CHCC and DIY?

Hi ladies,

I know I've posted about this before and have spoken to a few of you through FM about this, but I really want to see if there are any late 2011 and early 2012 CHCC brides who are putting the final touches on their decoration and centerpieces. It's been mentioned by brides in all forums that the best way to save money is by not having floral centerpieces, but our banquet manager said that we need to sign a $1 million insurance form for anything we bring in such as fiber optic lighting, candles, etc. My guess if that they don't want to take a chance with the 0.000000001% likelihood that the centerpiece will get torched.

Are there any CH brides that are not using floral centerpieces? FH and I are scheduling appointments with two florists that are reasonably priced and not house vendors, but it will still run a high cost.

I am not getting married there - but I can certainly help you think of some cool non floral CP ideas!

Martha Stewart has some GREAT non floral ideas on her site

No they are not, I think you should be ok with DIY as long as it is within fire code.

I would ask for a detailed list of what is and is not allowed (pre fire code) for CP's.

There are such cool and innovative Ideas on the martha stewart page.

Let me know what the rules are - and what your theme / colors are and I will do some hunting for you!

Do you have pintrest? I can make an idea board of things I find for you so you can just look at my board for some inspiration :)

what florists did you decide to check out?



you know all my thoughts on this whole thing lol lemme know how it works out for you GOOD LUCK!!!

I would definitely email your BM for any questions that you have.

One thing that I have learned with CHCC is that they have a lot of rules that they do not tell you about unless you ask.

I am using a florist so I am no help with the non flower centerpieces. By guess is that anything with a flame will not be allowed.

Ok, here is the thread I was thinking of... you can see this bride, LindyBride22, used candelabras in CHCC. You can try sending her a FM and asking if she had to sign a policy, how she managed, etc.

My only other suggestion to keep costs low is, when you go to a florist, they will probably show you some things and then give you a quote... at which time, you can ask, 'What could we do to bring it down to $X per table?'... That is what I did. By removing some of the more expensive flowers he showed me and decreasing the size I was able to get something I was happy with that was within my floral budget. I am using Flowers By Brian which is a preferred vendor but I would have booked them regardless. Joseph is spectacular to work with, so if making an appt ask for him!