Tasting Troubles

Diary of a Bride to be by Lauren Cooper

I got an email on Friday from the Coordinator at our venue just to check in and see where our plans were.  Because I have all the big things out of the way, I asked if we could go ahead and schedule our tasting before my calendar filled up with fittings and invite stuffing parties.  She obliged and sent me instructions for how to choose our tasting menu.  So Sunday night, FH and I sat down and tried to decided what we wanted to taste.  Sounds simple, really not so much.

When we first started the planning process, FH and I really wanted heavy hors d’oeuvre served throughout the night:  a cocktail style reception.  Unfortunately, this was going to be over our food budget by a considerable amount.  Then our catering coordinator suggested stations which would turn over every hour into something different.  FH loves the idea.  Me, ehhh.  The more I think about it, the more I lean towards traditional sit down.  There’s a formula to weddings, and it works; so why not stick with it and mix it up where we can?  Anyway…

Choosing food is difficult.  FH wanted to try steak and fish to be served table-side, and crab cake.   To which I said “No, what about the people with shellfish allergies, or who don’t like red meat?  Then they’re stuck with fish, which they may not like.”  I know plenty of people who just don’t like seafood in general.  He didn’t like that so much.  After about 20 minutes of back and forth, we settled on tasting the steak, chicken and crab cake.  Keep in mind this isn’t even our final menu…this is what we’re going to taste and decide from there.  I can only imagine how finalizing the menu will be.  Ow, my head.

Make Their Day!

Manic Mondays By Lauren Cooper

What A Guest Wants

So you’ve got a pretty good handle on what you want your wedding to be like…but what about what your guests want?

Knock Martha Stewart’s hostess socks off with these tips to make your wedding memorable for  you and those who share it with you.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry: Attend to your guests basic needs and make sure your caterer provides something for everyone.  Vegetarians and food allergy sufferers will appreciate the gesture if they get to partake in the meal, and not have to worry about where the closest Hummus House is.  And yes, it’s the more expensive option, but  no one ever complains about an open bar, so stock up!  (It’s also more polite, after all, weddings aren’t always inexpensive for the guests either)

Hostess with the Mostess: Make your guests feel welcome with a nice care package waiting in their rooms.  Include things like a welcome or thank you note, bottles of water, a map, a list of activities or restaurants in the area, and snacks for the weary traveler.

Social Planner: If you have a long gap in between your ceremony and cocktail hour, make sure your guests are entertained.  (We don’t want Aunt Millie getting sloshed before the big party) Provide some pre-cocktail dancing from the DJ or  a pre-cocktail hour reception at the hotel.  Be sure to include in your invitations or welcome packages directions to the ceremony and reception site and let them know if they’ll be shuttled back to the hotel afterwards.