Fire Hall Ahr

[andreapurcell1]

We are going to be getting married in 2017.  My mom isn't a fan of the AHR and I tried to scrap it but FI really likes the idea.  We are getting married in October and I told my fiance that if we were having an AHR it HAS to be within the first 2-3 weeks after we get home so it will be before the holidays and such.  After the holidays I am not going to want to plan anything else, I just know it.  Not to mention we will see all of our families over the holidays.  

Anyway, the reception will be at a firehall.  Literally a large room with a dance floor and absolutely NO decorations at all.  It's legitimately a bingo-hall fire hall.  FI is a firefighter so it is cheap if not free so I will make it work.  We will rent/buy table cloths and napkins, caterer will bring the plates and flatware and we will supply beer/liquor/pop and the firehall will provide us with a bartender.  Great.  Well I have NO idea how to decorate.  Are bare walls going to be awful?  It's a pretty large room and I don't want to spend a fortune on draping and such.

 

Also do you invite those who attended/were invited to the DW to the AHR as well?  If so, does everyone come again?  Trying to guesstimate how many people we will be expecting too.

 

Thank you!!

[acw271011]

We did our AHR exactly 2 weeks after we arrived home from Jamaica, but we didn't have anyone at our wedding so we did invite everyone that had been originally invited. We're quite a bit older with grown kids and grandkids and elderly parents so our group was only 30 people. We had it in a private room of a restaurant over looking a lake with one wall that is floor to ceiling windows so not much was needed in the way of decorations. I have a friend that does decorating for weddings and she just brought some lights, similar to Christmas lights, that she uses and another friend made the centerpieces as a gift. That was pretty much it. We didn't have draping or anything - it was too informal for all of that and I think a lot of times it can get a bit over the top. We wanted just a fun night to get together with everyone, which is exactly what we had. Depending on the ceiling height, which thinking about a firehall is likely pretty high, anything from the ceiling might be a bit difficult. What about asking your bridesmaids if they could help? I think maybe some flowers might be nice. Something that keeps people's eyes at the lower level, instead of the natural inclination to look up which is what happens when you walk into a room with high ceilings. Anything along the walls again that keeps the eyes at a normal level.

 

I think people are going to be so happy to congratulate you that they aren't going to be too worried about a lot of decorations. Eating and drinking, and maybe dancing? I think most people will be happy with that.