<p>So it seems that my D and her long time beau are getting married May-ish this year. I know nothing. I mean nothing. about weddings. I got married in my Mom’s living room. Other family weddings have been similarly DIY.</p>
<p>D would like a casual, but food/dance/fun shindig on/near the beach. Basically, the best dance party ever, with something to eat, something to drink, and beach.</p>
<p>Whew. Sounds simple, right? But head is already spinning–venues, dates, how many of her zillion bestest friends need to be there, how many cousins (trust me, many!) does her fiance have? Music, dresses, bridesmaids, who’s a vegan??? </p>
<p>Deep breath–a casual wedding on the beach can be REALLY easy. Most hotels have wedding planners that help with all the details!! First thing you need to do is figure out how much you want to pay then the rest of the participants can go from there with how lavaish they want it to be. Personally, I am not in the camp that parents need to pay ANYTHING toward a wedding.</p>
<p>I just saw that you are from NJ. I attended a wedding in NJ (cousin) that was on the beach in Ocean City (??) by Sea Girt or something like that. We stayed in the old hotels right on the beach—LOVED the setting!!! They got married in a church down the beach somewhere (her family had a beach house and were members of that church). They held the reception at the hotel we all stayed in. It was in May as well. The weather was lovely and being able to walk along the beach in the morning was a bonus!!</p>
<p>Probably near where we live, jym. D has even floated our house (but small and half a mile from water) or aunt’s place on the Cape May Canal (but aunt and uncle are older with older neighbors, not sure that’s a good idea.) Have one place in mind near us.</p>
<p>Steve–in a pinch I agree,but we want to (within our means, which are moderate). H thinks of it as an investment toward grandchildren. :)</p>
<p>But I am the world’s worst event planner, so this is going to be interesting.</p>
<p>Congratulations, Garland. I think it already sounds wonderful. No advice in that venue. I hope you keep us posted as I think I may be going down the same route in the next year or so. No beach, but DS is thinking our yard/home and I get short of breath at the thought. I had their birthdy parties at Chuckie Cheese and Discovery Zone for a reason.</p>
<p>Weddings don’t have to be expensive to be great. Having the wedding at a beach, or a park, or somebody’s house and keeping the wedding count small can work wonders.</p>
<p>Congrats!
That reminds me, I need to do my push ups, so I dont have grandma arms in case there is a m-o-b sheath in my future!
My oldest has participated in several friends weddings in the last few years. She is currently working on a bridal shawl for a friend who is getting married next year.
( she has been told that she can pick her own dress- it only needs to be steel blue. So if anyone sees something that might fit my buxom but petite D, give a holler)</p>
<p>I planned & paid for my wedding when I was 24, how old is your D?
( we were married in the Washington Park arboretum, but the reception was held at a church- that sort of arrangement might be easier if you have older relatives who would like comfortable chairs)
How much help does she want?</p>
<p>Is your D going to do much of the planning/choosing or is she expecting you to come up with choices? </p>
<p>Do you have to give her a budget or is the checkbook wide open? </p>
<p>On or near a beach? Be aware that beach weddings can be quite windy and if she has hair that doesn’t handle beach weather, that can be an issue. One that we attended last summer started out as being too hot, and then became too windy.</p>
<p>Congratulations, such an exciting time. If you are looking for places in NJ, we went to a really fun wedding at the Sea Shell in Beach Haven, NJ. They have had some storm damage, but expect to reopen in April. It was very nice, not too formal, right on the beach. The ceremony was on the sand and the sea food was incredibly good. [The</a> Sea Shell Resort and Beach Club](<a href=“http://www.seashellclub.com/]The”>http://www.seashellclub.com/) Good Luck with your planning.</p>
<p>My oldest sister’s wedding was put together by my mom and the groom’s mom in four weeks flat. Yes, you can do this. Just keep a paper bag near you for when you feel the urge to hyperventilate.</p>
<p>Congratulations and have fun. It sounds like the wedding couple has a good idea of what the want. The hardest thing will be getting the venue. You might want to consider a Friday night…prices all around tend to be less. </p>
<p>We had a friend who did a destination wedding to Cancun and it was really terrific. It was during the summer so very off season. Folks who went did it as a vacation too!</p>
<p>Another friend did a beach wedding at Disney world and the pics were beautiful…summer meant a more modest price.</p>
<p>mom2–she has vague ideas but is simultaneously too ADD/OCD to handle this alone–plus has a time consuming job. I said I’d scout out ideas and run things by her.</p>
<p>H and I have a vague budget that gets fuzzier every time we think about it; i’m not really sure what a reasonable moderate wedding costs these days.</p>
<p>Wedding will probably be on beach, party nearby. D is a pony-tail kind of gal, not going to worry too much about wind.</p>
<p>Hot could be a problem, though if we stick to May, hopefully not.</p>
<p>EK–D is in two weddings this summer, one in June and one in July, which is why she’s thinking May. Gak again. I tell myself that this way, we’ll be free the rest of the summer. (and yeah, must work at arm weights…grandma arms–gak!)</p>
<p>Garland, congrats! I am sure that I speak for many of your cc friends when I say that we will be delighted to stick our noses into your daughter’s wedding plans!</p>