The New Details
Where: Berlinsky Community House, Kissimmee, FL. We chose this place because it's in our budget and flexible enough to use for both ceremony and reception. It's also part of a lakefront park, so that'll be nice for pictures.
When: September 17, 2016, ceremony at 2, reception from 3 to 8:30.
Colors: Still purple, black, silver, and white.
Theme: "We're Disney geeks who are getting married in the fall."
The dress I had shown you guys before is still the dress I'm wearing. We went to Mens Wearhouse a few days ago to see what they had that DF would like. He just has to talk to his guys and see what their budgets are like. We're doing homemade centerpieces (right now, the idea is to use pumpkins with LED lights around them, since we can't burn candles). If those submersed flower centerpieces would work out cheaper, we might do those. But we have to set up ourselves, so the pumpkins would be easier (place pumpkin on table, arrange lights, place table sign, done). The venue will set up the tables and chairs in the configuration we want, but we need to do everything else.
I don't think we'll be doing programs, but we might. We're going to be ordering our save the dates in a couple of weeks, and the invitations sometime in late February or March. We found one on Vistaprint that we like.
I went to a bridal show last weekend and found a caterer and florist that I quite like and are within our budget, so we'll be booking them once we have the money. We're trying to find a cheap photographer whose work we like, but that's a very tall order, apparently. I seem to have expensive taste *facepalms* I think the caterer will take care of setting up the linens, since that's part of the package we're going to be paying for. We just haven't booked them yet. Finances are really really tight right now (another long story).
The venue is an older historic building that they currently use as a community center. They're supposed to be redoing the floors sometime this summer, so that'll be nice.
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This is the stage area. We're going to have the ceremony up there. The podium can be moved (they were setting up for Bingo Night). My dad is going to make a backdrop for us with PVC piping, white sheers, and white Christmas lights. I found it on Pinterest and just loved it. The best part is that the only thing we have to buy is the joints for the PVC, since my dad already had the piping, my mom had the sheers, and they had a ton of Christmas lights up in the attic. We're also going to buy a length of tulle for some draping on the front of the stage. We can't actually mount anything to it, even with command hooks, so we're just going to hold the tulle in place with pumpkins.
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The window to the left of the door is a service window for the kitchenette. It's just a catering kitchen with an ice machine, cooler, and warming oven. We're going to have a buffet, so the tables will be set up in the little alcove to the right of the doors. Yes, those are the chairs.
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This is looking back from the stage. What we want to do is have the aisle come straight down from those double doors to the stage (so we'll come down the aisle and the ladies will go to the steps on the left, guys to the steps on the right). The tables will be set up with a gap in the middle for the aisle, and then we can either leave the tables where they are after the ceremony or move them closer together.
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That little alcove to the left of those doors is where the cake table and all that will go. One of my wonderful coworkers offered to make our wedding cake as a gift, so that'll be awesome!
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This is the entrance to the ladies' room. It has a little waiting room, so we're going to bring some tension rods and hang curtains in the windows and that door frame so that we can use the waiting room as a dressing area for me and the other ladies. Then everything will get put away until the end of the party. Basically, the bridal party is getting there around 11 or 12 and doing all the set up. We're getting dressed there and then will have the wedding. The bathroom is to the right when you walk in.
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This is the kitchen. Like I said, just a cooler, ice machine, and warming oven. Oh, and a prep sink and a few tables.
So that's the plan. We're still working out the finer details, but it's definitely happening on September 17 in this space at that time.
Sometimes being a responsible adult really sucks. The most important thing is that the two of you love each other and want to get married - no matter where the wedding takes place. I really hope it all works out for you.
I hope everything works out.
If you want to see the wedding she did, it's 
I agree with your opinion! He's picking out what he and the guys are wearing, and my ladies are picking out their own dresses (and their own makeup/hair, accessories, shoes, etc). I just want it to be a fun day. But yes, we definitely want to have a vow renewal in a few years, once we can afford the big Disney shebang.
