-GOURMET-CATERING-MENU-2021.pdf

So this may not be your dream wedding space... or it may not be close enough to where you are to be viable. But there's a lot of 'out of the box' options out there. Bottom line is this should be a joyous time and not depressing.....AND hold your line on your budget. Sounds like you have excellent long term goals. This is about the start of building a life you love With your love. No reason to start that stressed out and in debt. Best of luck to you!

I think people are blowing up the birthday money/gift card thing. I come from a family where for birthdays and Christmas you're asked what you want and are expected to answer. Some refuse to give money/gift cards so you give actual gift ideas to them, others will essentially be like, "Hey, this thing is coming up and I don't feel like shopping so I'm gonna give you some money and you can get what you want." My family is also the type that if I told someone that the birthday money they gave me was used to purchase my wedding accessories they would be happy to know that their money went towards something special.

As long as you know that asking for those things from people who request present ideas from you isn't going to offend them, then it really doesn't matter what comments here say about that. I probably wouldn't depend on those for anything, but I'm sure you also know and understand that since you never know how much someone is going to spend on a present.