Please don't take this the wrong way, but here is another very strong vote for having a caterer do this for you, even if it means much less expensive refreshments. It sounds like you don't have a whole lot of cooking experience (you wrote, "I don't know how to prepare anything"). With all respect, a wedding reception for 120 is NOT the time to learn -- even if it weren't your own daughter's wedding. This would be a daunting job even for those with lots of cooking and entertaining experience. I think even -- perhaps especially -- the most experienced would be inclined to get a caterer for a group this large, especially as mother of the bride. You will have so many other things you'll have to attend to, and even more than that that you don't want to miss. Do you really want to be refreshing the buffet when your daughter and son-in-law are having their first dance? If I were in your position, I would call a few caterers, tell them your budget -- and tell them it's FIRM -- and ask what they can do for that money. You may be very pleasantly surprised. If it's still out of range, consider ordering platters from a food store or inexpensive restaurant, and perhaps hiring a few servers/cleaners. You can supplement the latter and probably even the caterer option with some dishes you or friends and relatives make ahead and have the caterer serve along with his/her food. Your peace of mind, not having to worry about this in the months leading up to the wedding, is really important, too, along with being able to enjoy your guests on the big day. To me, that is worth some money. So if I were in your position, I'd cut way back on everything else if necessary: liquor (certainly a fountain is unnecessary), decorations, types of food, prom-y stuff like limos and favors, and even fancy wedding clothes if necessary. Being able to be a relaxed hostess who can enjoy her guests is more important, in my opinion, than fancy arrangements. Everyone is different, but that's just my experience. Congratulations to you all!

We had about 10 kids at our reception a couple of weeks ago. They were all between the ages of 1 and 10. We were going to have a pinata for the kids, a special table for them with PB and J, coloring books, and a couple of other things for them to do but it ended up we ran out of time and didn't do them. I don't think any of the kids got board at the reception....they were all out dancing and just having a good time. They made some really cute pictures. I'm glad we didn't go thru with the PB and J--I think it would have been way too messy!! I was at a wedding a couple of years ago and they had a sit down full coarse meal for the adults and for the kids, they ordered McD's Happy Meals. It was a really cute idea, the kids loved it. And they all got their own toy to play with. I stole the idea of making a flowergirl Barbie as well. My FG was 5 and when I gave it to her, her face just lit up. I think after the rechearsal, her mom put it up for her so that she will always be able to remember when she was my FG. Springbride04

You all have given me such great ideas! I want to go to a wedding with each of these favors. To answer a question, most of our guests will be coming from either New York City, Philly, or Connecticut. Some will be from upstate New York, but most will be from out of town. A lot are either 50 or older, so I'm thinking we might not want to do candy apples (even though I love them.) definitely leaning towards a food item, perhaps syrup, or maybe maple candies. Still exploring. The only other thing to keep in mind is that our menu includes a "pastry delight "table at the end of the wedding with a beautiful assortment of fancy little pastries. Wondering if we need anything as far as favors…

If money is no object....then money is no object. (Yeah, I know, I'm brilliant. Ha.) If someone has the cash to spend, I hold zero opinions how they should spend it. That's the beauty of America. :) How someone chooses to spend discretionary income is up to you. My concern is that there seems to be huge pressure to make the wedding An Event to Remember anymore. Too many people are focused on planning a party, and not thinking about the fact that means you're (allegedly) going to be spending the rest of your life with this person. As I said, I know people who took out loans to provide An Event to Remember for their daughters' wedding/s. Half of those weddings are already over. I'm not sure I see the value in spending multiples of tens of thousands of dollars that they had to borrow, particularly on something that is a transitory state for about half the people who enter into a marriage anymore. I'd like to see more people focus on the actual marriage itself, rather than the party which precedes it. :-/