Mother of the bride here. The wedding is in a few weeks and will be held at my daughter and her fiance's Catholic church. It is a morning wedding, followed by a brunch reception at a local resort on the ocean. The reception is outdoors on a large patio overlooking the water, but we did have to spring for a tent in case of bad weather. (Holy crow, that was expensive! But at this point, it all seems like monopoly money.)
The couple chose a fiddler and Celtic harpist for their music. They don't like to dance (no first dance or any scripted dances), but the music will be danceable, and the bride's little cousin will be doing Irish step dancing. She is good, so it will be briefly entertaining. For other entertainment, the planner suggested lawn games, such as corn hole, hula hoops (lots of kids there) and jenga on a couple of tables. Can you think of anything else we should do? I want the guests to have fun.
And now for the random questions. Sorry if this is not the right place! How do I clean the car so that my daughter's dress doesn't get stained on the way to the wedding?. Can I just wipe down the interior, vacuum, etc., then lay a sheet down? This is a low-key couple and they don't plan on hiring a limo, so it's just our car taking the bride to the venue from the getting ready room at the hotel, and then I guess they'll take the groom's car back to the reception.
The planner also suggested getting those little florist beads to strew artfully across the tables to complement the flowers. We will have 13 tables of 10 people, some long, some round. How many pounds of those little suckers do I need to order? Any idea on how much territory a pound bag covers?
Finally, how do you accommodate people who don't RSVP but show up anyway? There are a handful of flakes among our invitees. It's a brunch buffet, no assigned seating, but I do want a chair for every bottom and adequate food. I can't imagine having more than 3-5 extras do this, but I want to be prepared.
Oh, wait, there's more: we still haven't nailed down a rehearsal dinner. Is pizza and beer okay after the rehearsal? It will be early, since the bride has a 6:45 hair and make-up appointment.