Long, sorry :/ Need menu/reception advice

Rachel405

I'm cross posting between this and my wedding month board, but that board hardly gets any traffic so I'm posting here too!! Hope that's ok...

Getting married in August 2012, but we don't even have our venue finalized yet, and I'm starting to freak. We just got engaged a little over 3 weeks ago, but decided for several reasons that we wanted to get married this summer. It was either this summer or wait an entire year until next summer (Fi in grad school and can't take time off for honeymoon from internship-he's off in the summer- and we want a honeymoon immediately after the wedding). We don't want to move in together until after we get married, and right now we're living 45 min apart. Before we got engaged I was thinking about moving closer to him- about 45 min away (where I used to live, on the other side of the city, where I met him) but now we decided to save money from paying two different rents and just wait to move in together this August (his lease ends Aug 31).  SO August it is! I'm super excited about it but trying to nail down details of the wedding right now has gotten incredibly stressful.

I have a contract pending at a reception place, but I haven't actually seen it yet.  I've gotten referrals from ppl on my local board that had good experiences there, and I've seen photos in their banquet brochure. I've been at the upstairs part of the restaurant before, just never seen the banquet room, which is on the lower level.
 
What do you think of this menu for a Saturday reception from 1-5:
-fruit/vegetable trays
-cheese/crackers trays
-crab/artichocke dip
-cocktail meatballs
plated lunch options:
chicken ceasar salad, rockfish tacos, angus burger, or pasta fra diavolo

Do you think it sounds cheap or do you think I can get away with that for a Saturday afternoon in the summer? I wouldn't offer a burger if this was an evening reception in some fancy place but this is just a pretty restaurant on the water, which is more "us" and simple. I personally like it but I always get really good, honest advice in here so I'm wondering if I could have some advice as to whether booking this place seems like a good or bad idea. Time just seems to be running out to get this figured out!

We're going on a trip this weekened (leaving early tomorrow morning and coming back late Sunday) so I'm going to have to go see this banquet room one night next week after work or wait until next Saturday if Fi wants to see it. He said to put down the deposit if I like it so we can save the date and he'll see it later. He is not particular like I am about reception venues.

So what do you think of that menu??? Am I SO behind on my planning??? Any advice appreciated....

cwaggoner07

I got engaged at Christmas, and I'm getting married in July. It is possible! The hardest thing I found to book on short notice were venue and photographer. Everything else  hasn't been too bad. The first month I was literally doing stuff every weekend, but it has slowed down a lot since I got the big stuff taken care of.
Oh, also, I'm a CPA so I'm going to be working 60-80  hours/week until April 17 as well!

As far as the menu, I think that sounds perfect.
You can do it! Good luck!

Rachel405

Thanks, glad to hear this train slows down soon, haha!

mbody

For a saturday afternoon, I think the menu is fine. I usually overstuff myself when there is a ton of food available.

You still have time. Just get things done little by little. I'm sure once you have the venue booked, you'll feel better!

blgrout

Your menu sounds  just fine for a lunch reception.  If that's what you want for your wedding, that fits really, really well (and sounds delish).

I agree with PP, once you have a venue secured you'll feel better, and all the other details will fall into place.  You have plenty of time to plan, a lot of women here have long engagements for many reasons (financial, school, family, etc), but it doesn't mean you have to have a long engagement.  You've got time to plan this.  I got engaged in August and we'll be married in April, which has been the perfect amount of time to get this shindig planned.  I have 2 friends who had WAY short engagements, one had 4 months, and the other was 3 weeks.  Both were absolutely perfect. 

rbwashington2012

You and your FI sound A WHOLE LOT like me and my FI lol. Ours is the month right after yours, so I understand fully. We moved in together (45 mins away in two different counties) in the end of August of last year. The date of the wedding changed like a million times as well as the venue. The menu for our wedding is actually going to be done at a local resturant that mostly everyone on both sides of the family are very familar with and gave two thumbs up for the choice. A bulk of all the wedding planning just started to take shape just last month after attending the local Bridal Fair. You will be able to get everything done on time.  When you do visit the venue, take photos with your phone to show him. I actually took my father to see the venue and was able to take my FI about a week later and he said we made a great choice.