Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 9, 1991 TAG: 9102090047
SECTION: YOUR WEDDING PAGE: W-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The good news is that weddings can be fun, if plans are made far in advance and a suitable location is chosen.
For instance, strangers could start getting acquainted in a heart-warming setting that closely resembles a home, filled with loveseats and porches and rocking chairs.
If the wedding reception is small - say, 50 or under - the option to throw a party at an area bed-and-breakfast inn is open. Two that are very different, but used to entertaining wedding guests, are the Oaks Bed and Breakfast in Christiansburg and the Claytor Lake Homestead Inn. Since the stipulation, naturally, is that these inns' rooms are booked with wedding guests during the wedding weekend, the bonus is offering out-of-town family a comfortable place to stay.
The Homestead Inn, which opened last April, is on Claytor Lake and includes the recreational opportunities that go along with that asset - swimming, boating, fishing - plus a large garden for reception overflow. Owner Betsey Thomas said caterer Diane Whitehead accommodated a winter wedding by expanding the wrap-around porch with a tent and by using portable heaters.
The inn offers five bedrooms with shared bathrooms and can handle a fairly large wedding party because of its quiet, private location and expansive outdoors.
Completely different, but offering the same degree of charm, is the 1893 Oaks Bed and Breakfast. Because it is in a residential neighborhood, owner Margaret Ray said parties need to be small. "I want the quiet end of it, about 50 or under," she said. "If the bridal party took over the entire inn, they could have a very special breakfast that morning."
She added that it is perfect for honeymoons, wedding nights and out-of-town guests, and that she has held candlelight receptions on the porch.
Both The Homestead Inn and The Oaks require catering for receptions. Diane Whitehead of Catering Unlimited in Blacksburg has done weddings at both, as well as throughout the New River Valley, Roanoke and as far as the Richlands area.
"Generally, a bed-and-breakfast wedding is for an older bride or a second wedding," Whitehead said. They want smaller, more intimate occasions, and many are footing the bills themselves. "The trend is away from churches, because alcohol can't be served in them, and more and more in homes. The most successful wedding reception is done at home, unless it's huge. The one thing people absolutely love is an indoor/outdoor feeling." That can be provided by inns and bed and breakfasts.
Whitehead, who also offers a wedding consulting service, said most people are neophytes when it comes to weddings. She can help plan everything, including etiquette. She suggested that those with a limited budget not try to handle a large reception they will be dissatisfied with, but hold a smaller party and "do it right."
Whitehead has seen a change in the way a bride wants her reception. "Compared to 10 years ago, brides are much more sophisticated now. They expect a lot more - it's the biggest party in their whole life. We're doing more evening receptions. It used to be, in Virginia, brides had afternoon receptions - 2 o'clock or 2:30 p.m., with light foods. Now, brides are going more toward meals and longer receptions."
Whitehead meets with the bride prior to the wedding to discuss the ambiance the bride wants to create. Lately, she has encountered more diversity, she said. "I did my first sushi reception a couple of years ago. It's best, when serving foods people are unfamiliar with, to tell them what it is, or prepare it in front of them. They're more receptive."
Whitehead said that even if guests don't eat something, at least they'll talk about it.
Trends in food? People are more health-conscious, asking for more poultry and fish, lighter foods and more variety. No heavily-sauced dishes, according to Whitehead, but plenty of vegetables. She likes to serve baby vegetables.
She also has seen a changing trend in drinking. About eight years ago, she would end up serving eight to 10 glasses of wine per 100 people. Now, "we will serve 30 to 40 glasses per 100."
Drinks served at 70 percent cent of the receptions are beer, wine, and champagne, with no liquor. Those costs less, and people are drinking lighter. Also, more and more brides are asking for those drinks to be served because of concern for liability, she said.
She also advises against open bars with no bartenders. "You have people controlling their own drinks, and that's a horrid idea."
And, she said, punches are unpopular. "I, personally, don't recommend it - people don't like them."
Roanoke offers a place that both accommodates a reception in a homey atmosphere and provides the food for it. La Maison du Gourmet, a newly renovated 1923 restaurant, is under new ownership, with a new chef, and has big plans for parties, such as wedding receptions.
Owner Rence Marianetti said his chef, Tom Hamelman, formerly of The Grand Hotel in Washington, D.C., is in the process of creating a new menu. Marianetti is decorating the upstairs rooms to bring the total number of small, intimate dining rooms to 10. Marianetti also is sprucing up the garden with daffodils and roses, since both outdoors and indoors are available to parties of up to 600.
"The capacity depends on the time of year," he said. According to him, the inside is large enough to accommodate 350 to 400. "We've done picnics outside, and receptions as simple as having an 11 a.m. wedding in the garden with a light brunch. For others, they've brought in the Kings (a band), and we've ended up throwing them out at 1 a.m. We're flexible enough to handle different people. Other facilities are so structured, with package deals."
Marianetti said the rental charge for La Maison is $275, and his kitchen can design menus that are either simple, or as elaborate as $60 per person.
Although receptions will always vary according to a bride's taste, Dody Matze of Perfect Wedding consulting business of Roanoke said the receiving line is a trend they have moved away from.
"Most all of your etiquette books say it's important," she said, but now the wedding party is being announced as it enters the reception instead. "The receiving line takes such a long time, and is so tiring. It becomes a blur of faces, your feet hurt, your hands are sweaty."
Also, she said, announcing the wedding party takes away from any awkward situation that a divorced bride or groom's family might encounter in a receiving line.
Matze said she has a checklist of crucial details that should be taken care of ahead of time to make the wedding and reception move smoother. First, have something for guests to eat and drink at the reception while they are waiting for the bridal party to arrive. This helps time pass quickly while the photographer is taking pictures.
Also, be sure to reserve a table or two for parents and grandparents, who are apt to arrive at the reception along with the bridal party. Otherwise, said Matze, they might end up standing.
As wedding consultants and coordinators, Matze and her partner, Sherri Aiken, help during the wedding as well. One of them will arrive early at the reception to scope out the situation and prevent possible disasters. Matze said prevention is key: one time she arrived to find that the supposedly cash bar was set up as an open bar. If she hadn't set things right, the bride's father would have been stuck with a hefty bill.
Another detail that can relieve stress is putting together the going-away outfit and giving it to Matze at the wedding rehearsal. "When we get to the wedding, there's a whole set of new clothes there [the wedding dress, etc.] and enough to think about. This gets it off your mind."
She also cautioned against wearing a new pair of shoes to the reception and suggested that both bride and groom break in their wedding footwear so it will be more comfortable.
And one last detail - one that the parents will need to worry about: who is going to take home wedding presents? "Parents have to figure out where all presents are going. And that's one of our services. We help drag the gifts out to the car."
Although the romantic notion of leaving the reception to go off on a wonderful honeymoon may be appealing, Matze said many couples don't do it that way anymore. Some have just purchased a home and invested a lot of money in its renovation. Those couples may simply go home and take a weekend vacation at some other time. And some couples, whose family have come from out of town, may stay over for a special breakfast the next day.
But whichever way, she said, rice-throwing is out. Which leads to yet another item on the check-list: Determine ahead of time whether the reception facility allows birdseed (some say it attracts rodents), or would prefer potpourri.
The well-wishing is bound to be equally enthusiastic.
by CNB