How to Design a Pastoral Banquet

Settle on the number of guests to invite to your event. Besides the pastor, his staff and his family, you may choose to invite the entire church, or key leadership. You will need these numbers first in order to adequately plan and design the pastoral banquet. Create your guest list and have it handy always.
Send out invitations using a guest list. Ask for RSVP's so you can have solid numbers to give to the caterer.
Choose the location of the banquet. Your church may have a fellowship hall, if so you should use that one. If the group is larger than can be adequately seated in your hall, or you do not have a fellowship hall, you should look for one to rent. Ask others who you know have held banquets for some good recommendations. When you find the right one, make the deposit and set the date.
Acquire dining chairs and tables. Determine how many of these you will need by having one chair per guest. Then ask the rental company how many chairs can one table comfortably seat. Ask your rental company how muchthey will be providing according to the initial contract and how much it would cost to add more, if you should need them.
Create a seating chart using the guests from your guest list. With a pencil write the names in of all your guests, placing them where you want them to sit. A traditional way to seat people is to place them is alternating the sex of the guest This will keep the conversation flowing easily during the banquet.
Using your theme selection to help you decide the colors you will be using for the event. Color choices will effect table dressings, streamers, balloons and centerpieces. Stick with one or two colors to keep it simple.
Rent or buy tablecloths to cover the dining hall tables. They should be long enough to reach the floor but not to be a tripping hazard for the elderly. Besides covering tables for diners you will also need to cover the food and serving tables.
Decide on what style of dinnerware, silverware and stemware you will be using. Buy or rent the utensils you need. Practice your dinner arrangements by setting place settings and adjusting them until you are satisfied with the look. Write down your choices and decisions so on the day of the banquet you'll have a guide to use.
Design the centerpieces for the banquet by implementing the theme choice into them. Make the pastor's table centerpiece much larger than the regular table centerpieces.
Meet with the caterers you have selected and choose a menu to serve the night of the banquet. Ask for volunteers to help serve for the banquet. Book the special speaker to come for the event. Take the menu, the agenda and any program you design to the printers to have them made. Purchase awards or gifts you will be presenting to pastor. Arrange for a church group or committee to decorate the banquet hall before the event.
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