[Zipporah Sandler – Ambassador]

In 9 weeks, 3 days, and 11 hours I will be the mother of a newly married son. I thought my job would be easy….all I have to do is help with the guest list, buy a dress (hubby will get a suit at the store that the kids have chosen to do their groomsmen) and throw the rehearsal dinner.

How much could that cost?

I asked the bride to be how many were in the wedding party and considered where the bridal party and out of town guests would be staying. Throwing a party in the backyard was just not an option, as the kids just bought a house & have a small yard and I live over 2 hours away. It’s just not practical (most of the wedding party will be attending from out of town & not have transportation).

50 guests

Holy cow! When she told me that the wedding party was 38 (including parents) and I figured a few out of town guests who were not marching down the aisle…it came to 50 people. That’s a SMALL WEDDING.

The search begins

I’ve looked at a VERY casual chain restaurant to reduce the costs, I’ve also looked at private rooms in a nice restaurant or at the hotel. I do NOT want to spend $5,000. Did I mention that there will be a RUGBY TEAM attending (yes, they are groomsmen)? Adding alcohol to the menu makes it even crazier.

I’m looking for ideas on keeping the costs down

Have you given a party for 50 including wine and beer (I’ll let them have a cash bar for anything else) with a budget? I definitely need help.

[Stacey Daprile – Ambassador]

Oh wow! That is a huge wedding party. I have definitely hosted 50+, but I have always been able to host at my home which really helps keep the cost down. Just a thought – Have you thought of AirBnB? I have rented homes and hosted parties in rented homes before. Of course I completely OKd this with the home owner! My daughter graduated from college last year and I rented a five bedroom home with a great yard for the weekend. We had a wonderful graduation brunch for 30+ people. It was pouring cats and dogs, but if not – we could have hosted many more in the great yard that house had. Something like this would work wonders for a barbecue.

[Kayla Buell – Ambassador]

Wow! That definitely sounds a little stressful. I got married a little over a year ago and we kept our rehearsal dinner to only out of town guests and immediate family. I think we had about 30 people total… don’t think it was more than that. We did host it at a restaurant with a fixed price per person for a 4 course meal, but one of the things we did to keep the alcohol cost at a minimum was that we ordered a bottle of wine per table. That’s all the alcohol we provided. If people wanted to continue drinking, that was fine, but it had to be on their own tab. I think if you provide food, most people will understand about either bringing their own alcohol or paying for their own. Hope that helps a little! Best of luck to you!

[Antoinette Minor – Ambassador]

Have you checked into restaurants that serve family style? Although it wasn’t a wedding party I hosted a party at Maggiano’s for 20. Guests were responsible for their own alcohol at the bar and dinner was $30 per person. We were able to order as much as we wished since there was no limit on how much we could have once we decided on our choices. No extra fees and only the tip added to the bill. We also brought our own cake even though the fixed menu served dessert. I hope this helps 🙂