TIP TUESDAY: What’s for dinner?

Chicken or beef? Beef or fish? Chicken or fish? How many vegetarians?

These are the things your caterer will need to know when you give them your final count about a week before your wedding. So, how do you figure this out?

Meal Choice (Photo from www.aisledash.com)

If you plan to offer your guest a choice for their entree, you must have them put their preference on their response card. The response card that goes in the invitation and gets mailed anywhere from six to ten weeks before your wedding. Which gets printed about two weeks before they are mailed. Which must be approved about two weeks before that.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

VERY few caterers or hotels will allow you to have a table-side choice, and when they do, it can be quite expensive. So let’s try to avoid that.

This means what you plan to offer your guests must be firm approximately three to four months before your wedding. Why does this matter? Because you may not have your tasting scheduled until two months before. Simple math can show you that this just doesn’t work.

So, if you plan to offer a choice, make sure to schedule your tasting well enough in advance to get the right information on your response cards in time for printing. Get a production schedule from your invitation designer far enough in advance so you can plan accordingly.

Otherwise, the choice may not be yours to make.

Beth Bernstein is Owner and President of SQN Events. To read more about what Beth has to say, follow her on twitter and friend her on facebook or give her a call at (773) 469-6095.

Written by SQN Events

For nearly a decade, Beth handled multi-million-dollar accounts for some of Chicago’s top advertising agencies. Her keen eye for design and attention to detail allowed her to stand out in pleasing both clients and bosses. In 2009, Beth launched Sine Qua Non: Special Events. Sine Qua Non comes from the Latin phrase “indispensable or essential ingredient.” And this exactly what Beth is to the couples she guides through the wedding process! Beth is also Co-Founder and Event Director of Greatest Destinations Weddings.

Beth is a contributor to TIP TUESDAY on theBrideScoop where she gives fabulous wedding advice. Call Beth to schedule a bridal consultation at (773) 469-6095.

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