ideas and help with having a redneck/country wedding ?

How redneck/country are we talking? And how many guests? And how small is the budget? When you say country I think of Martha Stewart Country, but when you say redneck I think of camouflage. Very different things!

Wowjunkie is right...there are different meanings! I am also from Wisconsin, and everyone knows we're country here! I personally love the idea of a wedding in a park or state park (very cheap, often free) and the reception under the pavillion. I'm picturing red and white checkered tablecloths (you can get these at the dollar store), mason jars with raffia and/or ribbon around the mouth of the jar, filled with wildflowers for centerpieces. Wicker baskets could hold programs or favors, and you could serve lemonade or iced tea as a signature drink.

Hey I'm from Wisconsin too!

You do want your theme to reflect who you are... you can do small-town, quaint country wedding without giving off the stereotypical vibe that people get when you say "redneck"

I love the wildflowers idea, that would look great.

Do you have any venues picked out yet? Renting the park like Amanda suggested is around $50 in La Crosse, and that is nice because you can do whatever you want for catering. Depending on how many people you are having, your parents or other immediate family members could make food. I'm thinking about the meal and bbq, macaroni salad, and watermelon are coming to mind.

If the park closes before dark or you don't want to dance outside, you could also rent a hall for dancing after the meal

Maybe a simple hand tied bouquet, or some fresh ripe fruit in baskets as centerpieces, or have bales of hay all around for people to sit on or just as decoration.

Im having a country barn wedding. I used nature as my guide for a lot of the decor and mason jars.

One think Im doing you might like is Im putting feed corn in the bottom of a mason jar and then placing two flower heads on top of that. From the mouth of the jar, Im creating a kind of basket out of wire to hang just inside of the jar that will hold a votive candle. These jars can be sat around the barn or (and I love this part) use more wire to create a handle and hang them from rafters or other areas.

watch the wedding prep in mama mia to get a better idea

Http://satnspurs.com/ and http://www.rentonww.com/ are great sites for western/country wedding decor. I'm getting married in my parents back yard on my family farm and we are just going to plant a bunch of flowers around the perimeter of the yard and use a decorated arch for the ceremony. I'm making the burlap hay bag favors with candy in them and our wedding date. Also, we'll have the mason jar center pieces with sand, tall candles and checkered ribbon to match the wedding colors. For food we're roasting a hog the day before and having the caterer serve it. As well as chicken, corn, green beans, parsley potatos & salad.

We were contemplating having a country themed reception for a while, and one of the details we came up with that I loved was to take a canoe (and we have a few of those) propped up on two bails of hay, fill it with ice, and use it as the drink bin! It definitely has that country outdoorsy feel to it, but also serves a purpose. We were going to have barbecue for dinner, and a smores bar. Get some lilac bunches and arrange them in mason jars for centerpieces (Along with dried decorative branches). You can have a lot of fun with this idea!

I can't resist.

Originally from Nebraska, we know country, but we know redneck too.

Redneck has such a stigma. Thus, to me a redneck wedding has to have bunch of loud bikers drinking whiskey and beer. Nothing formal what so ever.

But to me, yeah, country has more diversity to it.

Can certainly be southern country, midwestern country, garden and country.

Can be elegant with a bunch of summer dresses by a nice country lake, etc.

Work your budget to what is most important. Had a bride use some of my similar ideas near NYC-

Find a non-traditional venue, like a camp area. Get official marriage at city hall, but then have friends and family come to camp area where you can drink and possibly bbq or cook out! You still dress up in country gown, etc, country suits and even have a friend do the (unofficial) officiating.

Then you're major budget is liquor, food and camp dues(possibly rent some cabins) and any entertainment you want. The scene is already staged ala, nature.

Marc Burgess