Wedding Planning Q and A
Jenn Hallak, owner and editor of The Overwhelmed Bride, began coordinating weddings six years ago and immediately fell in love with the industry. From coordinating, to opening new wedding properties, to her position as Catering Director, consulting for wedding venues, and finally marrying her prince charming in June of 2013, this woman has experienced every angle of the industry.We have asked her to help answer some wedding planning questions directly asked from brides themselves.
Q: How do you keep a buffet style meal for a 150 people served in an hour?
A: You will have no problem getting 150 guests served within an hour and will have plenty of time for seconds. I've seen double and even triple the guests go through a buffet line within an hour so you are good to go! A couple of recommendations that may help:
- Have your DJ or MC dismiss tables. Generally you will start with the wedding party and family first but the order is completely up to what you and your fiancé choose! This helps the buffet line to run smoothly and ensures guests aren't standing in line for their food…no one wants to do that!
- Instead of one large buffet table, set up buffet stations or a two-sided buffet! You can have the salads at one station, sides at another, and meats at a third station, for example. This allows guests to walk freely throughout the reception and allows more guests to be getting their food all at once!
Regardless of whether you decide to split it up or keep one long buffet line, your caterer will help ensure all guests are fed and full.
Q: What do you do when you don't want children at your wedding and the MOG won't listen/doesn't care and insists on the nieces and nephew being there?
A: First of all, if she is helping to pay for the wedding then you may not be able to do anything about this. I know that this is always a tough one when the parents are paying but at some point, you may have to give in in some instances if she is paying for the wedding.
If not, then here is what I would tell her:
Kids cost money too! Yes, they need to be fed, they need a chair, a table to sit at, a favor, etc. and all of that definitely adds up to far more than just the kids meal cost. I would explain to her that the two of you have decided against all children in order to make everything work within your budget.
This is generally the top reason for not inviting kids. However, if there is another reason you have for not inviting them, then I would just explain that to her! You and your fiancé should sit down with her and clearly explain why you have decided against having kids at the wedding and she should respect that because it is YOUR wedding day!
With Love,