Hi guys

M

marg

Well-known member
OK it looks like I will be hosting the rehearsal dinner for Cici and Bill's wedding. Bill's dad is ill and they are thinking it's MS. At this point I would not want him to do anything he was not up to. However we are trying to keep it really light, and inexpensive as this wedding is costing more than any of us anticipated and there seems to be no help being offered by Cici's grandparents ( the IL's) who offered when they became engaged, but since have suffered some amnesesia (sp)but I digress.. Anyway we will be busy decorating the garden at the venue where the wedding is that night after the rehersal, so I was just thinking of pizzas and a big salad when we all came back to my house. There will be 28 people total ( each of them have 6 attendants and only DJ and Jen, and Billy's sister and her DH are couples.) The rest of them are married to other people, so therefore those spouses need to be included. Is it OK to just make a giant salad and have pizzas with wine, beer and soda? I have never done a rehersal dinner before so I am pretty clueless.

Plus I will have my sister, and BIL and the 2 boys 3 and 6 staying here at my house so confusion will reign supreme. I'm looking for as little stress the night before the wedding as I can get. Is Pizza a tacky idea? we will be out in the back yard so it's totally casual.

Thanks for the input. I'm stressing myself to the hilt.

 
Oh marg, take a deep breath

gosh, with you working, putting on a wedding and now the rehearsal dinner also - you have a lot on your plate.

Pizza and a super giant salad sounds perfect and it's being held outside, so no mess in your house. How about brownies or some type of easy finger dessert. A wedding rehearsal dinner is for making wonderful memories. Your ideas sound like everyone will have a relaxing great evening. Enjoy this moment in your life and try not to stress out.

 
A casual pizza party will be like an island of calm amidst all the stress. It's a perfect idea.

 
Pizza and salad sound great! Paper plates and napkins and a tray of cookies or brownies from the

bakery. Get some of those plastic cups and you're set! Everyone will love it.

 
My sister who has been in literally dozens of weddings says

the most fun rehearsal dinner she ever went to was one where they served pizza and beer. Everyone kicked back and RELAXED, which is exactly what you need the night before the big day.
Weddings can quickly spiral out of control (ask me how I know) so I love the idea of fun and casual! When is the wedding? My daughter gets married in June, her rehearsal dinner is a backyard barbeque and the inevitable campfire that always follows. My favorite kind of party!

 
Hi Marge -

My middle daughter is getting married May 31st. The groom's family all live away so my daughter and her beloved decided to do the same type thing. I really didn't need to take on one more stess, either, so was more than happy to agree to it. We're having a lovely meal for the reception so pizza the night before should be great.

Go for it and let everyone chip in and help. Enjoy being Mother of the Bride! smileys/smile.gif I know it's a bittersweet time for you.

Blessings from Mo

 
Marg, I recently gave a pizza party for 20 and it was a huge hit

I made 5 different kinds of pizza, served a big green salad and for dessert I had a "make your own ice cream sundae" bar with three different homemade toppings (hot fudge, strawberry, butterscotch) and it couldn't have been received better. I pre-froze scoops of ice cream in small bowls so I didn't have to do it later then put them out.

Here are the pizzas I made in case some ideas will help you out- I made enough dough for 7 pizzas but only needed 5 and had some leftovers:

Pizza Vedura- I made this up- I started with pesto then put sauteed leeks on top, then chopped tomatoes, sliced sweet pepper, fresh mozzarella, Nicoise olives and baked until almost done. Then I put on raw shrimp and parmesan cheese then finished it off.

Pepperoni Pizza with veggies- a chunky homemade tomato sauce with Italian sausage, mushrooms, sweet peppers, onions, then mozzarella then pepperoni, black olives and a sprinkling of parmesan.

BBQ Chicken with Avocado- shredded cooked chicken in a good BBQ sauce with thinly sliced onions, sweet peppers, olives, mushrooms then cheddar cheese on top- and about 5 minutes before it was done baking I put sliced avo on it.

Pissaladire de Menage- a Julia recipe- sauteed onions, anchovies, good pungent black olives and parmesan.

Pizza Margherita- fresh mozzarella, chopped tomatoes, fresh basil, chopped garlic.

Good luck with your party- I hope you have a chance to enjoy it.

 
Thanks for the thumbs up!!

Gayle, your last sentence brought tears to my eyes, and then down my face. Yes, bittersweet it will be. I probably would not be stressing so much if Keith were still with us because I would have his calming influence which was always there, plus the financial situation would not be what it is. Kathy, thank you for the wonderful pizza ideas, but this time around I am not going to do the meal. With the rehearsal, decorating the venue, the wedding the next day, my sis and her hubby and the 2 boys here, plus all the other things, I am going to order out. Before DJ went into the Army while he was still in high school, he worked in a wonderful little Italian resturant 2 blocks down from the house. They make what is the closest to a real NY pizza that I have found since moving from NY to Pa all those years ago. So I am going to order from them, plus they give DJ a wonderful discount when he is home!! It's a big plus. I will ask my Mom a.k.a 'Queen of the Brownies' to make a few pans of brownies and maybe my sister can be coaxed into her rice krispy squares. ( One of DJ's 2 favorite foods. The other one being Joe's peanut brittle) Joe, I hope you're reading this! The "Boy" does not ever share your peanut brittle! Maybe I'll scare up a bunt cake and I think maybe we will be OK, but of course I will be insane because I do it so well.
The wedding is August 30th. Labor Day weekend.

 
Marg, I agree with all. The rehearsal dinner sounds like great fun...

If you are in need of salad suggestions, I found a wonderfully colorful and delicious salad recipe that follows. I made it the other day and Dh husband and I loved it and even more surprisingly, DH 87 y.o. parents did too. Good luck. I found this adaptation at the The Pioneer Woman Cooks website..Steph

Asian Noodle Salad
adapted from Jamie Oliver
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin (if available)
1 small bag bean sprouts (also called “mung bean sprouts”)
3 sliced scallions (I will use more next time)
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers
LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet
DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapeños, chopped
More chopped cilantro—LOTS
Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.
*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro.
Enjoy!

 
Yes, Marg, I'm reading. And glowing.

This past Christmas I put together 2 packages of peanut brittle for DJ's troops, via Michael. I typed up a Christmas letter for each and made it clear that one box was for general consumption, and the other was just for DJ. I packed them in fairly small boxes and went to the post office; gosh, they were going to be expensive! So I got the larger flat-rate boxes, slid them in with bubble wrap, and returned to the post office. No problem, but when I got home the Christmas letters were still sitting on my table. Damn.

I figured if DJ didn't recognize the name, he might recognize the peanut brittle. I hope he shared at least one of those boxes!

Do I need to boil up some caramel and peanuts for Labor Day?

 
Tips

My friend just got married and they had a pizza rehearsal dinner too. The informal setting made it much more fun to get to know everyone and just spend time together.

I thought this was a cute idea. They actually had games like a bubble gum blowing contest. So simple and yet so fun.

My suggestion: when someone asks if they can help, say YES. Too often these kinds of things are so stressful because you want to do everything. At the end of the day, you want to enjoy yourself too. Saying YES will help ensure the day is special for you as well.

- Assign someone the task of ordering the pizza and getting the place set up.

- You could easily prepare a checklist for the party now while your mind is clear...including the pizza place phone number and your address (for delivery).

- I have a big box I call my Party Box. In it, I've got cups, plates, plasticwear, table covers, napkins, tealights. Whenever I have a party, I just pull out the box. You could get your box all set up now...and include the location of it on your checklist. (ex. it's in the garage, hall closet, whatever. Label it with a big bright sign for easy visibility.)

- The drinks...you can have already stocked well in advance.

- Assign someone the task of getting the ice. (Your son? Since he knows the area and might actually enjoy getting out of the hubbub for a few minutes.)

- For the salad...make up a fabulous dressing and just buy bags of salad mix. (I once saw a caterer put all the ingredients in a garbage bag and "toss" the salad in that...)

- Salad bowl, serving utensils, etc. can all go in your party box. Or, if you have a big tub that you'll store the ice in, put all your party fixings in that. That way it's all together and you don't have to worry about collecting things as the day draws closer. It's done.

 
have 2 big tubs filled with ice and one with pop and the other with beer/wine

or get a small keg for out back, if beer will be served. The guys will be happy to help themselves.

 
Agree, excellent comments. But an additional plea from someone who gets indigestion easily:

Don't add raw onions to the salad. I know this sounds logical, but I'm constantly amazed how often I find raw onions lurking in there.

Serve a few pizzas without sausage or pepperoni or bacon or anything that goes by the noun "Meat Lovers."

Designate someone else to take 2 grocery rotisserie chickens and shred them ahead of time and place the platter near the salad. Dieters can then add protein to their meal and skip the pizza. (You don't want some bridesmaid fainting because she would be wearing a tight skinny dress and only ate a few lettuce leaves. Feel free to ask me how I know this.)

 
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