Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. So I thought I'd do something wedding related-today and came across pot luck wedding receptions. My husband and I grew up on pot luck dinners at the Grange and church and love them. And our wedding wasn't 100% traditional. I walked down the aisle to "In God There is No East or West," instead of Lohengrin's "Wedding Chorus." My dad—and the ring bearer—wore a burgundy sports jacket instead of a tux because that's what Dad was more comfortable in. We were married outdoors on my in-law's farm and had our reception in the church hall, despite my mother-in-law's pressing us to do the opposite. We took off on our honeymoon on a Triumph 650 motorcycle.
So I think if it had been a thing then, we very well might have done a pot luck reception.
With a pot luck reception, guests are asked to bring a favorite food dish. The food can be the guest's gift or in addition to a wedding gift. But, while going pot luck can be a money saver, it takes some planning and has some costs. Consider:
- If your reception venue doesn't furnish them, you'll need to provide dinnerware, utensils, and linens, napkins, or other table coverings.
- You may have to rent tables and chairs and rent or purchase serving ware such a platters and large bowls, chafing dishes, serving utensils, pitchers, or drink dispensers—particularly if you want your spread to have a coordinated look.
- You may want to hire servers to fill coffee and tea cups, etc, and manage the buffet, and you'll need people to clean up afterwards.
- Sketch out what types of dishes and drinks are needed to round out the meal.
- Choose someone to coordinate the food.
- Have your coordinator contact friends and family members you think would be happy to pitch in. Or, if you or someone close to you is tech savvy, you could create a simple food registry online (like a gift registry) and direct family and friends there.
- Whoever is coordinating the food should confirm what everyone is bringing and how much at least two weeks before the wedding.
- On the wedding day, the food coordinator should also ensure that all the dishes are set up appropriately on the buffet table at the reception and are ready to be served at the right time.
For more information, you can find numerous articles on potluck wedding receptions online.
What do you think? Could you go/have gone pot luck?
Hang onto Summer a Little Longer ~ 99-cents for a Limited Time Only
Two popular Indigo Bay Novels in one ebook.
Sweet Entanglement
Is Three the Charm? Lauren Cooper is on her way to her life’s dream. She’s financed and finished college and law school all on her own. And she’s up for partner at the largest law firm in Indigo Bay. There’s nothing to stop her from concentrating everything on achieving that goal. Until Jesse Brewster, the man who broke her heart twice, shows up sleeping off the night before on the beach, and she’s called in to serve as his public defender.
Looking to make a new start after the racing accident that ended his lucrative motocross career and sent him spiraling into darkness, the former champion had envisioned an entirely different scenario if he ever saw Lauren again. That vision was more along the lines of the successful businessman he’d be once he rehabbed the seaside mansion he’s inherited from his uncle and sold it to open a custom bike shop.
Sparks fly between them, and Jesse vows to fan those sparks once he’s got the project successfully underway. But someone starts sabotaging it, putting Jesse behind on the deadline he has to meet to get the property off the Indigo Bay Planning Board’s condemned property list. And Lauren has a sick suspicion that her bosses are somehow involved.
Jesse and Lauren had once promised they’d wait for each other while they pursued their career dreams. Despite that broken promise, neither can deny the love that’s still between them. But now that they are on the cusp of reaching those dreams, are they willing to risk everything to renew that love?
Sweet Horizons
There’s nothing like a wedding to bring people together. But family dynamics can be complicated, especially newly blended ones.
Sonja Cooper is thrilled that her daughter Lauren is marrying Jesse Brewster and giving her a ready-made granddaughter in the irrepressible 3-year old Shelley. The fact that Jesse is also Sonja’s business partner in the launching of the Morrison Mansion B&B is just a bonus.
Custom bike shop owner Jeff Brewster is also delighted that his son Jesse is marrying Lauren and building a new family. The one awkward aspect is the unexpected attraction he feels towards Sonja. For although Sonja feels the same spark, having been burned in her divorce from Lauren’s father, she’s determined never to be dependent on a man again.
Then the Indigo Bay Business Association pits Sonja and Jeff against each other by having their businesses compete for the coveted “New Business of the Year Award.” All’s fair in love and war, but hearts don’t always listen!
For My New Releases
Follow me on BookBub
Sign up for my Readers Newsletter
Visit my Website
