When Karen came into the office last Monday, she asked how my weekend was, and I told her my weekend was lovely. Stupidly (and uncharacteristically, I might add), I failed to ask her the same question, but to my utter delight, she told me how her weekend was anyway. Her news blew me away! I immediately started thinking about the perfect personalized wedding favors for her long-awaited day. But I digress.
If you read our last blog post, you already know that Karen, who’s waited four years for this, is engaged! How lucky can two wedding bloggers get?! For the next few months, she’ll update you on the wedding details, and I get to update you on all the behind-the-scenes tidbits. Ready? Here we go!
They’ve Only Just Begun…
Because Karen has a lot of other stuff going on in her life over the next several days, she’s not hot and heavy into the planning. I know she’s been making a list of potential venues, and the only other thing Karen and her incredibly lucky finance have barely discussed is the guest list. Both are extremely active in their respective churches and communities, so they know a lot of people. In fact, just for grins, Karen quickly listed potential guests, and at last count, she was at 250–and that’s just her family and friends!
Her groom was thinking out loud that he wanted to invite his fellow singers in his church choir–that’s 100 people right off the bat! And he was just getting started! He hadn’t even counted his family, friends and others to whom he’s socially or organizationally connected.
As the number neared the 500 mark, Karen grabbed her calculator, let her fingers dance on the keys for a few seconds, then looked at the man of her dreams and said, “At even only $40 per person, that’s $20,000 just for the catering!” They both agreed this topic required a lot more thought.
Deals on Meals?
As you would expect, the per-person cost for catering depends on the time and style of your event. A morning brunch or afternoon lunch will be less expensive than a seated dinner on a Saturday night, which can run you from $60 to $100 per person, and that doesn’t include the alcohol if you have an open bar. A buffet is less costly than a seated dinner, with heavy hors d’oeuvres a low-cost option–unless you go with cookies and Kool-Aid. Clearly, Karen and her fiance have a lot more thinking to do–and I’m sitting in the back seat, going along for the ride! Don’t worry! You’re coming, too!
Personally, I am sooooo happy and excited for Karen, I can’t even put it into words! Congratulations, my friend! Let the fun begin!
