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gimmick

Mods, is it possible to have a thread where perople can just drop in to ask a question (which does not really warrant its own thread) regarding their upcoming nuptuals/engagement rather than starting a new thread?

For example, I want to ask how much flowers would be to kit out the church and reception? We will have 140 guest max. or am I asking how long is a piece of string?

If you do not want to, let this one fade away.

ta

Toots

Kinda asking how long is a piece of string tbh When I was planning my own wedding I ended up ringing around several local florists to see what I could expect cost wise.

It depends on what you want for the church, I think my pedestal arrangements were €120 each, they were very large and put at the back of the altar. We had a flower arrangement for our unity candles which was about €80, two smaller pedestals in the church porches which were €85 each. We also had flowers on the back of the B&G chairs at church, they were €20 each.

I'm assuming you'll also be wanting bouquets, buttonholes and corsages? My bouquet was €100, bridesmaids (x3) were €60 I think, buttonholes were €15 each (x7) and corsages for the mums were €20 each.

We didn't get flowers for the hotel because they were provided in our package, so it'd be worth checking out in your hotel if they have an offer like this.

Whispered

My bouquet, buttonholes etc were a gift (and were absolutely stunning). I wasn't too pushed about the church flowers as the church is gorgeous anyway so I just asked for a certain colour and said the florist could do what she liked within that. My church flowers cost only €100 for two large altar arrangements and my candle arrangement, I assume because she used whatever was easily available to her at the time. They were very pretty and I was very happy with them.

OP you can really do your flowers for whatever budget you decide on. There are so so many options. Don't rule anything out.

(we also did the "do whatever you like" for the church music and it worked out to be very quaint and memorable and again saved us a fortune)

magneticimpulse

Cut whatever corners you can to save money. Ireland is completely bankrupt and the more you have in your own pocket the better!!! You want a happy future with your loved one right??? Well marriage is not a sprit to the alter!! So dont put all your eggs in the one basket it and blow it on 1 day!!!

You have your whole future to think about. So cut costs on the big day and save it...as the next 4 years in Ireland are going to be turmoil when it gets the big fat ECB-IMF Cheque

iguana

Ok magneticimpulse, while what you are saying is factual it's also off topic. Anymore off-topic economy posts will result in a 7 day ban. Please wait until someone posts a question relevant to weddings and finance to post this type of comment. Or alternatively feel free to start you own thread on this subject.

gimmick

Don't want to start a new thread, so will resurrect this dead one!

Looking at "arrival" and "afters" food at the moment. TBH, it seems like a really big expense for nothing. Been to 2 weddings in the last few weeks, and while both places had both, very little was actually eaten it seems.

Our venue is meant to do an amazing meal, so I question the need for afters food, and don't people generally go get a bite to eat between church and venue?

UGH.

clint_silver

gimmick wrote: »

Don't want to start a new thread, so will resurrect this dead one!

Looking at "arrival" and "afters" food at the moment. TBH, it seems like a really big expense for nothing. Been to 2 weddings in the last few weeks, and while both places had both, very little was actually eaten it seems.

Our venue is meant to do an amazing meal, so I question the need for afters food, and don't people generally go get a bite to eat between church and venue?

UGH.

I was at a wedding last year, lovely well known venue in cork, had nothing since breakfast, 150 guests, went to church, got to hotel at about 3ish, no arrival food but cups of tea. sat for dinner at 5:30, started eating at 6. By 3:30 it was being remarked by several guests they were starving, by 4pm , the bar had run out of crisps.
dinner was lovely but all I can remember about the day is how hungry I was by the time the dinner came around and it was genuinely unpleasant. anything at all to tide the hunger would have been ok. If youre not going to have arrivals food, let people know so they can get something.

Ask the hotel what they do for sandwiches, my work has me at wedding 3 times a week. i could list the venues where no afters food gets eaten and where its always eaten. Where its not eaten, youll see plates of mayonnaise and egg sandwiches going back, other venues youll see empty plates where chicken nuggety things and sausages came out. generally I see much older people tend not to eat too much.

If you have 100 people maybe only get food for 60. There are people who do get hungry in the evening.

silly

Hey there,

I'm getting married next week (eek) and I asked our hotel about canapés on arrival... Now she could have said "oh yes that'll be extra please" she said most people stop in at the local town for a drink and they generally have something to eat there, or they might have a sandwich between 2 people, so I'm just getting 2 ferrero trees made up so people can nibble on them when they arrive at the hotel.

For the afters food, I personally never eat the afters food, I usually don't realise it's even there, but we will have a good few aunts and uncles who I know will love a sandwich, a bit of cake and a cuppa in the evening. It is included in our package, but I would def get it even if it wasn't included. I think if you don't want to do both, just have something for the arrival and then just your cake with tea in the evening.

FluffyKitten

Its a long stretch between breakfast and the meal so its polite to have food on arrival. Most people want something between the ceremony and meal and bar food is too much if you're going to sit down to a 4 or 5 course dinner a couple of hours later.
Evening food seems to be the norm, and particularly the older guests like a cup of tea & sandwich.

clint_silver

one thing Id say on the evening food is when people don't know its there when its buffet ie, on a table in the corner and not served on plates to tables. Its roughly 50/50 hotels that do buffet/table servings.

The band/dj should make it their business to announce where the buffet table is when the evening food is served. youve paid for it, it would be a shame if noone knows that its there.

Moonbeam

I told the hotel that their price must include arrival food and decent evening food.
I am always starving for both!!
I think the evening food is very important as people have being drinking, for hours.
The arrival food depends on how far people need to travel and the time between your ceremony and dinner.

Acoshla

Was at a wedding recently where they had a newly popular candy table on arrival and Ferrero Rocher trees. Everyone was delighted, a few fistfuls of the sweets kept everyone going until dinner at 6. Cupcake towers are also popular, small sweet thing to keep guests happy with their cup of tea and take the edge off for a while.

kandr10

It depends on the time of your wedding. If it is the traditional style one and there's a big gap a sandwich or something would be nice for people. I'd go for that over evening food. I think for evening food 50% would be enough. As most said, it's prob gonna be the oldies having a hang sangwidge and cup of tea. Be appreciated more in the afternoon I reckon.

HairMonster

Its definitely a nice touch to have something on arrival. If you eat at 12.30 before the ceremony, 6pm is a long time away.
Plus its a long wait for guests between the ceremony and meal so its nice to have something for the ones who don't head straight for the bar. It might even encourage people to go straight to the hotel instead of to a pub for a few drinks... I was at a wedding where the grooms family did this and were almost an hour late for the reception, it held up the whole thing because one of them was at the top table. (I know what I'd have done )

Food in the evening is also expected by the older generation, but I always see lots left over so try and reduce this if the hotel will let you - 50% as kandr10 suggests is plenty. I'm not sure if all hotels would let you request less than the meals though?

sweetie

Personally I think its noticed if you skip the arrival food. I would choose it over the afters food. Why not get the hotel to put out some cake (or cupcakes) with tea and coffee instead of the usual afters food? Surely most people dont ever eat that late at night at home or that early if they are having a few drinks.

Gatica

We're having canapes on arrival with tea/coffee and sparkling wine. I can't imagine leaving that out as I want to get as long a day out of the wedding as possible and that means feeding the people who'll be there.
We're having a civil ceremony at the venue, so the snacks will keep people chatting and milling around (I hope) and keep hunger at bay til dinner.
I think most hotels allow you to have evening food for 50-75% of your wedding party. I'd like to go for 75% simply cos a lot of them are friends and I'm sure they're likely to stay up late, unlike the older aunts and uncles. I'm hoping to get something more than sausages and sandwiches for it though, maybe spring rolls, pakoras and goujons.
I've been to lots of weddings where there was a long wait between ceremony and dinner, it was never a problem when we got to hang out somewhere like in town til the dinner, and just got a bit of light lunch. However when it's out in the middle of nowhere, you'd end up leaving your guests bored and starving.

Nead21

I have a question...

Anyone know where you can buy a garment bag for a wedding dress? I know you can buy them online, but i'd rather have a look at it in person before I purchase.

gimmick

With regards to inviting work colleagues. I work ina small office (7) and i get on very well with 3, 1 I do not like at all and 2 who are so quiet I forget they are here most of the time. I am doing a work invite, but here is the thing - as our numbers have somewhat spiralled I think I can either just invite the 3 I get aliong with really well, or invite all with no +1.

I am unsure what to do, but would veer toward the latter. Their +1s can come to the afters. TBH, If my missus was invited to a colleagues' wedding, I would be glad if this was the case.

I would rather not do an afters for all as 2 of the girls here especially have been really helpful for me in everything so far.

Anyone encountered this on either side of the invite??

kennyb3

Anybody used the classic car company? (here) Any feedback?

Lord Trollington

I have an engagement ring question.

If an Engagment Ring is priced at 3/4k, how much should i try to bargain them down to?

or what percentage of price should i try get off?

LeeHoffmann

gimmick, could you not invite the 1 you don't get on with and the 2 quiet people to the afters and invite the 3 you like (with/without +1's) to the whole thing?

gimmick

^ If it were a bigger office then yes. But as it is so small it has to be one rule for all so as not to cause any issues IMO. I see what you are saying, but I do not think I could do that. It would be easier to invite none!!!

Let the politics begin :rolleyes: