Dont Be a No $how!!

Deborah McCoy, the founder of the American Academy of Wedding Professionals, often speaks of one of the first weddings she planned as a consultant. Her clients were a lovely couple, who were paying for their own wedding. When she arrived at the hotel, where the ceremony was being held, she was amazed by the exhilarating hustle and bustle that a wedding generates: waiters running back and forth with china, crystal and silver; florists with fragrant blooms and centerpieces, ribbons and bows---transforming a banquet hall into fantasyland to make a bride and groom's dreams come true. A fantasy that cost them lots of money!



And then the time nears, the wedding hour approaches, but wait a minute. Where are the guests? This couple had received confirmation that 80 people would be in attendance, but only half that many showed! The bride and groom were heartbroken. They paid for 80 guests at $90 per head for a total cost of $7,200. Do you really think that the hotel charged them $3,600 because only half the guests showed? That was not the case, because catering facilities, hotels, and banquet halls require wedding hosts to guarantee the number of guests they expect, in writing, meaning that they pay whether their guests show or not.

So if you receive an invitation to a wedding and you respond that you are going to attend, then you better. You've made a promise!

If anything occurs that might prevent you from attending a wedding after you've sent that response card, make it a priority to call the bride and/or groom ahead of time and tell them. "Guarantees" are not normally finalized until three days before the wedding and you better believe that the couple won't forget your thoughtfulness and the $$$ you saved them!

© 2008, Deborah McCoy. All rights reserved.