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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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