HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-02-25, Page 34Page 34 Showcase '87
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By Mary Malone
Freelance writer
If you think that Christmas is an occa-
Sion cluttered with expensive social -ex-
pectations, just wait until you try to
organize a wedding.
As soon as the word is out that you're
planning to get married you will find
yourself deluged with unsolicited sugges-
tions about "how to do it right." Even if
you are planning a small affair, you'll
notice that all the little touches recom-
mended to get your wedding up to com-
munity standards have a way of adding
up to more than you expected to spend.
It takes both planning and
perseverance to prevent "Here Comes -
The Bride"•from turning into"Here
Come The Bills." Here then, based on
20/20 hindsight, is a guide to organizing a
pleasant but affordable wedding for 25
guests or less.
The first thing to determine is just how
small your wedding is going to be. You
must come up with a definite guest list.
Who gets priority — relatives or friends,
and more specifically, the friends of the
couple or of their parents? •
Paring down the guest list is the hard
" part, so it's best to.get it done quickly.
Some people are bound to Misunderstand.
and take offence at being left out. Look
on it as an unusual opportunity to find out ..
who your real friends are.
Because plans tend to expand to fill the
time available to change them, it is
recommended that you minimize, -the
period between•the announcement of your
engagement and the date of .the •
ut dertig ft
ceremony. One month is time enough.
You will find that gives friends and
relatives ample opportunity tooffer a
.surpr-ising-stream of suggestions for little
extras you hadn't considered.
These suggestions are usually based on
what other people couldn't afford to do at
their own weddings, so listen respectful-
ly, nod thoughtfully, and then go ahead
and do as you planned in the first place.
When people notice later that you didn't
act on their ideas, they will assume
graciously that in all the excitement, you
simply forgot.
Since even sna11 weddings are likely to
involve the same basic elements of 'food,
flowers, pictures, music and clothes,
here's an indication of what's available in
London.
A word of caution: before you begin
making inquiries with local retailers, you
should learn the lingp. Do not offend- the
sensibilities of people in the wedding
business by talking about "being on a
budget" or "keeping costs down.' You
must not profane The Holy State with ad-
jectives like "small" or (heaven forbid)
"cheap." The code words are "personal"
and "intimate:" These terms are accep-
table and everyone knows what they.
mean.
If you re planning a reception in your
own or someone else's home, you can
choose from a wide range of catering ser-
vices. Costs per guest can range from $4
to $6 for hors d'oeuvres, through $8 to $15
for a buffet meal (the most popular
choice for at-home receptions), on up to
$10 to $30 for sit-down dinner with full
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service. The price depends on the menu
(smoked salmon costs more than spiced
meat balls), and naturally does notin-
clude liquor.
Wally orthe rnajoi-caterers-will-not_--
-handle orders for fewer than 50 people,
but listed in the Yellow Pages are lots of
other services which specialize in -smaller
parties. Another alternative is to hire so-
meone wtio caters out of his own home on
a part-time basis. These people don't
advertise, for tax reasons, so you'll have
to find them through personal recommen-
dations.,Their costs are usually on a par
with the professional caterers (at least
$150 for 20 people), and they may not be
able to supply all the matching glasses,
cutlery and tableware you'll want, which
will mean that you'll have to spend more
time and money renting these yourself
(add another $45).
If you want a more formal setting,
most of the better restaurants in town
will be pleased to arrange a fixed-price
meal in the same range as a caterer of-
fers, or allow your guests to order "a la
carte," according to your 'instructions.
The advantage of holding the reception
at a restaurant is that it gets around the
thorny problem of who will clean up •
afterwards. On the other hand, you'll run
up a much higher liquor bill.
With at -home -receptions, you can get
away with a few bottles of champagne
and ample bowls of wine punch i allocate
• $300 for 20 guests).
Wedding cakes to serve 25 people can
be ordered from $11 to $70; we enjoyed a
superb chocolate wedding cake from Say
•
t
Cheese tor $35.
Most average sized wedding budgets
now include from $450 to $600 for flowers.
You may only want a couple of bouquets,
iie esansl, , centrepiece,_but
aft __
being confronted with a two-page list of
special arrangements of everything from
grandmothers' corsages to pew markers
for the church, don't expect to get away
for much less than $100.
Expect to spend at least $50 per musi-
cian to perform during the ceremony or
at the reception. Recorded music on
cassette tapes is the cheapest alternative,
but somebody will have to be appointed
to reload the tape player when the tape
runs out every 45 minutes. Reel-to-reel
tapes require less attention, and play up
to 90 minutes per side.
Photography can be a major expense
at big-productionweddings. Most people
now spend between $550 and $800 on the
standard professional package —.four-
location coverage and a choice of satin or
velvet albums for the couple and both
sets of parents.
If you're going to ask the family shut-
terbug to "shoot" your wedding, provide
him or her with at least two rolls of pre-
paid film, ($28) and see that the
designated photographer's creative im- ..
pulses are not impeded by other respon
sibilities such as minding his own or,
anyone else's small children. Include the •
possibility of long term photographic ex-
penses in your budget. You will probably
end up providing,copies.of choice wed-
ding snaps to friends and relatives,
Turn to page 35
THE
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