Wedding Reception Forum

Stormtroopers Surprise-update thanks to your suggestions and input

apwifeyapwifey member
First Anniversary First Comment
edited April 2018 in Wedding Reception Forum
So FH and I are big Star Wars fans, but he is clearly the bigger fan of the two of us. I contacted our local 501st garrison and they are having some Stormtroopers that are able to make an appearance. They aren't arriving until the end of cocktail hour for a grand entrance and then interactive photo booth while people wait for their orders from our food truck. One of our photographers will be on each side of the door to catch his reaction then our guest reactions to seeing Stormtroopers and the Imperial March. Is 20 minutes just enough time for pictures during dinner enough for just us to sneak out with just the Stormtroopers?  Has anyone done this before? Or any character? How did your guests like it? 

**Update** FH agreed with some of your input concerning wait times, and our vendors work out to do two food trucks during dinner so the guests can pick between pizza and street tacos. We're also having our immediate families order slightly ahead of time so their food can be ready and less time for our guests. He's still firm on getting people up and around.

Re: Stormtroopers Surprise-update thanks to your suggestions and input

  • apwifey said:
    So FH and I are big Star Wars fans, but he is clearly the bigger fan of the two of us. I contacted our local 501st garrison and they are having some Stormtroopers that are able to make an appearance. They aren't arriving until the end of cocktail hour for a grand entrance and then interactive photo booth while people wait for their orders from our food truck. One of our photographers will be on each side of the door to catch his reaction then our guest reactions to seeing Stormtroopers and the Imperial March. Is 20 minutes just enough time for pictures during dinner enough for just us to sneak out? Has anyone done this before?

    Guests are waiting for their dinner orders?  So, guests are not eating together?
  • Twenty minutes for pictures as in, all of your photos? Depends on what you want but probably not. I guess I'm just a little confused about where you're sneaking off to, or why.  

    We did our photos while our guests enjoyed Cocktail Hour.  It took about 65-70 minutes. 
  • We're doing a pizza food truck so they go up to the window, pick from our menu and then return to their seat. So I guess waiting for their orders is more like a buffet line wait. We wanted a very relaxed vibe and our food truck we hired is very well known in our area.
  • ahoyweddingahoywedding member
    First Comment First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited April 2018
    What kind of pictures will you be sneaking out for? Twenty minutes definitely won't be enough time for all of your couple pics. Our photographer did suggest we sneak out during the reception to catch the "golden hour," right before sundown. We said we'd play it by ear and ended up not wanting to leave because the reception had already started and we wanted to spend time with our guests.....Which also brings up the question, if you're paying for these storm troopers to be there, don't you guys want pictures with them too?

    Twenty minutes is definitely not enough time for a photo booth, unless you only have a small number of guests. I feel like having them come at that time will interrupt dinner and really throw off the flow of the evening. People might jump out of line for the food, which will push back dinner and then everything else will run late.

    Also, a food truck =\= buffet line. A buffet line is usually staffed by wait staff, who keep the line moving so the guests mostly eat at the same time. I think our caterers got 130ish guests through in like 20 minutes, it was crazy. The good thing is that one pizza pie will serve several people, so they're not making everything as it's ordered, which will help with timing. Have you talked with the truck about how much time they'll need to serve all of your guests? Are they going to have the pizzas pre-made? Pizza is one of those things that (to me at least) is good either immediately or the next day, but not a few hours after it's been made. Food trucks aren't great for getting everyone their meal around the same time, so you could end up with some guests in line while others have finished eating, and that kind of seems the opposite of relaxed and chill. Will you have anything besides the pizza?

    edit: words
  • What kind of pictures will you be sneaking out for? Twenty minutes definitely won't be enough time for all of your couple pics. Our photographer did suggest we sneak out during the reception to catch the "golden hour," right before sundown. We said we'd play it by ear and ended up not wanting to leave because the reception had already started and we wanted to spend time with our guests.....Which also brings up the question, if you're paying for these storm troopers to be there, don't you guys want pictures with them too?

    Twenty minutes is definitely not enough time for a photo booth, unless you only have a small number of guests. I feel like having them come at that time will interrupt dinner and really throw off the flow of the evening. People might jump out of line for the food, which will push back dinner and then everything else will run late.

    Also, a food truck =\= buffet line. A buffet line is usually staffed by wait staff, who keep the line moving so the guests mostly eat at the same time. I think our caterers got 130ish guests through in like 20 minutes, it was crazy. The good thing is that one pizza pie will serve several people, so they're not making everything as it's ordered, which will help with timing. Have you talked with the truck about how much time they'll need to serve all of your guests? Are they going to have the pizzas pre-made? Pizza is one of those things that (to me at least) is good either immediately or the next day, but not a few hours after it's been made. Food trucks aren't great for getting everyone their meal around the same time, so you could end up with some guests in line while others have finished eating, and that kind of seems the opposite of relaxed and chill. Will you have anything besides the pizza?

    edit: words
    One pie may serve several people, but are guests waiting in line for one slice?  I guess I was imagining "personal size" pizza's. 

    So many questions......How many from this truck are servers?  What else is served with the pizza?  How do the servers know where each guest is seated?  How long is the time from order to "delivery"?  How many trucks vs how many guests?  What is the distance between the truck and where the guests are seated?
  • How long are the lines at the food truck windows going to be?

    Having waited at slow-moving food truck windows for service, this is why I personally wouldn't recommend one for a wedding reception unless the guest list is small.
  • apwifeyapwifey member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited April 2018
    MobKaz said:
    What kind of pictures will you be sneaking out for? Stormtrooper pictures.  FH won't know they are there until the doors open for our grand entrance.Twenty minutes definitely won't be enough time for all of your couple pics. Our photographer did suggest we sneak out during the reception to catch the "golden hour," right before sundown. We said we'd play it by ear and ended up not wanting to leave because the reception had already started and we wanted to spend time with our guests.....Which also brings up the question, if you're paying for these storm troopers to be there, don't you guys want pictures with them too?

    Twenty minutes is definitely not enough time for a photo booth, unless you only have a small number of guests. I feel like having them come at that time will interrupt dinner and really throw off the flow of the evening. People might jump out of line for the food, which will push back dinner and then everything else will run late. I think I had it in my head that they would help release tables by each table getting their picture with the Stormtroopers then going on out to get their food. Then we'd sneak out with them after the last table. Not sure how cohesive that will work with reality.

    Also, a food truck =\= buffet line. A buffet line is usually staffed by wait staff, who keep the line moving so the guests mostly eat at the same time. I think our caterers got 130ish guests through in like 20 minutes, it was crazy. The good thing is that one pizza pie will serve several people, so they're not making everything as it's ordered, which will help with timing. Have you talked with the truck about how much time they'll need to serve all of your guests? Are they going to have the pizzas pre-made? Pizza is one of those things that (to me at least) is good either immediately or the next day, but not a few hours after it's been made. Food trucks aren't great for getting everyone their meal around the same time, so you could end up with some guests in line while others have finished eating, and that kind of seems the opposite of relaxed and chill. Will you have anything besides the pizza?

    One pie may serve several people, but are guests waiting in line for one slice?  I guess I was imagining "personal size" pizza's. 

    So many questions......How many from this truck are servers? 4 people in the truck. 3 more are running food and trash. What else is served with the pizza? Wings, and salad. How do the servers know where each guest is seated?   How long is the time from order to "delivery"? The owner stated 20minutes to do about 150 people since it is a limited menu it makes turnover faster.  How many trucks vs how many guests? 1 truck for dinner, two more for a late night snack.  What is the distance between the truck and where the guests are seated? At most I think 200 feet, they're situated right outside the hall next to the fire pits/lounge area. Under the roof just in case it rains people won't get wet.
    FH was adamant about no buffet or plated because of working in catering through college. He said he wanted people to "actually like the food" and not have it be the regular chicken/beef/fish. The food is kind of the area that he wanted control.
    Sorry for not making myself clear. This is what happens when I try to type on my phone. :/
  • apwifey said:
    MobKaz said:
    What kind of pictures will you be sneaking out for? Stormtrooper pictures.  FH won't know they are there until the doors open for our grand entrance.Twenty minutes definitely won't be enough time for all of your couple pics. Our photographer did suggest we sneak out during the reception to catch the "golden hour," right before sundown. We said we'd play it by ear and ended up not wanting to leave because the reception had already started and we wanted to spend time with our guests.....Which also brings up the question, if you're paying for these storm troopers to be there, don't you guys want pictures with them too?

    Twenty minutes is definitely not enough time for a photo booth, unless you only have a small number of guests. I feel like having them come at that time will interrupt dinner and really throw off the flow of the evening. People might jump out of line for the food, which will push back dinner and then everything else will run late. I think I had it in my head that they would help release tables by each table getting their picture with the Stormtroopers then going on out to get their food. Not sure how cohesive that will work in reality.

    Also, a food truck =\= buffet line. A buffet line is usually staffed by wait staff, who keep the line moving so the guests mostly eat at the same time. I think our caterers got 130ish guests through in like 20 minutes, it was crazy. The good thing is that one pizza pie will serve several people, so they're not making everything as it's ordered, which will help with timing. Have you talked with the truck about how much time they'll need to serve all of your guests? Are they going to have the pizzas pre-made? Pizza is one of those things that (to me at least) is good either immediately or the next day, but not a few hours after it's been made. Food trucks aren't great for getting everyone their meal around the same time, so you could end up with some guests in line while others have finished eating, and that kind of seems the opposite of relaxed and chill. Will you have anything besides the pizza?

    One pie may serve several people, but are guests waiting in line for one slice?  I guess I was imagining "personal size" pizza's. 

    So many questions......How many from this truck are servers? 4 people in the truck. 3 more are running food and trash. What else is served with the pizza? Wings, and salad. How do the servers know where each guest is seated?   How long is the time from order to "delivery"? The owner stated 20minutes to do about 150 people since it is a limited menu it makes turnover faster.  How many trucks vs how many guests? 1 truck for dinner, two more for a late night snack.  What is the distance between the truck and where the guests are seated? At most I think 200 feet, they're situated right outside the hall next to the fire pits/lounge area. Under the roof just in case it rains people won't get wet.
    FH was adamant about no buffet or plated because of working in catering through college. He said he wanted people to "actually like the food" and not have it be the regular chicken/beef/fish. The food is kind of the area that he wanted control.
    Sorry for not making myself clear. This is what happens when I try to type on my phone. :/
    I wish you well.  Your FH may have a sour taste in his mouth about his prior college employment, but your wedding hospitality is not really about him. 

    I find it really hard to believe that in 20 minutes time 150 guests will be able to stand in line at one truck, provide their order, be seated and served.  Honestly, I can't even imagine having every pizza prepared and being able to serve 150 guests in 20 minutes. 
  • apwifey said:
    MobKaz said:
    What kind of pictures will you be sneaking out for? Stormtrooper pictures.  FH won't know they are there until the doors open for our grand entrance.Twenty minutes definitely won't be enough time for all of your couple pics. Our photographer did suggest we sneak out during the reception to catch the "golden hour," right before sundown. We said we'd play it by ear and ended up not wanting to leave because the reception had already started and we wanted to spend time with our guests.....Which also brings up the question, if you're paying for these storm troopers to be there, don't you guys want pictures with them too?

    Twenty minutes is definitely not enough time for a photo booth, unless you only have a small number of guests. I feel like having them come at that time will interrupt dinner and really throw off the flow of the evening. People might jump out of line for the food, which will push back dinner and then everything else will run late. I think I had it in my head that they would help release tables by each table getting their picture with the Stormtroopers then going on out to get their food. Then we'd sneak out with them after the last table. Not sure how cohesive that will work with reality.

    Also, a food truck =\= buffet line. A buffet line is usually staffed by wait staff, who keep the line moving so the guests mostly eat at the same time. I think our caterers got 130ish guests through in like 20 minutes, it was crazy. The good thing is that one pizza pie will serve several people, so they're not making everything as it's ordered, which will help with timing. Have you talked with the truck about how much time they'll need to serve all of your guests? Are they going to have the pizzas pre-made? Pizza is one of those things that (to me at least) is good either immediately or the next day, but not a few hours after it's been made. Food trucks aren't great for getting everyone their meal around the same time, so you could end up with some guests in line while others have finished eating, and that kind of seems the opposite of relaxed and chill. Will you have anything besides the pizza?

    One pie may serve several people, but are guests waiting in line for one slice?  I guess I was imagining "personal size" pizza's. 

    So many questions......How many from this truck are servers? 4 people in the truck. 3 more are running food and trash. What else is served with the pizza? Wings, and salad. How do the servers know where each guest is seated?   How long is the time from order to "delivery"? The owner stated 20minutes to do about 150 people since it is a limited menu it makes turnover faster.  How many trucks vs how many guests? 1 truck for dinner, two more for a late night snack.  What is the distance between the truck and where the guests are seated? At most I think 200 feet, they're situated right outside the hall next to the fire pits/lounge area. Under the roof just in case it rains people won't get wet.
    FH was adamant about no buffet or plated because of working in catering through college. He said he wanted people to "actually like the food" and not have it be the regular chicken/beef/fish. The food is kind of the area that he wanted control.
    Sorry for not making myself clear. This is what happens when I try to type on my phone. :/
    I agree that it's unlikely that these logistics are going to work.

    To be honest, when I attend a wedding I do not want to stand in a 150-person line waiting for it to move, no matter how fast. Not to mention: do you have any guests who cannot stand for 20 or more minutes? Would they still have to get in line, place their order and carry their food back to their seats? Would someone else have to take both those persons' orders as well as their own?

    I think your FI needs to leave his prior experiences with buffets and plated service in the past so you can come up with a different arrangement that doesn't require 150 people to stand on line.
  • ei34ei34 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Twenty minutes isn’t enough time for photos. And I live in a city with lots of food trucks and very fast-paced expectations- 150 people won’t be served in twenty minutes.  
    I do love pizza at a wedding, and having the stormtroopers surprise your H is fun, so I hope I didn’t seem negative.  I just think the plan is glitchy, with your guests being the ones to suffer. 
  • apwifey said:
    MobKaz said:
    What kind of pictures will you be sneaking out for? Stormtrooper pictures.  FH won't know they are there until the doors open for our grand entrance.Twenty minutes definitely won't be enough time for all of your couple pics. Our photographer did suggest we sneak out during the reception to catch the "golden hour," right before sundown. We said we'd play it by ear and ended up not wanting to leave because the reception had already started and we wanted to spend time with our guests.....Which also brings up the question, if you're paying for these storm troopers to be there, don't you guys want pictures with them too?

    Twenty minutes is definitely not enough time for a photo booth, unless you only have a small number of guests. I feel like having them come at that time will interrupt dinner and really throw off the flow of the evening. People might jump out of line for the food, which will push back dinner and then everything else will run late. I think I had it in my head that they would help release tables by each table getting their picture with the Stormtroopers then going on out to get their food. Then we'd sneak out with them after the last table. Not sure how cohesive that will work with reality.

    Also, a food truck =\= buffet line. A buffet line is usually staffed by wait staff, who keep the line moving so the guests mostly eat at the same time. I think our caterers got 130ish guests through in like 20 minutes, it was crazy. The good thing is that one pizza pie will serve several people, so they're not making everything as it's ordered, which will help with timing. Have you talked with the truck about how much time they'll need to serve all of your guests? Are they going to have the pizzas pre-made? Pizza is one of those things that (to me at least) is good either immediately or the next day, but not a few hours after it's been made. Food trucks aren't great for getting everyone their meal around the same time, so you could end up with some guests in line while others have finished eating, and that kind of seems the opposite of relaxed and chill. Will you have anything besides the pizza?

    One pie may serve several people, but are guests waiting in line for one slice?  I guess I was imagining "personal size" pizza's. 

    So many questions......How many from this truck are servers? 4 people in the truck. 3 more are running food and trash. What else is served with the pizza? Wings, and salad. How do the servers know where each guest is seated?   How long is the time from order to "delivery"? The owner stated 20minutes to do about 150 people since it is a limited menu it makes turnover faster.  How many trucks vs how many guests? 1 truck for dinner, two more for a late night snack.  What is the distance between the truck and where the guests are seated? At most I think 200 feet, they're situated right outside the hall next to the fire pits/lounge area. Under the roof just in case it rains people won't get wet.
    FH was adamant about no buffet or plated because of working in catering through college. He said he wanted people to "actually like the food" and not have it be the regular chicken/beef/fish. The food is kind of the area that he wanted control.
    Sorry for not making myself clear. This is what happens when I try to type on my phone. :/
    There are a billion ways to avoid the typical chicken/beef/fish and still provide a good meal experience for your guests. If he doesn't like buffet or plated meals, would he compromise on family style? Do you have a favorite local restaurant? A lot of times they can provide catering if you ask. You could also think about different cuisines! If your FI is stuck on pizza, you could check with his favorite pizzeria. I highly doubt the food truck owner can get everyone fed in 20 minutes, unless the pizza is made way ahead of time and then it likely won't taste good. I love food trucks, but they're not great for a quick meal. We have a macaroni truck here that's amazing and literally only involves scooping the mac & cheese and whatever 2-3 toppings you want into the bowl and that takes quite a while. They would be a good option for your late night snack though! The difference is that the late night snack is something that's just there, guests don't need to eat all at the same time (or at all if they don't want). The line at the truck would likely be more of a trickle instead of a log jam, like it would be at dinner.

    I also don't think your table release plan will work. For starters, you won't have much time to communicate with the storm troopers what order you want the tables released in and they won't have the slightest clue what your layout will look like. Plus, you'll likely have guests taking their own selfies with the storm troopers, which will slow things down. And unless everyone knows their food order ahead of time, it will take them more than the 8 seconds allotted (someone's math above) to just place their order. 

    Is it at all possible to get them for a longer period of time? Since they're going to be a surprise for your FI, 20 minutes isn't long enough for him to get over his surprise and then get composed for a series of professional photos. Have you done engagement pics or any type of professional photos yet? Even to get one shot takes way longer than one would think (unless you're a photographer and know these things), and they often like to get several to make sure there's at least one good option. 

    I'm not trying to be harsh; I love pizza and food trucks and it's great you want to surprise your FI with something he loves at your wedding. But right now your plans don't seem super realistic, and it would be better to change them now than have your guests hungry and upset.
  • I can't imagine making my nearest and dearest have to go to a food cart at a wedding.

    I think your FIs food plan will not go over well with the older generation.   
  • ahoyweddingahoywedding member
    First Comment First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited May 2018
    apwifey said:
    So FH and I are big Star Wars fans, but he is clearly the bigger fan of the two of us. I contacted our local 501st garrison and they are having some Stormtroopers that are able to make an appearance. They aren't arriving until the end of cocktail hour for a grand entrance and then interactive photo booth while people wait for their orders from our food truck. One of our photographers will be on each side of the door to catch his reaction then our guest reactions to seeing Stormtroopers and the Imperial March. Is 20 minutes just enough time for pictures during dinner enough for just us to sneak out with just the Stormtroopers?  Has anyone done this before? Or any character? How did your guests like it? 

    **Update** FH agreed with some of your input concerning wait times, and our vendors work out to do two food trucks during dinner so the guests can pick between pizza and street tacos. We're also having our immediate families order slightly ahead of time so their food can be ready and less time for our guests. He's still firm on getting people up and around.
    This.... doesn't seem quite fair. It's almost as if you're acknowledging that the food will take a while and you're giving an "advantage" to some of the guests. How bit big are your immediate families? Will letting 10 or so people order ahead of time make a real dent in the wait times? What will your family do when they're done eating but the rest of the guests haven't gotten their food yet?

    edit: spelling
  • MRDCleMRDCle member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper
    apwifey said:
    So FH and I are big Star Wars fans, but he is clearly the bigger fan of the two of us. I contacted our local 501st garrison and they are having some Stormtroopers that are able to make an appearance. They aren't arriving until the end of cocktail hour for a grand entrance and then interactive photo booth while people wait for their orders from our food truck. One of our photographers will be on each side of the door to catch his reaction then our guest reactions to seeing Stormtroopers and the Imperial March. Is 20 minutes just enough time for pictures during dinner enough for just us to sneak out with just the Stormtroopers?  Has anyone done this before? Or any character? How did your guests like it? 

    **Update** FH agreed with some of your input concerning wait times, and our vendors work out to do two food trucks during dinner so the guests can pick between pizza and street tacos. We're also having our immediate families order slightly ahead of time so their food can be ready and less time for our guests. He's still firm on getting people up and around.
    This.... doesn't seem quite fair. It's almost as if you're acknowledging that the food will take a while and you're giving an "advantage" to some of the guests. How bit are your immediate families? Will letting 10 or so people order ahead of time make a real dent in the wait times? What will your family do when they're done eating but the rest of the guests haven't gotten their food yet?
    Photos with Stormtroopers, duh. 

    Do you mean they get to order first? That's not a big deal to me, that would just be like letting table 1 where grandma and grandpa are get up first, but if its anything more than that it's not exactly fair to everyone else.
  • apwifey said:
    So FH and I are big Star Wars fans, but he is clearly the bigger fan of the two of us. I contacted our local 501st garrison and they are having some Stormtroopers that are able to make an appearance. They aren't arriving until the end of cocktail hour for a grand entrance and then interactive photo booth while people wait for their orders from our food truck. One of our photographers will be on each side of the door to catch his reaction then our guest reactions to seeing Stormtroopers and the Imperial March. Is 20 minutes just enough time for pictures during dinner enough for just us to sneak out with just the Stormtroopers?  Has anyone done this before? Or any character? How did your guests like it? 

    **Update** FH agreed with some of your input concerning wait times, and our vendors work out to do two food trucks during dinner so the guests can pick between pizza and street tacos. We're also having our immediate families order slightly ahead of time so their food can be ready and less time for our guests. He's still firm on getting people up and around.
    But, is there anyone with mobility issues? Why do they need to be up and around?
  • MRDCle said:
    apwifey said:
    So FH and I are big Star Wars fans, but he is clearly the bigger fan of the two of us. I contacted our local 501st garrison and they are having some Stormtroopers that are able to make an appearance. They aren't arriving until the end of cocktail hour for a grand entrance and then interactive photo booth while people wait for their orders from our food truck. One of our photographers will be on each side of the door to catch his reaction then our guest reactions to seeing Stormtroopers and the Imperial March. Is 20 minutes just enough time for pictures during dinner enough for just us to sneak out with just the Stormtroopers?  Has anyone done this before? Or any character? How did your guests like it? 

    **Update** FH agreed with some of your input concerning wait times, and our vendors work out to do two food trucks during dinner so the guests can pick between pizza and street tacos. We're also having our immediate families order slightly ahead of time so their food can be ready and less time for our guests. He's still firm on getting people up and around.
    This.... doesn't seem quite fair. It's almost as if you're acknowledging that the food will take a while and you're giving an "advantage" to some of the guests. How bit are your immediate families? Will letting 10 or so people order ahead of time make a real dent in the wait times? What will your family do when they're done eating but the rest of the guests haven't gotten their food yet?
    Photos with Stormtroopers, duh. 

    Do you mean they get to order first? That's not a big deal to me, that would just be like letting table 1 where grandma and grandpa are get up first, but if its anything more than that it's not exactly fair to everyone else.
    Good point. If they're just the first table called, no harm no foul; someone has to be first. I read it like they were going to be able to "pre-order" or something and have their food before the rest of the guests or something, which would be bad.
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