 
Plan on serving more than just one celebratory meal
By Bev Bennett, Tribune Media Services
It’s unlikely all your family and friends live in the town where you’re getting married, so attending your wedding often becomes a weekend — not just a one-day event — for your guests.
You may have to arrange an extra lunch, brunch or dinner along with your actual wedding celebration. Knowing your budget, resources and energy level will help you get through this festive whirlwind.
The weekend gala usually starts with the bridesmaids’ lunch.
“The bride usually has guests coming from out of town, so the lunch is often held Friday,” said Kim Shaw of Triple Crown Caterers in Charlotte, N.C.
Most often, the bride or someone in her family invites guests to a home for the meal.
“Usually, the menu is food such as chicken salad on a lettuce leaf and champagne,” Shaw said.
Some hosts prefer to cook, especially if the guest list is small. Others would rather buy food from an upscale carryout restaurant.
Brides or other members of the immediate wedding party should avoid doing the food preparation because it’s so distracting, said Shaw, who recommends hiring a caterer instead.
Even for those hosts who have everything under control, Shaw advises bringing in someone to serve and clean up. No one wants to be stuck loading the dishwasher and missing all the fun.
Big rehearsal dinner
The rehearsal dinner often is the next dining occasion. This meal, which used to be a gathering of the wedding party and the parents, is anything but intimate now.
"It includes dates and out-of-town guests who can’t entertain themselves at their own expense the night before the wedding,” Shaw said.
“Before you know it, the rehearsal dinner gets out of hand and is almost as big as the wedding itself. I’ve done rehearsal dinners for 100, when the wedding is only 150 [guests],” Shaw said.
Traditionally, a good friend or relative volunteers to host the rehearsal dinner. However, as the guest list expands, offers of help shrink, said Joyce Scardina Becker, president of Events of Distinction in San Francisco.
“You, as a wedding couple, aren’t going to search for someone to give the dinner. You have to have someone give this to you,” Becker said.
As an alternative, you can book a private dining room in a restaurant or in a facility using a caterer. If you do so, select a menu that differs from what you’re serving as part of the wedding, Shaw said.
“I like to see a completely different tone. If the wedding is formal, the rehearsal dinner should be an informal meal, such as a barbecue, so the events don’t duplicate each other,” she said.
If you think your guests will be too excited to eat before the wedding, dream on.
Next meal: the pre-wedding brunch.
For the bride and her attendants, a light meal of coffee, tea, fruit and rolls from a hotel’s room service often suffices.
“This is a chance for the women to bond,” Becker said. “The men usually go out for brunch, and then dress together.”
Most weddings end too late in the evening for the guests to catch a flight home. That’s why the post-wedding brunch is so popular.
“It’s a great way to say good-bye before the flight,” Becker said.
“Many times the family will have the brunch at the hotel where the wedding was held or where the guests are staying,” she said. “Often, the wedding couple or their families pay for this meal. It’s very casual.”
top of page | home |
