How to Plan a Manitoba Wedding Social
What is a Wedding Social?
A wedding social is a Manitoba tradition that combines a lively party with fundraising for a couple's upcoming wedding. It's essentially a pre-wedding bash where friends, family, and even friends of friends gather to support the couple by buying tickets, bidding on silent auction prizes, and enjoying drinks, dancing, and snacks. These events are popular in Winnipeg and surrounding areas, offering a fun way for couples to raise money for their wedding day while celebrating with their community. Whether you’re planning one or attending, a wedding social is always a night to remember!
Here are some helpful steps to plan a Wedding Social in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Find a Social Venue
Most community centres and halls will host a wedding social. Some night clubs are also an option. A night club can be a great choice if they still allow the club to be open to the public on that night, which means more guests and more profit for you.
Some venues take care of drink sales for you - this means you do not profit from drink tickets. However, even if you have a crowd who loves to drink (who doesn’t) the markup from drink sales is not great. Your profit will be made from attendance tickets and silent auction tickets.
Some venues will offer a late night snack option for your guests. For the venues that do not, many couples choose to place a large pizza order ahead of time and serve that to their guests around 11pm.
Book your Social DJ
You will want to book someone who is good at reading the crowds energy and skilled enough to keep them on the dance floor! We always recommend Andre from Great Times Events for both your Social and Wedding Day.
Apply for your Social Permits.
The Manitoba Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis requires you to have two permits when holding a Manitoba Social. You will need a Social Occasion Liquor Permit and a Social Occasion Raffle License .
Order your Social Attendance tickets.
Once you have your date and venue chosen you can order your social tickets. Tickets are often sold for $10 a piece. Some couples choose to offer two kinds of tickets (support tickets and regular tickets) so they can get an accurate idea of attendance. Support tickets are sold to people who know they cannot attend the social but who still want to support you. Regular tickets are for those who will attend your social. You can order social tickets from BasicInvite and use our promo code for 20% off.
Number your Tickets.
Number each and every ticket you hand out to sell so you can keep track of who sold what and how much money you are to collect. The same number on each side of the ticket is also needed if you want to rip the ticket in half at the door and draw for a door prize.
Start selling your Tickets.
It’s never too early to start selling. The more you sell, the more you make. Give multiple tickets to your bridal party or parents to sell to their social circles as well.
Start collecting Silent Auction prizes.
Reach out to your community and local businesses for social donations. Many companies ask for a Social Donation Letter which includes your reason for the social, the date, venue and an attached void attendance ticket. Here are some Businesses in Manitoba who will Donate.
Prepare your Prize Tickets.
The MYLGCA has Raffle Rules in place for Silent Auctions, 50/50 draws and Perfume Draws. You can purchase tickets for these from various Dollar and Party stores but make sure the numbers do not repeat in different bundles. Some stores will allow you to return unopened tickets.
You will want to prepare bundled packages of these tickets ahead of time and have them ready to sell as people walk in. Some couples will have one price for regular prize tickets and a more expensive price for grand prize tickets. Having a price sheet with different bundle options is also helpful. (one sheet of 10 tix for $20, three sheets of 10 tix for $50, four sheets of 10 tix + 5 grand prize tix bundle for $80 etc).
Wrap your Prize Packages.
Once you’ve collected enough prize donations (and purchased some) it’s fun to categorize each package as some type of theme if you can. ex. Girls, Guys, WPG Jets, Camping, Romantic, etc. Some couples will opt for higher priced items as “Grand prizes” allowing them to sell these auction tickets at a higher price. Wrapping the items in cellophane wrap or some kind of visual packaging is a great way to display the prizes at your social. Make sure you have a list of all items included with each package so your guests know what they’re entering to win. You’ll also want some type of small bag with each prize where people can drop their tickets in.
Prepare a Float.
You’ll want to have a cash box and a float with small cash increments for the night of your social.
Delegate Responsibilities.
On the night of your social you and your fiancé will be busy greeting and mingling with everyone who arrives. You will want to delegate certain tasks to your bridal party or close family/friends to ensure things run smoothly throughout the night. Have two people at the door at all times handling raffle ticket sales. Have one or two people walk around and sell 50/50 tickets and perfume draw tickets. Have someone who can gather the cash that’s been made every hour and keep it in a safe place.
Draw for your Prizes.
it is best to draw for your prizes around midnight. Turn down the music, turn on the lights, get on the mic and have your prize bags ready to go. Some couples will only opt to draw for their grand prizes and will write out the regular prize winning ticket numbers on a large sign which allows guests check for their own winning number. This will avoid a long gap in your party and prevents guests from leaving sooner.