A Welcoming Celebration

A Welcoming Celebration

July 13th, 2010 @ 1:29 pm by Mrs. Socks
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If you’ve been paying super close attention to my posts (which you should… there will be a test) then you may have noticed that I’ve mentioned having a “welcoming celebration” for our guests the day before the wedding, like the lovely Mrs. Perfume:

A Welcoming Celebration : wedding philadelphia rehearsal Perfume2

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I didn’t want to do just a rehearsal dinner because I knew that most of our guests will be flying in from out of town, and we rarely see them as it is! It would be a shame to limit our rehearsal dinner to immediate family, bridal party + SO’s and grandparents, so we decided to include everybody!

Here’s where things get a little murky for me though:

Including everyone obviously also includes a heavier hit on our wallet. Mr. Socks and I are paying for the welcoming celebration/rehearsal dinner/whatever you want to call it, and we really didn’t want it to be too over the top (hey, we’re feeding these people the next night too, you know!).

In order to keep costs down on feeding approximately 50 people, we decided to do a very down-to-earth sort of dinner:

A Welcoming Celebration : wedding philadelphia rehearsal Patsche

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A Welcoming Celebration : wedding philadelphia rehearsal Philly

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Cheesesteaks and soft pretzels! Unfortunately, it’s not as classy as Mrs. Perfume’s Welcoming Dinner, but it’s local, cheap, and fun! Now, as much as I’d love to shuttle 50 people over to the Famous Pat’s or Geno’s steak stands, neither restaurant has indoor seating, so that was out.

The hotel we’ve blocked rooms at, The Radisson Warwick in Center City, has a restaurant with a private dining room perfectly suited for our group! And guess what? They have cheesesteaks on their menu and can order the pretzels for us! Win! Our guests won’t have to travel far to get a bite to eat and socialize with other family members.

I’m having a hard time deciding whether we should make this a lunch or a dinner—iwf it’s for dinner, more people are likely to be able to make it, but some may not be thrilled at the prospect of having just a cheesesteak and a few appetizers instead of a bigger, nicer meal in the city if they wanted to go out later on their own. If we had a lunch, we don’t know how many people will book their flights early enough to make it to a lunch.

Decisions, decisions. I think I’m leaning more toward a dinner since we’ll be able to see more people, but what do you think? If you were coming into Philly, would you rather mingle with family and friends over a lunch and do your own thing for dinner, or would you not really care and just be happy to see everyone no matter what was on the menu for dinner?

Tags: philadelphia, rehearsal |

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25 Responses to “A Welcoming Celebration”

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Member

TheFutureMcBride (message) 4,484 posts, Honey bee

I wouldn’t care because I want a Philly cheese steak so bad!

I was calling our dinner a rehearsal dinner, but it includes everyone because we’re having a wedding 2.5 hours from our home, it’s 80’s themed, and it’s at a local pizza joint Yum! Beer and pizza, so it’s not fancy either.

7/13/10 @ 1:37 pm (reply)

Member

ktisthatbees (message) 2,742 posts, Sugar bee

I think if you do any early dinner it would be the best of both worlds, people would have plenty of time to get there, they can chat with the two of you for a while, and then still have time to go out and see the city/grab a fancier meal if they so choose.

7/13/10 @ 1:38 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Cardigan (message) 8,645 posts, Bee Keeper

I vote for dinner….and um seriously? Just seeing the photo of that cheesesteak made my stomach growl. It looks SO GOOD!

7/13/10 @ 1:41 pm (reply)

Bee

Mrs. Hamster (message) 4,046 posts, Honey bee

Yummm, cheesesteaks and pretzels! I would go with the dinner - if people wish to have a “nicer” dinner on the town, they will (regardless of when you schedule the celebration) and that way you can have more people attending vs. if you had a lunch.

7/13/10 @ 1:41 pm (reply)

Bee

Mrs. Trail Mix (message) 6,329 posts, Bee Keeper

Definitely dinner, I think most people won’t be able to get there in time for lunch! And I’d be deliriously happy w/ cheesesteaks, nom nom nom!

7/13/10 @ 1:43 pm (reply)

Member

jgoulart (message) 1,069 posts, Bumble bee

My family is from Philly so your menu sounds AMAZING to me! yummmmm soft pretzels….

7/13/10 @ 1:44 pm (reply)

Member

rachel_leigh (message) 1,106 posts, Bumble bee

I would go for the lunch if you want to keep the event a little shorter and give yourself more time in the evening. I would call make it a dinner if you want the event to stretch out a bit, but if you go for dinner I would maybe add one more thing to the menu like a green or fruit salad.

We made our a dinner and cooked food for 50 people all by ourselves. It was a bit crazy, but so much cheaper than having someone else cook! And we held it at a small park, so that was inexpensive as well.

7/13/10 @ 1:49 pm (reply)

Member

Hola13 (message) 52 posts, Worker bee

Not sure if you have ever stayed at the Radison Warwick but it is super nice. Your gusts have a lovely hotel to stay at. In my opinion if you are feeding 50 people the day before the wedding you should do it when. If I were a guest I’d prefer to have the cheese steaks for dinner. I feel like if you make it for lunch some people might not make it. Also, even if you have it for lunch people may not want to go out later because cheesesteaks are FILLING!! Even if you feel that it is not super classy your guests should understand that you are doing them a favor by feeding them!!! Philadelphia is known for it’s cheeseteaks so I think it will be awesome!!

7/13/10 @ 1:50 pm (reply)

Guest

amariem25

i’d go for dinner. just provide some good drinks too!

7/13/10 @ 1:53 pm (reply)

10.

Member

dance (message) 1,607 posts, Bumble bee

Yuuuuum. I am so hungry right now and those pictures made my stomach growl!

I would say go with the dinner. Then you can enjoy such a nice welcome event with more of your friends and family that will be at the hotel by then!

7/13/10 @ 1:55 pm (reply)

11.

Member

something.blue (message) 255 posts, Helper bee

I’d say dinner too, a perfect intro to Philly! Plus from what you’ve said (studying for the test here) you’ll have some superb foodie selections the next night so it’s a very nice juxtaposition.

7/13/10 @ 2:01 pm (reply)

12.

Guest

Sara

I’m a Philadelphian too and I love a good cheesesteak…but I would never do this. Not everyone eats beef or even meat. And these things are terrible for you….I would reconsider the food choices you are giving. If you really want to introduce people to the real Philly (foodie-heaven) and not break the bank I would consider DiBruno’s brothers center city market that has an upstairs cafe that can be rented out. It is very affordable and will have delicious food that represents Philly.

7/13/10 @ 2:02 pm (reply)

13.

Member

MsBrooklynA (message) 2,703 posts, Sugar bee

Can I come please! That sounds wonderful and you are making me crazy cheesesteak now.

7/13/10 @ 2:14 pm (reply)

14.

Member

cjp454 (message) 72 posts, Worker bee

Go for the dinner! I think your friends and family will be appreciative of your gesture to provide dinner that they will be delighted by your very Philly-esque menu.

7/13/10 @ 2:30 pm (reply)

15.

Guest

Christine

I vote for doing it, despite the “no” vote above, and I think dinner would be best. To round out the meal, I would ask the hotel to provide a salad (good for the veggies! and healthy eaters!) and maybe follow up with some fruit or cupcakes, if you are so inclined.

Awesome idea and don’t forget the mustard for your pretzels. YUM.

7/13/10 @ 2:32 pm (reply)

16.

Member

sf_carrie (message) 463 posts, Helper bee

I wouldn’t worry about it being “fancy” enough for dinner. The guests are there to celebrate with you and for that reason, dinner gets my vote since there is a greater likelihood people will be in town by then. Personally, when I travel, I love to try the “local” dishes, so I would love what you are planning, and I think something casual/informal is a great contrast to the wedding. I agree with the comment about adding a salad if your budget allows to accomodate any non-cheesesteak eaters.

7/13/10 @ 2:42 pm (reply)

17.

Member

ALu731 (message) 35 posts, Newbee

I love the idea of cheesesteaks and pretzels…everytime I go to Philly, that is what I eat at least once! I wouldn’t worry about it not being “fancy” enough…I think it is fun and represents the area…I am sure your guests won’t care as long as they have something to do and get to hang out with family and friends!

7/13/10 @ 3:07 pm (reply)

18.

Member

jordynrose (message) 6,351 posts, Bee Keeper

Yum! This sounds like such a fun idea.

7/13/10 @ 4:01 pm (reply)

19.

Member

emma5w (message) 547 posts, Busy bee

You really can’t get more Philly than cheesesteaks and pretzels. We live in Philly now, but we’re getting married in our hometown, so we’re hoping to get some Philly Soft Pretzels to put in our OOT bags. Those and TastyKakes. (c:

7/13/10 @ 5:03 pm (reply)

20.

Member

Knubbsy-Wubbsy (message) 2,395 posts, Buzzing bee

One of my BMs introduced me to the Pretzel Factory a couple summers ago on our way back from the shore and they are amazing! But I agree that you might want a salad or something too

7/13/10 @ 6:47 pm (reply)

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