Wedding Forum - In need of opinions...

Hi All,

We have found a venue that we like however i have tried to negotiate cost with them to try to get it closer to the budget. She has suggested a few things so it would be great to here your views.

I wanted to see what you ideas were or opinions as such on the following:

1. Would you order a Gateaux with the buffet or would you cut up part of your wedding cake to serve?
2. What is you opinion on having coffee/tea and after dinner mints after the wedding breakfast?
3. What would you order drinks wise - arrival, with the meal and toast?
4. How many of your evening guests would you cater for? Percentage wise?

Any help would be great. Thank you!

I'd not bother with the gateaux and use your cake. That saves a bit.

As for tea and coffee, it depends on your guest. I arranged it for everyone but hardly any took up on it. Only a few of the older guests. We had tables of ten and I had a bottle of white and red put on the table, then they had one glass of bubbly for the toast. I did not have any other drinks for the guests.

1. I will use only the wedding cake to cut down some costs
2. I would like the coffee/tea cause i know my family would enjoy it. But still not sure (won't break because of this)
3. well, I'm thinking about bucks fizz, a glass of wine and sparkling wine
4. Between 60/70% because we're not adding loads of evening guests

1. We're having a 3 course sit-down so we're having dessert. If we were having a buffet though, I'd definitely serve the wedding cake as dessert.
2. I'm not paying extra for people to have tea and coffee. Only about a quarter of the people there are likely to want it anyway, but they'd still charge £1.75 per head for people to decline. If people really want it they can order it and pay for it.
3. We're going to ask for cider/apple juice for non-drinkers and kids as our arrival drink, because it was the first drink we had together on our first date. Not sure whether to do 2 glasses or 1 glass of wine per person with the meal, but will probably just do a bottle of white and a bottle of red per table of 8. There's 4 medium (175ml) glasses per bottle so we'll work it out like that at £14.99 per bottle. We're then having sparkling wine for the toast - I genuinely don't think 90% of people can really tell the difference between that and champagne. And after 2 ciders and a glass or 2 of wine I don't think they will care.
4. We got a tip from another venue (not the one we picked) to only cater for about 70 - 75% as otherwise we'd find we had a load of food leftover.

1. We are having a dessert from the menu and then cutting our cake in the evening so that the evening guests can see it and also have some. If you were to cut up your own cake and serve it for dessert they might charge you for this anyway? I know our venue would charge a fee if we were to do this.

2. I like the idea of having tea and coffee after the wedding breakfast, BUT it's not completely necessary if you don't want to have it. If there is a bar in the venue then maybe people could buy their own teas and coffees if they want them.

3. We're doing arrival drinks, wine on the tables and one glass of bubbly per guest for the toast.

4. I'd cater for about 80% of guests in the evening.

1. We are having desert with our menu and I want my cake to be cut in the evening and this will be served along side my evening buffet so all my guests can see the cake.

2. Our meal incudes tea and coffee and I like to have tea and coffee served as I have quiet a few older guests attending and I know they enjoy tea or coffee after their meal.

3. We are having arrival drinks and canapés, 1 glass of prosecco for the toast's, wine for the table and its half a bottle per person.

4. Our venue are dealing with the catering so I don't need to get involved with that.

We are having a 3 course meal & cutting our cake later so the guests can have some.
Our package includes teas,coffees & chocolate truffles personally if it wasn't included I wouldn't have it to be honest.
We are having arrival drinks pims, Buck's Fizz & orange juice, & also having canapés as they were included in package too.

I'm exactly the same as Donna!

Serve cake,
Don't bother with teas/coffees, there's a bar,
Arrival drink, glass of wine and bubbles to toast,
We have to cater for 90%

1. We just served our wedding cake as the evening buffet dessert. Forget the gateaux.
2. Personally I wouldn't miss the tea coffee and mints, some might but I'm not fussed.
3. We had bubbly, pimms and orange juice on arrival (2 glasses per head), then half a bottle of wine per guest and water during the wedding breakfast with one glass of bubbly each for toasting during speeches.
4. We catered for 75% of all guests for the evening buffet.

Oh yer we also provided water and orange juice on the tables :)

1. We're having an evening buffet and we'll be cutting the wedding cake and putting it on there (I will be asking them to keep some for us though :P)
2. We're having a sit down meal with the last course being tea/coffee and chocolate truffles. I think tea/coffee is a nice touch and gives everyone a chance to talk and relax before the evening begins but I wouldn't bother me if there wasn't any.
3.we have a drinks package which includes champagne for the drinks reception, champagne or spirit for the toast and wine with the meal
4.our venue requires us to cater for 100% of evening guests, if you don't have a restriction on how many to cater for then I would cater for 60/70% as not everyone will eat at night after a big meal if you're having one

I agree with everyone. Serve wedding cake instead of gateaux, no tea and coffee as most will be on booze, cater for about 70% for evening