| Q: I am having my reception at a private home. I think we have figured out the parking, but I am afraid that my guests’ cars won’t be safe. What should we do?
A: You will probably want to arrange for parking security for your guests’ cars. First, call the police and find out if there are any local ordinances pertaining to the area. You wouldn’t want your guests’ cars to be ticketed, or even worse, towed away! You may want to hire security guards, or valet parking attendants. When hiring parking security make sure the company is fully licensed and insured. Ensure that there are enough guards to patrol the area in which your guests will be parking. When hiring a valet service, again make sure they are licensed and insured, and also ask that the attendants be properly attired, and courteous. It is far better to have experienced attendants from a reputable company, than to hire a few teens from the neighborhood. Best Regards,
Andi
Q: My daughter is getting married. We are attempting to whittle down the number of people we invite to about 250. How many guests should we invite to reach our target number? As we looked over who we'd like to invite to the wedding it is well over the number. Do you have any suggestions to help us decide who to eliminate from the guest list? Our caterer/reception hall wants the number a month in advance for our pricing. A friend had a wedding with an "A" and a "B" list, so when someone RSVP'd with regrets they invited another guest from the "B" list. With such an early date with the caterer even that would be difficult for us to do.
A: First off you need to divide the number of guests between the two families. This is the fair thing to do. A proper wedding can consist of only the most important people, or it can include an entire nation lining the streets! You need to make sure the people who legitimately expect to be invited are invited, and not hurt. Of course, immediate family will be invited. Perhaps keep it at that, and just your very close friends. Make a joint decision between the two families about inviting children, business acquaintances, distant relatives, (3rd and 4th cousins, great Aunt Rosie) etc.
I am not sure of your entire situation, but could this issue be resolved by cutting the menu and the frills . . . not the guests? Could you set the time of the reception away from mealtime, and just serve cake and punch? Could you trim down the menu to include only hor’douerves and a champagne toast?
The guest list is a very hard thing to whittle down. Of course you want to share this day with everyone you know! The “A” and “B” list is also a good idea, although it would be difficult. Try to get your RSVP’s back as quickly as possible. If the number of nearby guests who have not replied is significant, to be on the safe side, assume that 50% of them will attend. If you are really in a pinch, it is alright to call these guests a week or two before the wedding.
Best Regards,
Andi
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