Wedding Reception Issues!!

[Cluey]

Originally posted by Munchkin03
I seriously wouldn't stress about this, especially if you're not even engaged.

By the time you actually start planning--IF you actually start planning, your tastes and desires could be different.

And NO NO NO HAYLE NO to the cash bar. If you're going to do that, why don't you just have "Dueling Banjos" as your first dance?

I completely agree with what Munchkin said, especially on stressing about a reception before you actually engaged. THat's putting the cart before the horse, in my opinion

[StumpsGirl]

Has anyone else had a recception issues about food, music, or traditions? What kind of compromises did you make?

My cousin married a woman who is Hispanic....(They even speak Spanish at home so you can imagine how different that would be to an English speaking southern man.!!)

They had a very nice buffet type setting and on one table they had lots of american goodies and on the other table there was lots of spanish food. Then there was a third table with all the cakes and "regular" wedding food. What was so interesting was we got to not only enjoy their wedding but we got to really experience her culture and her background as well. Not only did we meet her family but we met her family's culture also....


-MLK

[AGDee]

My Yankee Italian heathen brother (who everybody was convinced MUST be in the mafia) married a native Southern Belle from North Carolina in North Carolina. They faced similar issues. They had an outdoor wedding with a pastor. The reception was at a country club and there was no alcohol until after dinner. Those who objected to alcohol and dancing were able to enjoy the dinner and left when the D.J. started playing his music. They had a champagne fountain, wine, and beer, no hard liquor. I think it worked out fine for all of us.

My brother couldn't have NOT had wine at his wedding because my Italian grandfather made us each a vat of wine for our wedding day when we were born. We had to have our nonno's wine at our weddings.

Dee

[winneythepooh7]

Originally posted by AGDee
My Yankee Italian heathen brother (who everybody was convinced MUST be in the mafia) married a native Southern Belle from North Carolina in North Carolina. They faced similar issues. They had an outdoor wedding with a pastor. The reception was at a country club and there was no alcohol until after dinner. Those who objected to alcohol and dancing were able to enjoy the dinner and left when the D.J. started playing his music. They had a champagne fountain, wine, and beer, no hard liquor. I think it worked out fine for all of us.

My brother couldn't have NOT had wine at his wedding because my Italian grandfather made us each a vat of wine for our wedding day when we were born. We had to have our nonno's wine at our weddings.

Dee

I love your post! Especially the term "Yankee Italian heathen brother".

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by LeslieAGD
I didn't want to start a new thread since this is a similar topic. My boyfriend and I aren't engaged (yet) but we have talked about getting married in the future.

Anyway, our families are VERY culturally different. Has anyone else had a recception issues about food, music, or traditions? What kind of compromises did you make?

The friend who got married 2 weeks ago is Polish. Her husband is Portugese.
All night the 2 families were bitching about the music. There wasn't enough Polish music, yadda, yadda, yadda...there wasn't enough Portugese music, yadda, yadda, yadda. And since there was only one bridesmaid, she couldn't stop all the bitching. It eventually got back to the bride and she was so upset.
Which is why I say have enough bridemaids ao they can be an adequate buffer between you and your bitchy guests (because there definitely will be some)

[valkyrie]

Originally posted by BrownEyedGirl
These bitchy wedding guests need to get a freakin' clue. Did they miss the memo that they are "guests"??

They are at YOUR party thanks to YOUR cordial invitation and YOUR kind offer of food, drinks, dancing, and the privilege of witnessing such a wonderful occasion in your lives.

Seriously. The bitching can be taken right out the back door, into the parking lot, and back home where it came from.

Oh thank you! That really needed to be said.

I've never understood the whole hang up with trying to make everyone happy at a wedding. You know what? It's your wedding and it's your decision, and everyone can either like it or shut up -- seriously. The purpose of a wedding isn't to kiss everyone's butt -- it's supposed to be a day for and about the couple getting married.

[sororitygirl2]

Originally posted by valkyrie
Oh thank you! That really needed to be said.

I've never understood the whole hang up with trying to make everyone happy at a wedding. You know what? It's your wedding and it's your decision, and everyone can either like it or shut up -- seriously. The purpose of a wedding isn't to kiss everyone's butt -- it's supposed to be a day for and about the couple getting married.

Totally agreed. It is your day. Make it what you want. End of story.

[winneythepooh7]

"bitchy guests" should be taken right off the guest list. that stuff annoys me, like everyone else was saying, is it their wedding or the bride and groom's? with my sarcastic personality i would probably go out of my way to do outrageous stuff to piss these people off if i was faced with this situation heh heh heh

[kateshort]

One other thing that you might want to look into, if your reception isn't at a hotel--

Some hotels have agreements with local reception halls where you can get a hotel van to do one hour of drop-off service at the beginning of the reception, and one hour of pick-up service at the end of the reception.

We had a lot of out-of-town guests who were younger and were sharing cars and didn't know the area well. So it was really nice for them to be able to have something to drink (most of them didn't get blasted, but they definitely had alcohol), and didn't have to worry about being too drunk or too lost to find their way back to the hotel, or trying to drive in 3" heels.

All of the guests who were ~22-26 who took advantage of the van really were appreciative of it. You may have some who would take advantage of the van service and would get totally blasted if you had an open bar all night, but if you have just wine with dinner or a wine/beer/champagne bar you can limit the extent to which they get plastered.