Publication: Asheville Citizen-Times  Sectionname: HOMESTYLE         

Edition: Final  Date: 02/13/1999       

Page: 1        Day: Saturday  

Section: F     Keyword: WEDDINGS, HOMES, PLANNING    

Byline: C.J. Autry HomeStyle Editor 

(Reprint with permisssion)

- Everything was perfect.

Billowing fronds of Boston ferns spilled from baskets that lined the 

front porch. Mounds of old-fashioned petunias in shades of pink and 

lavender flowed down the sides of the window boxes. On the porch steps lay a 

white velvet carpet sprinkled with fresh rose petals. Arbors covered 

with ivy and roses, gardens filled with flowers in full bloom, a bright 

blue sky dotted with a smattering of fluffy white clouds, and family and 

friends gathered to watch her walk down the aisle completed the scene.

It was the wedding Suzanne Bartlett had dreamed about for years. 

Perfect setting, perfect weather, the perfect gown and the perfect groom.

"But what made the day was getting married at my parent's house," 

Bartlett, nee Brown, said. "I dreamed about my wedding day when I was a 

little girl and would pull out my mom's tablecloths, go out in the garden 

and pretend I was getting married. When I got married there, it was a 

dream come true."

Bartlett and her husband Greg are among a growing number of couples 

turning back the hands of time. Home and garden weddings are once again 

growing in popularity as couples seek ways to personalize their special 

day.

Elisa Gaye Wagoner is well aware of the trend.

The Waynesville wedding planner, clothing designer and author believes 

that for many couples, the days of lavish fairy-tale weddings that cost 

more than a down payment on a home are a thing of the past.

"Lifestyles have changed," Wagoner, author of the book "Bringing Home 

the Wedding" said. "Brides and grooms are older; they're not getting 

married fresh out of high school. They've left home, gone to college and 

taken on demanding lifestyles and careers. They want to have a home and 

view spending a lot of money on a wedding that lasts for only one day 

as wasteful."

That's exactly the sentiment shared by Jo and Kenny Evans. After 

meeting at Florida State University, the Asheville-area natives returned to 

her parent's home for their simple wedding.

"Mom and Dad used the wedding as an excuse to spruce up the house and 

gardens," Jo Evans, nee Wilson, said. "Sure, they spent some money on 

the food and the reception, but they didn't have to put a lot of money 

into flowers that would last for only a day. Instead, they had the lawn 

and gardens re-landscaped. They started working on their house as soon 

as we told them we wanted to get married, and by the day of the wedding 

everything was in bloom. It was beautiful. Now when we go home, we get 

to re-live our wedding over again."

Wagoner, who describes her upbringing as "spartan" specializes in 

creating fairy-tale weddings on realistic budgets with decorations that can 

be used over and over again in the couple's own home.

"My premise is that what you're spending on the wedding would go a long 

way toward the deposit on a home or getting a business established," 

she said. "If you're thinking in terms of a lifetime commitment, it makes 

sense to start on a practical note rather than with all the glitz and 

glamour. With the glitz and glamour, once the day is over all you have 

is a big debt you're paying off for six or seven years. That's no way to 

start a life together."

As her weddings and book prove, practical nuptials don't have to be 

plain.

After graduating from college, Jacqueline Dravis and Robert Boutwell 

married in August 1994 at the Clark Memorial Chapel at Lake Junaluska. A 

reception following the ceremony was held at Prospect Hill Bed and 

Breakfast in Waynesville, the home of the bride's mother and stepfather, 

Judith and Dennis A. Frampton.

The total cost of the wedding was less than $3,000 including the 

bride's gown and four bridesmaids dresses, fresh cut flowers, potted flowers 

and ferns, photography, live harp music, a catered buffet, a champaign 

toast and a three-tiered wedding cake.

Also included in the cost was the equipment leased for the reception. 

Twelve round tables with chairs draped in blue linen table cloths and 

white napkins were set up in the garden court yard. On the veranda, two 

8-foot tables and two smaller round tables were set up to serve the 

buffet, champagne and to display the wedding gifts and guest books. Cut 

flowers were brought from the chapel to the reception to decorate the 

tables. A caldelabra was leased for a special accent on the buffet table.

To keep costs down, family and guests volunteered to help in a variety 

of capacities - taking videos of the wedding, driving the guests, 

bringing flowers from the chapel to the reception, and sweeping the chapel 

floor.

"A wedding ceremony is a dream, not just yours but all of those who are 

near and dear to you," Wagoner tells her clients. "It's important to 

take their feelings into consideration. If they want to help, allow them 

to do so."

This includes incorporating them into the planning and preparation. 

Brides and grooms should not be hesitant to ask for help, or to request 

special services or items to be used and wedding decorations in lieu of 

wedding gifts. This is especially true for couples who have been on 

their own for some time and have already gathered everything they need to 

establish a household.

Here are some of Wagoner's tips for putting together an exquisite home 

or garden wedding on a shoestring budget:

First things first

The key to a dream wedding is in the planning and preparation, Wagoner 

says. Begin by establishing a budget and what she calls "the absolute 

must guest list." If the guest list outweighs the budget, adjust the 

style of the reception. If you had planned on a sit-down dinner or hot 

buffet but you're budget won't allow it, consider a luncheon, afternoon 

tea or offer a selection of elegant desserts and cappuccino and other 

flavored coffees.

If your friends and relatives are great cooks, let them know that if 

they want to volunteer to make a special dish, they can. Purchase the 

ingredients for them so they can create their specialities and bring them 

to the reception at a certain time. "Of course, word will spread to try 

Aunt Blanche's famous flan," Wagoner said. "It makes everyone feel 

special and a part of the wedding."

Love in the living room

If you plan to have your wedding at a home, assess the house keeping in 

mind the number of people you plan to invite. Decide what furniture 

will stay and what you may want to put into storage.

Wagoner usually makes a scale drawing of the room indicating doors, 

windows and such. She then makes scale templates of furniture which can be 

moved around on the paper room template. "This way you don't have to 

drag a lot of furniture from one side of the room to another to see what 

works best," she said.

If you plan to hold the reception in the home, look for cozy areas 

where two to four guests can gather at a small table. These tables can be 

scattered throughout the home.

Long before the wedding, begin making any necessary repairs our touch 

ups. Clean the house thoroughly, making sure everything is in good 

repair. Clean the drapes and the floors, freshen up the paint, repair steps 

or banisters. "This is the perfect opportunity to take care of things 

you may have been putting off," Wagoner said.

Decorating divas

It's also the perfect excuse to do a little decorating.

If the window treatments are dull, freshen them up. Create some 

ambainace with throw pillows and rugs. Bring in fresh flowers and live plants. 

Rearrange you wall art, or have it re-matted for an instant update. 

Don't forget to use mirrors on the walls which will help make the home 

feel more open and airy. For a touch of fairy tale magic, string white 

twinkle lights as accents in and around plants.

When decorating for your wedding at home, choose your wedding colors 

with your interior in mind. This way, your decorations will become a part 

of your home's ultimate style long after the wedding is over.

Under the big top

The wedding and reception can spill out of the home and onto the lawn 

or into the garden despite the time of year. Elegant tents with 

cathedral ceilings and clear plastic "windows" are available for a fraction of 

the cost of renting some banquet halls. Many of these tents can be 

heated or cooled, depending on the time of year.

A 30x30-foot tent with 16-foot-high ceilings rent locally for around 

$450 when set up on a grassy area. Walls for the tend are will run about 

$120 more. Such a tent would accommodate 90 people for a sit-down meal 

and between 125 to 130 guests for a buffet.

Smaller tents can be used with or without the large tent for food 

serving stations or as the place to serve the cake.

Tables rent for between $5 and $15 each. Chairs will run between 65 

cents to $2.50 each.

Linens can also be rented. Table cloths rent for anywhere from $6 to 

$15, with matching napkins renting for around 55 cents each.

Not so secret gardens

A home or garden wedding is the perfect excuse to pour some time, 

energy and money into landscaping. Not only will the wedding have a 

beautiful backdrop, but the improved lawn and gardens will be a constant 

reminder of the day's special events.

Instead of investing in cut flowers, Wagoner recommends putting that 

money into trees, shrubs and flowers for the garden. Invite your friends 

to purchase plant material for you as a wedding present to be delivered 

in time to be incorporated into the landscape.

Another great wedding gift would be a gift certificate toward the cost 

of landscaping or interior spruce ups. "Friends and family want to love 

and support you and your new life," Wagoner said. "When they give you 

such a gift, you'll see it every day and your friends will see it and 

the joy it has brought every time they come to visit. It's truly a lovely 

sentiment."

In the garden use decorative items like balloons and twinkle lights in 

trees and on the lead ropes for the tents. You can also use balloons to 

color code certain facilities. For example, use a cluster of balloons 

in one color to designate the buffet tent and a cluster of balloons in 

another color for the bathroom facilities.

The bottom line

"There's no reason you can't do something that's really elegant and 

classy for 65 guests for between $2,000 to $3,000," Wagoner said. "It just 

takes some planning and some frugal thinking."

What you'll end up with is a beautiful day with memories that really do 

last a lifetime.