Everything you need for a Midwest wedding

Yes, my godparents handle the church fees, but I'm not entirely sure about the rest... I haven't really had much reason to look into it until now, when things actually became necessary. 🙂 Ladies, I need some advice! I just heard that renting a tent for 40 people costs $333, and for a group of 100, it’s roughly $2,000. However, I have no idea what that covers—does it include transportation, setup, teardown, benches, tables, utensils, or dishes?

Hey guys, if anyone is still hunting for a photographer, we actually put down a deposit with photo Joe from Valpovo $333. However, he ended up deciding that his buddy would be taking our shots instead. If you're interested, shoot me a DM—we're handing over the deposit 🙂

wearybison45 said:Long story short at Nikolin's Bridal Salon🙂 in Columbus, I’ve got a deposit sitting there for $233 that I’m definitely not going to use. So, I figured I’d see if any brides-to-be want to swoop in and take over this credit for $167 instead. It’s basically free money if you need a dress. Any takers? 😉

All sorted! 🙂

dustytinker58 said:You can find that exact shade of white at Target for $53, though you might even spot it over at Home Depot

Home Depot actually has $66 right now. I saw it on their ads yesterday😁

shadowfox62 said:I have a bit of a question for you all... now, I’m not the one walking down the aisle, but I am serving as the Maid of Honor... maybe this should have gone in a different thread, but since I see some folks here from the Midwest, I figured I'd reach out to see what kind of advice you might have regarding local traditions? It’s all a bit foreign to me—honestly, I feel like I have no clue what my actual duties are or what the "unspoken" rules might be. I was told it’s standard for the Maid of Honor to bring the wedding cake, so I’ve already placed that order, and I picked out a gift based on what the couple specifically asked for... but is that really it? Are there other obligations I'm missing? Well, obviously being by her side all day is a given—I know that part—and I did tell the bride to just let me know if she needs anything, to which she just replied, "Everything is fine, don't worry about a thing!" But truly, I want to do this properly and follow all the right etiquette because they are both such dear friends of mine. I've seen some people mention that sometimes the wedding party covers the church fees—is that a common tradition here in the States too, or am I overthinking things? And what else? Oh, right! Someone mentioned providing a basket of baking supplies for the festivities... I think I'll ask the bride what exactly she needs for that. Is there anything else I should have on my radar?

In our neck of the woods, the tradition is often for the Best Man to handle certain wedding costs, while the Maid of Honor brings the cake and the baking kit (though, honestly, most people don't bake from scratch at home much anymore). You should probably check with the bride regarding specific family traditions, as customs can vary quite a bit from one region to another! But I suspect you've covered the basics. 🙂 I hope that helps even a little!

Does anyone know where I might be able to find small glass bottles, maybe around 40ml, with cork stoppers for some homemade spirits? I’m really looking for something a bit more high-end than just repurposed juice bottles.

Thanks!

Kevin Smith7 said:Does anyone know where I might be able to find small glass bottles, maybe around 40ml, with cork stoppers for some homemade spirits? I’m really looking for something a bit more high-end than just repurposed juice bottles.

Thanks!

Have you checked the local farmers market? There’s a little shop there specializing in decorative glassware. I actually picked up some larger 24oz bottles for my own spirits there once, though I suspect they might carry smaller sizes as well.

Kevin Smith7 said:Does anyone know where I might be able to find small glass bottles, maybe around 40ml, with cork stoppers for some homemade spirits? I’m really looking for something a bit more high-end than just repurposed juice bottles.

Thanks!

I just grabbed mine at Michael’s since I didn't need a ton of them.

Hey guys, quick question... how much cake, deli meat, and booze should I actually grab if I'm hosting a crowd at my place?

Michelle Thomas77 said:Hey guys, quick question... how much cake, deli meat, and booze should I actually grab if I'm hosting a crowd at my place?

For my crowd—around 80 people—I’m grabbing 30 lbs of sweets, 25 pre-made deli platters from somewhere like Costco or Whole Foods, and just sticking to bourbon and cherry brandy for the booze. Probably looking at 25 bottles of bourbon and 15 of the cherry stuff. I did all the math based on the table count since I'm doing a seated dinner instead of a buffet... just figured out how much per table and called it a day. 😁

quietcobra52 said:For my crowd—around 80 people—I’m grabbing 30 lbs of sweets, 25 pre-made deli platters from somewhere like Costco or Whole Foods, and just sticking to bourbon and cherry brandy for the booze. Probably looking at 25 bottles of bourbon and 15 of the cherry stuff. I did all the math based on the table count since I'm doing a seated dinner instead of a buffet... just figured out how much per table and called it a day. 😁

That works if you're hosting at home.

Michelle Thomas77 said:That works if you're hosting at home.

Yeah, right—once they finally come to collect me...

quietcobra52 said:Yeah, right—once they finally come to collect me...

To be totally real with you, it feels like way too much to me 🤷
But I don't know... honestly, I have no clue what "enough" even looks like 🤷

Henry Harris5 said:Home Depot actually has $66 right now. I saw it on their ads yesterday😁

Yeah, I saw that too today 🤣
I'm just wondering, can you actually just hop on the subway normally, or do you still need one of those specific transit cards 😕

Michelle Thomas77 said:To be totally real with you, it feels like way too much to me 🤷
But I don't know... honestly, I have no clue what "enough" even looks like 🤷

I'm thinking the exact same thing... it sounds like overkill! Usually, when you're hosting, you plan enough food for every 8 guests, whether it's soup, a main course, or dessert... but hey, who's going to follow those strict rules? It's always better to have leftovers than to run out! Still, though, 25 platters sounds massive unless they're those tiny little appetizer trays...

dustytinker58 said:I'm thinking the exact same thing... it sounds like overkill! Usually, when you're hosting, you plan enough food for every 8 guests, whether it's soup, a main course, or dessert... but hey, who's going to follow those strict rules? It's always better to have leftovers than to run out! Still, though, 25 platters sounds massive unless they're those tiny little appetizer trays...

Like, what am I supposed to do with two giant trays of sliced meat for a table of 10, plus three desserts per person? That's just ridiculous.

I think someone told me that was supposedly the "standard" 🤷
But honestly, who actually knows?

In my case, nobody even touched the beer—everyone went straight for the hard stuff (whiskey, schnapps, cherry brandy...)

dustytinker58 said:I'm thinking the exact same thing... it sounds like overkill! Usually, when you're hosting, you plan enough food for every 8 guests, whether it's soup, a main course, or dessert... but hey, who's going to follow those strict rules? It's always better to have leftovers than to run out! Still, though, 25 platters sounds massive unless they're those tiny little appetizer trays...

Yeah, seemed like a lot to me too, but then my cousin who got married this past summer told me how little food she had for 100 guests, so I decided to just overdo it. It’ll get eaten 😁 Just so we don't run out.

I honestly have no clue how much I should be charging for 100 to 150 people—assuming only about half of the 300 invited actually show up.🤷
They’re planning on hanging out at my place for a full hour, too, and right in the middle of July heat on the 20th.

Regarding the charcuterie situation... I actually hired a pro chef to consult at my place for when the inevitable happens, and he told me straight up: for a two-hour window, don't bother serving more than 20g per person—and that includes the meat, cheese, and any little salads. That’s how he’ll be laying out the buffet spread. Honestly, half the guests won't eat much anyway; some will just grab a bite, others will skip straight to dessert, and there's just not enough time for anyone to actually sit down for a full meal... they'll just end up feeling stuffed and uncomfortable.
Of course, we'll have some extra sliced stuff tucked away in the fridge just in case someone actually gets hungry...

Kimberly Alvarez8 said:Regarding the charcuterie situation... I actually hired a pro chef to consult at my place for when the inevitable happens, and he told me straight up: for a two-hour window, don't bother serving more than 20g per person—and that includes the meat, cheese, and any little salads. That’s how he’ll be laying out the buffet spread. Honestly, half the guests won't eat much anyway; some will just grab a bite, others will skip straight to dessert, and there's just not enough time for anyone to actually sit down for a full meal... they'll just end up feeling stuffed and uncomfortable.
Of course, we'll have some extra sliced stuff tucked away in the fridge just in case someone actually gets hungry...

Look, my guests are gonna be hanging out for three hours, traveling all the way from places like 31 miles, and they won't have lunch or anything else planned—no stopping by a buddy's house first. So, from around 2 or 3 PM until dinner at 9, that’s a solid six-hour stretch where people need food... which is why I'm going way heavier on the catering, because people are actually sitting down to eat here. I'm counting on 80 people, but it might even hit 100... I'll see once I send out the invites.