You said you can freeze the leftover, which says to me that you (a) have the freezer space and (b) eat hot dogs and hamburger anyway. In that case, even though you have lots of other foods, I would buy plenty of both for everyone, so you definitely won't run out. It's a no-lose situation, just a little more cash on the front end, as you will eat the leftover later anyway. Have coolers and ice for the raw hamburger and mayo salads especially. Consider bringing some bee traps if that is a problem in your area this time of year. Congratulations! I hope you have great weather and a lovely day.

My sister does her Christmas cookie baking starting in November and stores them in my extra freezer. Most cookies freeze well. I make mini walnut tarts that freeze and are a real crowd pleaser. You could also consider making a Vacherin which is very impressive and freezable. Pies and unfrosted sheet cakes freeze well, also. Try Googling on 'frozen desserts' or 'make ahead desserts' and see what comes up. A platter of fresh fruit and cheese is good for people on diets. Or cut up fresh fruit with a dip of 1/2 marshmallow Fluff and 1/2 cream cheese mixed together. Sounds like fun!

I actually think it is very regional. I live in NY and attended many very elaborate weddings where I had to shell out a $300 gift ($600 for close family) for a gift. I think the idea is that you have to cover your plate and then some. My DH's friend is a wedding photographer and he charges a minimum of $12K for a wedding and he is booked solid. Around here, giving money is a norm. The registry is for the bridal shower and I have seen many registeries that include plasma's and $400 place settings. I have several girls at my job getting married and they are spending between $25-$40K. It's outrageous if you ask me and quite stressful because you want to attend these events but they become very unaffordable! In addition, for the amount of money you spend on a wedding, you can put a down payment on a house! When I got married 7 years ago, my parents offered m $20K to pay for the wedding. We looked at several places that cost $150/person and it just didn't feel right sending all that money on one day. We opted to have our wedding a restaurant instead of a reception hall and invited 75 people (much to the chagrin of my parents who wanted me to invite 200 people). My bouquet and cake were from Costco. I had one maid of honor and advertised at a local college to get cheap photographer/videographer. My dress was off the rack of a bridal store and I drove myself to the church. I ended up spending about $7K and the other 13K was part of the down payment for our home. I will admit that my friends and family were generous despite the simple nature of our wedding which I was extremely grateful for.

Well, you really can't issue an invitation in the name you will have if you don't have it yet. Also, "informal reception" is a little confusing. I think you mean to refer to clothes, or perhaps to no meal, but it sounds sort of like there is a formal one some other time. It certainly does not do the job of indicating that there is no meal. Some of the most formal wedding receptions have no meal, and some of the most casual ones do. What about something like this: Brock L and Alicia T will be married in a family ceremony on May 18th, 2007 Please join us for a reception Saturday, May 19th, 2007 3:00 pm Unitarian Universalist Church 123 Road, City, State If you like, at the bottom in tiny type or on a separate card: After May 18th, 2007 Brock and Alicia T-L at home address --> Make sure that the date of the reception is more prominent than the date of the wedding, so no one will be confused when they glance at it on the refrigerator later. Don't invite anyone by word of mouth or email. If you want to invite them, send them invitations. An invitation is not pressure either to attend or to send a gift. I would be confused if you just sort of let me know casually that it was okay if I came: "Does she really want me there, or is she just feeling like she should have invited me, or what?" I don't know how big your department is or how close you are with everyone, but you are not obligated to invite them all. People understand that you can't invite the whole world, and if they aren't close with you on a personal basis, they probably wouldn't want to come anyway (even the most fun wedding in the world is no fun if you don't know the people there -- take it from a clergy wife!) If the faculty members are really your friends, no reason not to invite them, but don't feel bad if they decline. It sounds like you are very excited, which is good, and want to include everyone you like. But eventually you have to put on the brakes! Have fun! By the way, what are you studying?