[SOINLOVE]

Last night my fiance and I wrote out a list of all of the people we would like to have at our wedding. The total came up to be 258 guests. When we were first talking about this wedding, our idea was for it to be in the evening and extremely formal. When discussing the "food plan," we decided that we would like to have a sit down dinner instead of a buffet. We are not definite on this number of guests... some may not even end up invited. We would just rather plan for too much rather than too little, you know? Is there any way to do this that won't cost us way too much??

[Wedding Queen and MOG]

If you have your heart set on a sit down dinner vs. buffet select a chicken dish rather than a more expensive shrimp, lobster or beef dinner.

Select an "off season" date such as a Sunday in November rather than a Saturday evening in June. Really, any time but Saturday night should save you some money.

If having an open bar, limit it to just the cocktail hour and then serve only wine and beer, or serve only wine and beer for the entire event. This not only cuts down on cost but keeps guests from getting intoxicated.

Lastly, really consider paring down that huge guest list!

[SOINLOVE]

Thanks for your advice!! We were considering chicken already b/c everyone loves chicken! [] How do you come up with a menu for the food selection? Or does the person catering your reception pick what will be given to the guests?

Is a Friday in July and "off season" date? We'd like to have the wedding on Saturday, but if it will save us money, we wouldn't mind having it on a Friday instead. How much would this affect the cost?

As far as drinks go, we were planning on having wine and champagne. Should there be more? What if some of the guests won't drink either? Should we have some punch as well?

Any suggestions as to how we can cut down the list w/o hurting anyone's feelings??

Thanks again for your help!!! []

[Wedding Queen and MOG]

Your caterer will present you with some choices. As soon as you decide on your reception venue/caterer please make an appointment to discuss all of these details. Savings on off days can vary with each service provider.

In regard to the drinks served, you should select according to your taste and budget. Again, discuss the options with your caterer.

[Nancy Tucker]

If you are planning to get married next July, you most likely won't find a venue available for Friday or Saturday nights. Venues book up 12-18 months in advance. Friday night is not off season in July for most sites. It's time to get out there and start making some commitments to your July '05 wedding. Some venues don't give you options on who can cater. You can't do anything until you've set your ceremony and reception sites.

[The Mannersmith]

Dear So In Love,

The most important point here is to have your budget worked out in advance. Once you have your budget, you can best plan your guest list and your meals.

All the best,