Arrrghhhhh
What was I thinking planning a wedding party (albeit a casual nontraditional party) right in the middle of the last 6 months of my thesis (hopefully!) and the crazy festive and socialisation period with new years eve, BBQs, parties and festivals everywhere. Also note to self: yes do it yourself parties save you money they also leave way too many decisions and responsibilities with us. I'm discovered that i'm not a big fan on party planning and much prefer just going to other peoples parties!
I think both Mr T and I have been a little too laid back up until this point and we woke up after xmas (which was quite distracting) and thought SHIT it's less than a month and we have done NOTHING and between all of the parties and deadlines for my thesis and All Tomorrow Parties (festival in Mount Bulla) and both of us being back at work we don't actually have that much time to do everything.
Things I need to find, but that are proving to be not that easy and time consuming, and so I'm throwing out to the blogworld to possibly help with:
* CHEAP biodegradgble cutlery sets (i found plates yay)
* finding cute recyled napkins (ie: not brown-ish ones)
* hiring cheap tables and chairs
* finding a ring that I like and actually want to wear all the time and that is not environmentally or socially evil and if made locally. Damn eg et al for being closed.
* choosing flowers to decorate with (I could easily go without flowers and am not having a bouquet but it's my friend contribution). I'm not really into flowers but know that I DON"T want roses. Anyone know any cute small-ish flowers? I'm clueless!
* finding cheap vegan wine that everyone will like
* choosing to make something that will feed 70 (including some really big eaters) or so people and that omni's will like
* finding the biggest food mosquito net to cover lots of food
* finding somewhere to hire large speakers etc
* finding cheap cute vegan silver (or white if it has to be) shoes with a tiny bit of a heel because I can't walk in high heels
* helping Mr T to choose lots of music that most people will like and hopefully dance too
I'm sure there is more that I can't think of right now because my brain is dead from working on my thesis for over 12 hours straight. Thanks for letting me rant!
Mankoushe XI
2 days ago
8 comments:
re: Shoes. Try the Shoe Gallery. The place is naff but they have heaps of non-leather (but look like leather) shoes that are cute and only around $29-49. I got a nice pair of ballet flats a few weeks ago. There are HEAPS of styles to choose from. There's one in Braybrook on Ashley St (about 5min from my place).
Re: food for 70. Lasagnes or pasta bakes are a great idea. Cheap to make, filling and can be done ahead of time and frozen.
re: Wine. Have you called Paul from Dilga? If you're buying in bulk he should be able to do a good price for you. Or he may know of some cleanskins that he could source that would be cheaper than the labelled stuff.
re: rings. Try this place: http://www.ethicaljewels.com.au. "All of our metals are responsibly recycled in an EPA approved refinery." Alternatively, you could by a second hand ring?
Good luck with the rest of the planning!
Thanks Emily, you rock!
And... breathe.
Flowers: Australian natives are nice and won't wilt if it's too hot.
Cheap vegan wine: go and cruise around a Dan Murphys. They are super cheap and you can spend ages reading all the labels, once you've found vegan wine you get a 10% discount if you buy six bottles or more. The one in Coburg has a lot of cleanskins, too. I have had good luck finding vegan wines there! Or call around a few cleanskins warehouses and see their vegan options. A lot of those places will deliver too and it's cheaper to buy in bulk.
feeding 70 people: eeek! tofu balls, bean balls (hello Toby!) or soy bombs could be cool, they can be made in advance and eaten cold if necessary. Curries and stews are also good for feeding people in bulk. I have a slow cooker if you want to borrow extra homewares for the event.
mozzie net: jump on the phone and call around, most people are having sales at the moment so you should get one pretty cheap. Big W, Aussie Disposals, Kmart etc should all have them.
You'll get everything done, or at least enough done that you have a totally kick ass party, I'm sure of it!
My advice:
Mozzie net--camping shop, get one that's meant for sleeping under and it should be big enough for your food. Alternatively, I've got one or two that I could post down to you, if you are able to post it back when you're finished.
Cheap vegan wine--yellow tail is vegan, and is relatively cheap, and if you buy in bulk with any wine you get discounts.
Flowers--I second Lisa's suggestion of natives. Maybe you can tell your friend you want natives and let s/he decide the rest, as an extra gift to you.
food--pasta bakes, like emily said. Pumpkin ziti, lasagnes, creamy pastas can all be made ahead of time and then just baked on the day you need them. Everyone loves pasta, you can have a few choices, and just jazz it up with a few salads and some fruit.
Good luck with everything, and let me know if you want my mozzie net!
http://www.greenkarat.com/about/about.asp is somewhere you could look for ethical rings
And I agree with pasta and salads for food.
Shoes - look everywhere because there are lots of shoes out for summer, I bought some gold sandals today that are synthetic. It would be great to order online from the vegan shops in the USA/UK but the sizing could be wrong and they might not arrive in time.
Music - pick stuff you like and I am sure most ppl will like it too. Maybe nothing too loud if you have a lot of older ppl?
Good luck!
Kristy, I'd be happy to bring some wine as our contribution to the party - I'll be at work all day anyway and probably leaving straight from there (city to home to party involves multiple crosstown trips) so it would be better for me anyway than bringing food ... or a slab of Cooper's?? (Theresa, thanks for reminding me about YellowTail; I couldn't remember the other night but thought I had an inkling it way - am glad to hear it!)
Shoes: Melissas? I just bought some - stockists include Fat and you can se eon their website. Maybe otherwise try Steve Madden (Madden Girl) in Melb Central - a lot of their stuff is stocked on Alternative Outfitters and is a bit more dressy so you might have some luck there too (but they'd be more like $80-100+). Miss Shop are often all synthetic, and Target usually has silver/white/sparkly sandals in non-leather (also Big W ... I got some rockin' gold wedges there recently and feel like I'm at Studio 54!). Also, Novo/Charles and George shoes are lotsa synthetics and have dressy sandals - should be in most major shopping centres (def at Norflans) and also two shops in the city.
Would it be wrong to suggest pizzas for a wedding party? Just thinkin' how good the pizza potluck was for feeding lots of vegan tummies on a budget ... apologies if that's just too casual (but maybe you could make some more gourmet pita pizzas? Assembly line production and 15 mins in the oven?)
xx
Now recommence normal breathing patterns and make a cup of tea.
i think it's mostly important to remember what the day is about and just ot havce a good time. stuff will go wrong here and there but just be relaxed and happy and focused on the goal: to havcea great time with your sweetheart and other loved ones.
xoxoxo
Music - Tim volunteers to make some mix discs of appropriate/danceable music - we had started planning this before we eloped so have some lists around somewhere!
Shoes - I second Rachel's idea of Melissa shoes - I wore some gold Melissa's at my wedding, and they also come in silver.
Speakers - Tim can speak to some people when we get home on your behalf if you want him too.
Food - we can help make stuff (tofu onion tarts? Chilli bean parcels?) We have more ideas if you like?
Rings - I was going to get a ring from eg et al, but decided on a plain band in the end. I think there is a possibility of tiring of something with more detail, and its hard to imagine what it will look like on your hand when you are 100!
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