Is it appropriate to expect invited guests to pay to attend our Pastors retirement party?
Opinions differ on this…some would say if you invite people, you pay. However, in this day and age much is acceptable if done properly. In my circle of friends it is not expected that our meals are being paid for if the guest of honour decides to celebrate at a restaurant. We even throw in $25 toward a huge gift from the group! It is a good idea to make it clear on the invitation that they are expected to pay to avoid any confusion. A simple way to do this is to contact the restaurant and ask them to build a menu (a chicken and a veggie option works well) for you and price it. This way when the guests get their invitaion the cost is included on the invite. This should speak for itself. Another way to approach it is to provide something so that your guests can still have something even if they choose not to order a meal. For example, let people know in the invitations that appetizers will be provided. Or dessert will be provided. Usually, when one thing is mentioned as “on you”, peopl
