Ya know what…..If we all lived within spittin distance of where this wedding was held, don't you just know we could all swoop down like a cluck of mama hens and outfit that reception in no time flat!  How wonderful would that be? 

I'm going to be pulling together an outdoor wedding on May 15th here in Georgia. 

Make sure you give us a good head's up so we can start praying for beautiful unusually warm weather…and no rain. 

Your daughter sounds a lot like me in that she doesn't want a lot of fuss, but wants something people will remember. I can relate. That's exactly what I wanted at my reception.

You want something that everyone leaves satisfied with. Maybe think something more along the line of tapas and appetizers instead of a complete meal. Keep the portions small, that way everyone gets a taste (or two!).

I like the idea of the chocolate fountain, and then you could get things like marshmellows, preztels, and cheese. (Fruit is yummy, but it gets pricey, when you need to buy a lot of it.)

For your idea of a shrimp and grits station, maybe consider serving them in a double or triple shot glass, rather than a martini glass.  

Here are some of my ideas for things to serve:

Soup! Since you said it would be chilly, but maybe not freezing.  think about serving little bowls of soup. Maybe you could have two or three different types.

Along the same lines as your shrimp and grits, what if you served chicken & dumplings in the same fashion?

Hummus – A simple bean dip that's easy to make and gives you tons of options to dress it up.

Bruschetta (Here is an example: http://simplyrecipes.com/recip…..nd_basil/)

Caprese Kabobs — Simple and easily tailored to your tastes ( Here is just one idea: http://www.recipezaar.com/Fres…..bs-259427)

Someone mentioned chicken salad I think, and I like that. At my reception, they had these bite-sized pastries (almost like creme puffs without the creme) and they piped them full of the chicken salad mixture. It was a simple little spin on children salad, verses putting it on plain bread.

I'll try to add more if I think of anything else! I hope this helps you out, and good luck! :-)

I got the flowers for my son's wedding in bulk thru the local flower warehouse and it saved me a ton. You can order by the dozen and arrange in cheap vases and just lay on the tables. You don't need to be a professional.

Of course since it is fall, you can go outside and get lots of leaves and branches, even hollies for FREE!

Punch recipe:

Mix fruit juice and Sprite: 2 parts juice, 1 part Sprite. Can use whatever juice "color" that matches her colors.

Make a ring by pressing Sherbert into a Bundt Cake Pan and freeze overnight. Mix juice and Sprite before guests arrive and add ring. Sherbert turns into foam as it melts, very pretty.

If you don't want foam you can make an ice ring with water and fruit (or edible flowers) in the same Bundt pan.

Congratulations to your daughter.