With our small destination wedding, we were planning on having a welcome dinner for all our guests on Friday night in place of a rehearsal dinner with just the wedding party.
We'll be in Coronado, CA and our hotel shares its courtyard with a Mexican restaurant that I grew up going to with my mom. They were definitely our first thought when it came to a welcome dinner.
After talking to the restaurant, we have a few options:
First, we can reserve a private room with a $3500 food and beverage minimum. We would pick from 1 of 4 buffets, or we could pick 3 entree options for our guests to select from off the banquet menu.
Pros: No clean up on our end; buffets!; would probably feel the most...formal? official? normal? I don't know
Cons: $3500 F&B minimum makes it feel like we're paying for a second reception; room is not very cute... (shown below); we'd have to provide our own linens or rent them from the restaurant for yet another fee; only one option for our vegetarian guests (3 + FH
Second, we could get some of their "fiesta to go" platters and have them in the hotel courtyard, which we need to pay a fee to reserve.
Pros: avoids the F&B minimum, outdoors
Cons: Costs extra, would have to then figure out logistics for drinks/keeping things hot or cold
Third option is still the "fiesta to go" platters, but having them in the largest suite at the hotel, which my mom has already reserved for herself and is referring to as the "hospitality suite". This was her suggestion, so we won't be intruding on her space uninvted. This suite is roughly 1500 square feet (gosh, I think that's the size of my house lol), and the living room alone is 800 square feet. There's a decent amount of seating - 8 person dining table, 4 chairs around a coffee table, 2 3-person couches around a coffee table).
Pros: No extra cost, full kitchen available for chilling drinks or keeping food warm, people could still take their food to the courtyard to eat if they'd like
Cons: Could start to feel crowded with that many people, not a seat for everyone, will have to clean up before the next morning - this is also where my bridesmaids and I will be getting ready
We will have 40 people maximum, and we definitely want to provide a welcome dinner for everyone, as it's a destination for all our guests, and the two of us (my dad is the closest and he's about 4 hours away).
I personally am leaning towards option #3 from a cost perspective and ease perspective - I also feel it would give guests a little more freedom with their evening and their schedule. It can be a little exhausting going to an event after getting off the plane, so I feel #2 or #3 are the most flexible there.
If you were flying out on a Friday and invited to a welcome dinner, are there things you hate about any of these options? Would it offend you if option 3 were the welcome dinner...?
Thanks in advance for your opinions, you all are always so helpful! Wedding planning would honestly be a nightmare if it weren't for this site 😅 Sorry that was such a long post....
