On this page: personal touches - beating the budget - planning tips

Getting Help cont.
Transforming a local granary into a reception hall was also a group job, but it was easy to carry over the ceremony's festive, floral tone by transporting the decorations from the church -- and adding a few extra touches. "My dad and I made a picket fence for the entrance to the reception, and my cousins painted it white," says the bride. "Uncle Paul did such an amazing job with the balloons. He made giant flowers that looked like something out of a cartoon. It was wonderful!" Guests munched on a dessert buffet created by the groom's mother and a white carrot cake (both Jenn and Aaron's favorite), decorated with stars and maple leaves to reflect their American and Canadian heritages (respectively).

Buying and Borrowing
Knowing when to get professional help was an important step in pulling the whole thing off. "We finally gave up on the idea of making our own food for the reception because we didn't want our moms to be in the kitchen all day," remembers Jenn. Another smart move was borrowing everything they could. For example, Aaron's parents arranged a loan from their church that covered all of the tables, plates and silverware. And, at the end of the party, after being showered in a collection of fresh rose petals and dried flowers (saved from bouquets that Aaron had given Jenn while they were dating), the couple headed for their honeymoon in Uncle Kevin's black 1951 MG convertible.