Christmas tree bedskirts?
@anxiousmom, Ebay.
We should have a traveling CC wedding kit! Use, pass it to the next parent! 
I can contribute a set of dishes (50 persons) I bought for Mr. B’s big birthday bash. It was cheaper to buy them than to rent!
@anxiousmom, You could rent them to me when my child is married (just kidding.)
I have been reading this thread with an earnest interest. Thanks to whoever for starting this thread. It seems two of my interested topics are 1) wedding (especially the wedding NOT for bridezilla) 2) retirement (and its financial aspect.)
There is a funeral chapel near here. I went to a service there, and it is just like a little church. with an outside entrance, I think the seating was pews (don’t really remember but I think so), there was a small stage/alter like area in the front. There was parking. Lots of florists in the area (also near a hospital). It could be perfect!
Donate the linens to a church/synagogue!
seriously,
would consider a “funeral” place. They need to get a new script as something like a “Life Chapel”.
I really could see this as a new change. Afterall, most of use celebrate the end of life as a memorial so why not beginings such as baptisms and weddings. This would not disturb me at all.
Lovely venue, lovely guests, and a lovely chaplain or such.
A continuing care retirement community in my area is advertising itself as a wedding venue. They have a chapel, a full-service kitchen, and a large assembly room – really, everything you need.
I’m not so sure about funeral homes, and not just because of the ick factor. My husband’s stepmother was in that business. Funeral directors are extremely skilled event planners, and they have contacts with every service you might want in the community, but in general, their facilities are not set up or licensed for food service. So their venues would probably be ceremony-only venues.
@anxiousmom is there a group in your area that has luncheons, or other events with large round tables? Ask around. We needed similar size tablecloths for our Music Parents Association events, and would have loved someone like you to come along!
Do those table cloths all need pressed?
I haven’t received them yet… I think you have to tumble them on low with a wet washcloth… We shall see!!!
@anxiousmom I read someplace that you can put an ice cube in the dryer…it creates just enough moisture to get wrinkles out.
Relative’s wedding that I was coordinator for went great, even tho they did NOT have any time schedule that they distributed ahead of time. There were things that popped up which I handled and everyone had a fabulous time. The bride and groom were grinning from ear to ear the entire evening! The cousins of the bride wanted to dance and so they started dancing and continued dancing for the last hour or two of the reception, after the other guests had left. One relative even had an “after-party,” where she invited the cousins (sns bride & groom) to her home after the reception for the party to continue. Most folks went to that too and we all rolled home after midnite! It was a fabulous event!
Funny aside: I showed up at the wedding wearing a dress that was an identical color and style as the mother of the bride (though hers had lace and sequins and beading strategically placed, while mine was just a royal blue knit with none of that). We really looked quite similar. Folks though we had planned it, but we were both very surprised. A few photos were taken of us as a pair. 
At the reception, I donned a scarf over my shoulders, so we looked more different and my shoulders stayed warm! It made the dresses look more different. We both looked great in our respective dresses, and obviously both have excellent taste. We both purchased from Macy’s.
Some low cost weddings go for the cost of the wedding coordinator, but I agree that a professional can be a great help in saving on emotional wear and tear, can save costs based on knowledge in industry and area, etc.
To me key is that the couple is happy with the wedding plans. The parents can handle any ‘backlash’ from relatives and friends that all have opinions and can be critics when they aren’t making the plans/paying the bills.
Today, I just noticed an email that had a timeline attached. It was sent on the evening before the wedding at 7pm, but I just got it now! Thankfully, everything worked fine.
One thing - check to see if GPS loads the correct location for the church and reception. My nephew’s outside venue did not direct correctly on GPS and my brother (instead of asking directions/checking at hotel) drove around for 40 minutes and the car load (significant relatives of the groom) was late - it was 5 minutes in the other direction.
Good one, SOS. I’d add this: so many times that gps voice tells me “You have arrived at your destination” and I have, but heaven knows where it is. I’m holding up traffic, looking futilely around for the place. Sometimes all you’ve arrived at is the driveway, with no obvious signs or an unmarked parking lot.
I am amazed at how wrong a GPS can be - I use it a lot, even if I know a location, because if traffic is bad and I need to go an alternate route. If it ‘seems wrong’ I check too.