Needing Some Advise Please!!!

J., do you know anyone with a nice yard that would be willing to allow you to set up tents for tables, food, and entertainment? All can be done at a reasonably low cost, especially if you have family/friends who are willing to pitch in and help with decorating and set up. Good Luck and I wish you a Blessed marriage.

Going to a condo or apartment complex with a rec room usally works...they are willing to rent rooms out for a fee...Also what about having it outdoors with tents...it could be whimsical, romantic and allot of fun! I know August can be hot, but if you find a cool shade area it may be very nice!

Since it is going to be in august, why not plan the reception for outside. You can get a covering tent..some places rent them..or they are available at wal-mart this time of year. It could be very nice. If you don't have a yard big enough you may could use an area park.

Do you have a backyard? You could have a lovely garden party reception there for little cost. Or call your local community center, Lions or rotary club. Good luck!

Hi J.,

I would suggest you go to the court house or to your pastors/study/office...I got married in my pastors office...wtih a few friends and then we went to dinner...I have never regreteed not having a wedding..you will save a lot of money,time,headache...Iwould focus on getting the man...not the wedding pictures.....

VMitchell
Memphis,TN...

does the church have a fellowship hall you can use...would probably have to be a g-rated reception if you went that route. you can call around to some hotels and see if they have a banquet area. and a girl i used to work with had her wedding and reception at the club house of the tates creek gold course. it was prettty nice.

I just got married about a year ago. We had our wedding on the beach. We didn't have anything but the people and a small table for the unity candle. Instead of candle we poured sand that was the wedding colors. I live in NC too. But the reception was at a community building down the street. It was catered. Because I had to pay for it myself (me & husband) I did alot of stuff myself. I made my own dress with help of a seamstress friend, party favors where ornament glass balls with sand from the beach and shells inside. We also put our names and the date on like a fortune cookie size piece of paper inside the balls. I would look in your area to see if they have a comminuty building or maybe a public beach/park. Maybe you could do it outside. It depends on what kind of food you are having and how many guests. I needed something cheap and easy but thats what worked for me. Good luck and congratulations. I hope this helps

First, give yourself some credit for already finding a church! That is a hard part. :) Now, for the reception, if you don't want to risk the weather, you can choose a local hotel meeting room, or venue, depending on your budget. If you live in Chattanooga or whichever city go to www.eventective.com (chattanooga's is http://www.eventective.com/USA/Tennessee/Chattanooga/) The internet is a great resource tool for planning weddings these days. This site will let you put in the date, event, # of attendees, and it will give you a bunch of options. Good luck. It will be the most perfect day ever! Best of luck & congratulations. All else fails, think of a relatives backyard that you could jazz up...

I agree with the gal below-check out the VFW, or the community center in the area. Also, bed & breakfast houses generally have beautiful garden areas. God Bless!

Since there is no halls or hotels rooms avail. I would try to find a family or friend that has a large yard and see if they would be willing to host your reception there. Another option is at a park that my have a building or even one that has a nice size shade area. You can combat the heat by serving lots of cold items like fruit medley, chilled cocktails, cold salads. I would check online at foodtv.com for more summer recipes. You could use watermelons, cantalopes and honeydews as serving bowls, that way you can place ice in the bottom and they should stay cold for a long time. It saw on Martha Stewart once where she made big frozen blocks in juice cartons and placed slices of fruit in at different stages to create to look that the slices are floating in the blocks. She then cut the carton away to get the blocks out and put them in giant punch bowl. This served to keep the punch cool and was a beautiful decoration. If you would like more ideas, please feel free to email me at ____@____.com LUCK AND CONGRADS.!!!!!

a lot of people i know have used the local VFWs around here. they have bars for people who want to drink, and they have room for receptions.
If it is going to be nice weather, you can always have it at someone's house, if they would allow that. I find the VFW to be convenient because then you don't have to worry about alcohol, and its cheap enough that people can afford to buy their own! Or any American Legion. That would work too.
I have lots of quick easy decorating ideas too, I've helped do a few weddings in my time! feel free to email me if you want. ____@____.com

hey J.,
When my husband and I got married we rented a church and they also had a fellowship hall where we had our reception(ask, most churces do)
Thankfully we had some gifted friends that provided music and had local pizza place cater the food.It was not fancy, but everyone had a great time(I think:)) Hope it all works out for you.

J.,

There are places On Lake Tilery like Woodrun and Carolina Forest That have club houses. If you know any members that would rent it for you. Also Badin Lake Has club houses I am sure of also. Good Luck.

Try your community center, vfw and check out outside venues like a park with covered picnic areas. You have a good chance of great weather in August.

J.,
I would check with some other churches in the area, also restaurants often have banquet rooms. I guess it'll depend a lot on how large your wedding will be... Other ideas: parks with pavilions, community centers, botanical garden or such.
I'm not familiar with Albemarle specifically, these are just some general ideas. Also hotels/restaurants in neighboring towns? Ask at the local bridal shop for suggestions. Ask the church for additional suggestions. Ask the local hotels for suggestions. I'm sure there are other couples who have been married in town who found some kind of facility, and those places would be aware of who has suitable space for a wedding reception.
Best wishes for your wedding and upcoming marriage!

I just got married March 15th of this year. I live in fayetteville, nc. If your church reception hall is booked, look for a community building or ask around...I will see what I can find here for where you are. Do you have a photographer? cake person? caterer? I know the best in all those areas...they are close personal friends of mine...do you have someone to do your hair and make up? I'm a hairstylist and I do make up. You may email me personally at ____@____.com I will do some research and get back with you. What day in August are you getting married? What kind of budget are you on?

My sister was stressing about her wedding and considering a court house wedding... I told her "give me one month and $1000.00 and I'll do it, all you have to do is show up." When she agreed and took me up on this challenge, I was scared, but a month later, it was the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen! I'll be happy to help and tell you the many corners that I "cut" in today's expensive wedding world! I'm not sure what all you need, but if you're interested, email me: ____@____.com

Hi J.,
I had my daughters reception at the library. We rented the multi-purpose room. It had a kitchen. You could check with your local library or a senior center, a local city park, a lake that you like weather permitting. For my nieces reception they rented a room at the Fire Station and for my nephews reception they rented a room at the courthouse. Try the local lions club if you have one. They may have a room that they rent out for events.

Good luck.

Hello J.! Well how is the weather there? Plan something out side or do you all have a Botanical Garden? If not you may have to adjust the date so that you can have the reception at the Church. I pray everything works out... D

here are a few ideas, i hope it helps! If it is nice outside, try a local park. This way those guests with kids can have something to do, and parks do not usually charge a ton of money. Another idea would be a country club- but they can usually run to the high side. The last idea I have for you would be the local fire house. If it is volunteer, they may have a banquet area that is open to the public. Is your hubby to be in the military? If so, that may be another avenue open to you! I hope this helps, and good luck!

Hi J.,

I have to be quick, as I'm running out the door to meet a wedding coordinator (I'm a wedding photographer here in NC), but my suggestions are as follows. It's very difficult, not knowing your budget:

1. Join The Knot online (if you haven't already) and see what you can find there. Great resource for brides.

2. You could hire a wedding coordinator to help you.

3. Change the date. (Yeah, right?)

4. Does the church have room on its property for a tent?

5. Try restaurants, gymnasiums, the YMCA, parks, museums, homes, B&B's.

Best of luck with this. I wish I could help more. I'm only thinking of places I've shot at other than hotels, since you said they don't have room.

And congratulations!

A.

My husband and I are renewing our vows on a cruise ship, however before we made that decision we looked around at different locations for the ceremony and the reception. If the church doesn't have a reception area you may want to look at some youth centers. Kiwans off of bragg blvd by Ftcc has a nice gym that my best friend used and it was beautiful. The decorations made that youth center look like an expensive ballroom. If you don't want to do that then you could always check with the local hotels like holiday inn and use thier ballroom. best wishes!

Why would you have booked a church knowing that there was no reception hall available. How is it going to work with your wedding and fellowship hall booked to some other party? Won't that be a little crowded with two events going on. I suggest that you change churches and get one with a fellowship hall. You still have plenty of time to get the invitations printed and sent out. Be calm, it will all work out. I have directed weddings for years and I know that if you can keep the wedding and the reception together more of your friends and family will attend the reception. People are busy in the world today and they don't like traveling from place to place and waiting and waiting for the bridal party to arrive. Best wishes on your upcoming marriage.

Hello.

My husband did not help me plan much at all. I bought a book on what to do to plan and then made a list in a notebook of what I needed to do. Every Sat I would do one thing on my list then I would put the info down and highlight it. Look in the phone book for places to have your reception. Or, you can call the Bridal stores and ask them for referrals. There are mansions that you can rent, that is what we did. There are restaurants, there are bed and breakfasts that you can use their land and then stay over night, etc Get a notebook and start to write down all that you need to do...flowers, music/entertainment, food, photographer, party favors, drinks, etc I planned my entire reception myself and did all of the shopping. Where do you live and maybe we can help you do the search online. If you are in Nashville, you can do it at Two Rivers Mansion (where I had ours). You go and order your flowers, order your cake, choose the entertainment whether it be DJ, band, just a CD playing, etc then choose the food, a caterer, or even just have a friend of a friend serve for you. I bought all the food at Sam's wholesale and then had two of my mom's friends serve and keep the food plenty and warm. Choose someone who would not expect to be invited to the party. You need your linens for the tables too. You can usually rent them from a party planning store or if you can afford a caterer, they provide them. If you can afford a caterer or even a planner, that would really do most of the work for you. If not, it is not that hard. Just get your book of what to do and in what order (from a local bookstore) and from there you begin. The man doesn't do much anyway! :O) He will need to do his own tux and his own men standing up for him and their tuxes. Just give him that one job, that is about all they can handle. Also, if you know anyone who would let you use their home, if they have some land so you can set up tents. The other thing about doing one thing per week is that you can pay for it weekly and it is not all at once. Enlist friends and they will love to help you. If you want a small wedding, have your mom and his mom help too. You can go to Michael's crafts and make your own table centerpieces and you can even make your own party favors, or go to ebay. Get a bridal magazine, they have tons of ideas and places in the back to order cheap wedding favors. Matchbooks, napkins, poems with both your names and wedding date, etc You can buy disposable cameras for the tables and then everyone leaves them when they leave and you develop and have pics that way. You can also have a friend take pics or ask around if anyone knows someone who is good at taking pics but is not a full on professional that would charge a lot. If you are interested, an even cheaper way to do this is to get married at the beach by yourself or just close family and then come home and have a massive party for your reception. It cuts out flowers, dresses, tuxes, etc. You can go online and for a small fee they will set it up for you and you just show up. Then, have a party when you get home. Let me know if you need more help! ____@____.com and also, I googled reception halls in Albemarle, NC and several came up...try it!

W. M M'boro, TN

My name is D.. If you cannot locate a reception hall, you might consider booking a large restaurant or even maybe a high-school cafeteria or even outside the church (depending on the temp)using tents and folding chairs. Possibly the catering services in your are could offer some helpful advise.
Good luck!!-D. from TN.

I heard Stanley Regional Hospital has great reception rooms and really good catering. You may want to check them out.

1) Reserve a park shelter, decorate with lots of white streamers, and keep it casual.

2) Check with the senior center in your area.

3) Ask a friend or relative who has a nice big yard to host a garden reception. It will be hot in August, so you may want to have plenty of fans sitting around. Depending on the size of your wedding and your guest list, maybe someone with a big house can host it.

4) Check with your local convention and visitors bureau, or chamber of commerce, they may have some suggestions.

5) If there are any Lions or Elks clubs, Moose lodges, Shriners, etc. check with them, they may rent their facility.

4) Check to see if the police or fire departments in your area have an academy. Many have their own facility, outside of the actual police dept. where they hold their social functions.

Good luck!

Try theknot.com and don't stress:

http://www.theknot.com/kl_NORTH_CAROLINA.shtml

I will tell you what my husband told me when I ran into roadblocks while planning our wedding ... "It doesn't matter where we get married, what the weather's like, or which relative is making you crazy -- the only thing that matters at the end of the day is that you and I are married."

You will have a beautiful day and it WILL all work out. Enjoy as much as you can about the planning process, and just let the rest go. Good luck and best wishes!

If you don't want your guests to have to leave the church site, then you could always switch churches. If you're already tied to this church, then if you want a reception then you're going to have to find something else. I have never really liked church receptions, so we chose to have my wedding reception at a different site. We found a clubhouse on the lake that was just beautiful. Of course, I don't live in NC, so it's hard for me to make suggestions, but just by making a quick search online I found:

Eli's Reception & Meeting Hall
###-###-####
152 W Main St, Albemarle, NC 28001

Uwharrie Vineyards & Winery
28030 Austin Rd, Albemarle, NC 28001
###-###-####

The Copperfield Room
270 Copperfield Blvd Ne # 203, Concord, NC 28025
###-###-####

You should also check with local parks to see if they have pavilions available.

J.

Hi. I use to live in Asheboro but now I live in Kentucky.
How many guests are you having for this reception? You can check with local VFW's, Union Halls etc. A lot of churches have activity centers. Just a few suggestions. Is your soon to be husband in the service?

B.

A little bit about me: I am a single mother of two 21 yr. old son and 16 yr. old daughter. I work as a paralegal.

I had an outside wedding and it turned out beautiful. My reception however was inside. My Uncle on the hand was just in the reverse. Is there a pretty park or a friends back yard that you could have it in? You could rent a tent to have it under if you are affraid of rain. Possibly your church will have some folding chairs and tables you could use instead of renting them as well. With having it outside you don't need much decorating. Wish I could help you more.

Rent a beautiful state park facility or other outdoor area, but plant to tent.

I would go ahead and make as many of the arrangements as you can, find out about cancellation policies (you might have some outs if he really hates your choices), so that fiance does not have to do anything but say "Wow, honey, that's great!"

A great party is nice, but remember what the celebration is really about.

Good Luck & Best wishes!

You don't have to have your reception at a reception hall. YOu could try a musuem, something on the beach, park, etc. You could also check other nearby churches and tell them your situation, you might be able to have your reception there. Is your fiance in the military? You could have it on base or at the armory. Check:

http://www.albemarle-nc.com/events/albemarle_events_JUN.s...

something might jump out at you as a great idea! Congrats!

Congratulations on the wedding!!

I don't live near you, but a couple of suggestions might be to check out
* local golf course club houses,
* VFW/American Legion Halls or Knights of Columbus
* YWCA Buildings
* High School gymnasiums

Good luck!!
K. H

Jody your talking to a woman that Just got married at the end of last September
And Managed to do it on a a Budget of Less then $3000
That Said if there is room in the Budget why not creat your own "Reception Hall" with Rented tents
or simply turn your recetion into " A Garden Party Reception" or "Picnic reception"
We got Married ouit side on a lake shore up here in Northn Ontario and northern Ontario is a natoriouce Snow Belt.
We got married out side with no tenting just walked down the grassy Isle with my satain shoes i had to have have ordered to fit my long feet sinking into the grass with ever step but the day was so bright and Sunny that there are some wedding pics of us taken in our sun glasses. ha Ha
Dont Stress out about the details even thow I know your stressed right now
My wedding was far from Perfect I had to replace 5 memmbers of our wedding party 2 months before the wedding and the day of the wedding. The Maid of honor was a no show as well as the flower girl because of car troubles and she lived 5 hours away.
And the reception hall owners decided that we could not do any of the Cooking at the reception hall the Night before the wedding { We Supplied the Potatoes and the Roast beef for the wedding but everything else was Pot Luck reception its the french community tradition up here wich allows relatives that cant efford a gift for you they can at last honor you with the gift of food}
So that made my Mother in law to be My future Hubby and the best man Late for the wedding because they had to find 4 stoves to cook all the potates for the reception as well they they couldnt get into thereception hall decorated until the day of the wedding
The whole point is Jody you are marrying hte man of your dreams Dont sweat it beleive me if your wedding insnt until Augest you have plenty of time.
Even thow I know it dosnt feel like it. Open your Mind up to asking family memembers for help finding a reception hall if you have your heart set on an Indoor reception or asking a restuarant to host your reception or maybe a camping resorts Dinning hall there are all kinds of Possibilities.
Just open your heart and your Mind up to them and youll find the reception hall or create the reception that suit your budget and that you and your guests will enjoy.
And beleive me if you do pot luck reception and you clue your family in on it can be lots of Fun.
If family knows of a Pot Luck reception and they know that you are a on a tite budget they will have no problems donating to it no matter how far they have to travel to come to your wedding
If your Supplying the Wine for the reception Just check with the place that your hiring for the reception to see weather thier liquor licents allows you to bring in the wine or you have allow them to Supply it ant at what Point due you cut off the bar tab.
The Whole Point is to Have Fun relax your marrying the man of your dreams and take the Time ot treat your self to a bubble bath at least every two weeks during the process of planing this wedding to destress.
Take care of you Jody and your body so that you will have the strength to take care of all of the details and your littel family.
May God pore out all of His blessings upon you and all of your littel family and your New hubby to be and I hope My insight helps you a littel
A Littel about me I am 45 soon to be a bible college student again.A mom of too gorgus teenage Daughters. Been threw maney trials and heart achs and still standing. The heart achs have made me stronger and brought me closer to the feet of Jesus and Yes I am a Christian and my reason for going back to bible college is to become a Pastor. And My new Hubbyis french Canadian So I am learning North French as my second Language wich is a different Dialect then Quebecoise French

I don't see why you need him here to plan this wedding--most guys do not get involved in wedding planning.

You may have to go outside of Albemarle for the reception--what about going to Charlotte, High Point, Concord, Monroe or another city nearby that has appropriate locations for a reception? Clearly the church you have chosen is not one you attend your you'd have known about the fellowship hall in the first place...that being the case it should not be too difficult to find another church or wedding hall in another area and do it all in one city.

Have you talked to the catering company you are using? They may know of places that you have not thought of--another good resource are the society pages in the paper, they list a number of reception venues in the weekly bridal announcements.

Good luck!

Number one - don't stress about the part of your fiance not being around to help until later - if he is like most men, he will hardly be involved anyway! just tell him when/where, etc...! :)

If you aren't having much luck with public arenas, have you considered asking a friend with a nice house/backyard to host a reception? Or what my bro-in-law's wife did (before I knew my husband), but they live in a very small town in N Ga - they rented out a local restaurant for the afternoon. It was normally only open for dinner, so they didn't have to close down to normal customers b/c everyone was gone and they had it cleaned by the time they had to prep for dinner. This town still doesn't have much more to offer couples today - but back then I was appalled that they had to put "Reception at the Chik'n Coop Restaurant" - it sounded so redneck-y! :) But that is the kind of town it is, and no one around there thought anything of it...

God will bless you with a place, just try to relax and enjoy this time - if you aren't enjoying it at all - maybe you and he can run off to Gatlinburg (or somewhere like Bahamas!) and just elope and have a reception later on when you find a place... My sister almost gave up and did that, but everything finally worked out for them as well.

Best wishes for your wedding and a happy future!
A.

Did you think of a park I know it may be blistering hot but you might get lucky. I had my wedding at a park it was great. the catering people even put up tents for us so we could have some shade. i told everyone to bring a change of cloths and we even played a game of base ball my family against his. My wedding was in September. so I don't know if that is realistic. another Idea is a Firehouse some firehouses have halls they rent out for extra income. local lions clubs or kiwanis clubs. if you have a community college they have halls too. these are a few ideas I hope they help.