The imaginatively-named Wedding Quiche

[TobyLerone]

Come one, come all.

Getting married? Come and tell us about it so you don't have to go on the scary Bridezilla forums.

Wedding-whore? Come and relive the best day of your life.

Wedding-voyeur? Bugger off, you freak! Get your fix here.

Where can you find a temp agency that would cover weddings?

Temp agencies will have people to do all sorts of things. They're specifically for short-term jobs and even one-off events.

There are often specific catering/hospitality agencies. But if there aren't any near you, just contact a standard agency and ask.

But temp agencies charge £12-15ph, my wedding is 12 hours long!

I need someone to set up the tables and food whilst we're at the church (12pm), then to clear away tables and bring out buffet food and drink (6pm) and then tidy away at the end (12am). What do other people do who don't have caterers, but have a catering van?

Stressing over the guest list. We have a list of around 90 people but if only 50 RSVP or turn up the big hall will look empty. At the same time I don't want lots of random acquaintances there just to make up numbers.

I've calculated and I can cater for 100 guests including a big dessert table for £100. My student photographer is charging £100 for the whole day & evening and my DJ & Karaoke is costing £100. I really want a VW Camper but that will cost £325 or £605 with a classic bug for DP and his best man too

Weddings are expensive!

Do lots of research, Scheherezade. You might find another solution. Personally, I'd rather pay people and know things are being done properly, than bung some neighbourhood kids £20 each to drop things on the floor and piss about in the kitchen. We're paying £200 ish for staff, I think, and that's at mates' rates.

Ellargh, you can cater for 100 people for £1 a head?!

£1 a head?!

I'm doing fish and chips and ice cream vans for £7.50 and I thought that was cheap! Then drinks, then nibbles and mountains loads of alcohol in the evening.

Yep! By making the sandwich fillings at home, buying mini pasties and quiches from Asda, big gateaux s from Iceland for £3, bread rolls with individual butter packs, making a big pasta salad and coleslaw from scratch etc. There's plenty for more than 100 (I did it for my friends surprise anniversary party) and by sprucing up with presentation people think its much more expensive than it was. The most expensive part is the meat but my butcher is doing me a chicken, a turkey, ham and beef for £30. I give myself a £30 excess but I have done it for £100.

I don't count the cupcakes, pick'n'mix in that though. This is just the cold buffet.

I am so very admiring of the £1 a head!!! We thought we were doing well on £21 - though that is for 3 courses sit down meal, and I still think that was pretty good...

So my new issue is that I found out at the weekend that (all being well) both head bridesmaid and wife of the best man will have around 6 week old babies at the wedding - first DC for both of them. Which has put me into a panic as I don't think the venue is terribly baby friendly - lots of space for the older children to run around, but no baby changing (it's a barn!) and no separate quiet space for feeding or anything. I don't have children, can I ask those of you that do if this would be a problem for you? I would hate it if they came and had an awful time :(

Hi stan :)

That wouldn't be a problem for me at all, but then I am of the 'change the baby on a mat on the floor' school. BFing can be done easily and discreetly anywhere, without anyone noticing, but if I really had a problem with doing it in the same room, I'd happily sit in the car and feed the baby. I took DD to a wedding when she was 4 weeks old and it was absolutely fine.

That said, though, it might be an issue for some people. Why don't you ask them? Perhaps they could come up with some ideas. You have time to think about it. But I'm sure neither of them will expect you to go to a lot of trouble.

When DS was that age I just needed a chair to sit and feed :) babies are easier that age than say 1 year old as they can just sleep in their car seat or a basket anywhere.

Had my backpayment come in, so all in I have 6k for the wedding. Need to start budgeting.

Are you providing drinks, Scheherezade? I only ask because we MASSIVELY underbudgeted for those and the final bill (I did the beer, cider, soft drinks and mixers order yesterday) has come in at £1k

We aren't having a bar, but instead are providing loads of Prosecco, wine, beer, cider and soft drinks and have told people to bring their favourite spirit if they want to.

Wow that is a lot! We can't sell drinks (I.e. have a bar) as its not allowed in our t&c of hall hire. I was going to get a load of cheap booze from Costco.

DP just doing finishing touches to the invites, it makes the day look really long, 11-10, but the alternative was 3pm wedding which I don't want...

We bought everything from supermarkets on offers (25% off the wine and left the beer/soft drinks order until now to take advantage of all the Christmas offers). Yep. Still a grand :(

Ours is at 3pm, which is causing much consternation to the photographer as it'll be practically dark by the time we're out of the ceremony :o

Thank you - have also been reassured by colleagues that they wouldn't much be bothered either, happy to pop a car seat in a quietish corner and leave it really!

Toby I think it sounds like you are going to have a fabulous party! We're spending about that on booze too - though that is from the venue itself...

So, my new questions!

1. Are you all having favours? I say not, am spending too much already! But if you came and there was no favour would you be put out/think I was mean?

and 2. Are you buying the groom a present for the morning of the wedding?

NEITHER of these had occurred to me, but apparently I am missing out a whole load of things I MUST do...

I'm not really having favours as such, but we are making some little potted herbs and winter pansies to decorate the tables and will encourage people to take these home with them.
I never care about favours at other peoples' weddings. They're usually a bit crap. That and the lack of a seating plan was behind our decision not to bother.

As for a gift for DP, I've been trying to find him something in particular but I'm having no luck, so he might be presentless. He wouldn't even have thought of it.

Hello, please may I join this quiche?

We have just kind of set a date for next august, after nearly 14 years together - well, we have a choice of 3 dates at the mo, based on when DP's family will be over from NZ -exact date will depend on what's available.

We're planning -
ceremony in a windmill for 20 guests (but will settle for reg office if we're too late)
reception in local pub where we mis-spent our youth - cheap and cheerful buffet, pay bar (with float to start), friends bands and dj's - for up to 100 guests.

We're going to try and stick to a £2000 budget.

Congrats to everybody else who is planning or has just had their big day

There's a lot of pages here, will read through and grab hints and tips. I'm intrigued by the £1/ head reception - is it jacket potatoes or something?

I'm probably not having favours. Depends how much money is left over, and if I can think of anything good. HOWEVER I am growing the wedding flowers (forget me nots) in my garden, so I might pot a few for people o take home, great idea thanks!

Will also probably get him something, thats just waaaayyy down on my list of things to think about!

I've had a breakthrough! DPs dad owns a printing company, he's going to provide huge massive rolls of white paper to cover the reception venue walls in. THEN (inspiration!) I'm painting a huge black tree to cover one wall, then hang photo frames from the branches with pictures of people from mine and DPs family in. We're allowed to as they're redecorating the hall after our wedding anyway.

So we have a fancy country church wedding, village hall, food, decorations and evening buffet for 1-2k. Fab

Hi all, I'm getting married next Saturday!
Not having favours- decided early on that I'd rather spend money on nice food and drink than worry about fussy extras.
I'm not sure where the 'tradition' of giving a gift to the groom came from (presumably the wedding industry), however I went ahead and got DP some cuff links from a seller on Etsy- they use vintage maps to create personalised cuff links so I ordered some with one cuff link showing the location where we got engaged and the other showing the location of our wedding. Only cost about £30. If anyones interested let me know and I'll link to the seller.
He didn't knew about the gift thing but I've informed him that I will be expecting one

Oooh, how exciting! Welcome, esker. Tell us all about it! What sort of wedding are you having? What's your dress like? Are you having a honeymoon?

The cufflinks are a lovely idea :)

Ooh exciting! Haha this reminds me of my ante natal thread, only more scary!!

I feel like an absolute wedding dress investigative journalist! I know which shops are having sales when, have charmed a couple of the owners into holding onto dresses for me, they've contacted people for me..am currently texting a woman with a shop to go look at the dresses for the January sale before it starts...! Good job I can babble inanely chat to strangers!

I just want my dress. For cheap, haha.

Actually having 2 weddings - traditional church wedding on sat and later on an Indian wedding as DP is Indian.
Got my dress at a local boutique, it's vintage, and kind of 'snow white'ish, with long sleeves. Then I have a Sari for the Indian wedding. Yes going on honeymoon but I have no idea where as its a total surprise- told DP I didn't want to organise ANYTHING else so he has to sort it