I think ceremonies are one of those things in the military that really shows the significance a spouse can have. Service members (voice of experience) don’t have time to plan their own celebratory events. If tasked by a superior, sure. But they won’t take it on themselves. M DEFINITELY wouldn’t put any time or effort into celebrating himself in a big way.
That’s ok, babe. I got you.
We found out about M’s promotion in February. From there, all hell broke loose.
In March, M got unofficial job offers for his next position, and we started making unofficial arrangements for a move.
In April, we looked for a house, got orders, signed a lease, and requested movers for our PCS over the course of a single weekend.
Two weeks later, with no confirmation from movers that we would indeed have the military move our furniture, I drove the ten hours to our new house with an air mattress and the dog.
By some grace of a higher power, we got a last minute mover to do a direct shipment of our home, and within a week of my solitary move, M and the furniture arrived.
The following week, M started work and was told to prepare for his frocking ceremony, to be completed within the month.
Wait. WHAT?
We were still unpacking our house, so betwixt clearing boxes of books and vainly searching for the Tupperware lids (WHY WOULD YOU PACK THOSE SEPARATELY? WHY?), I started frantically searching for advice on how to organize a promotion reception.
M asked around at work and got everything from “Just get a cake from the grocery store and do it in the conference room” to “Rent out a local bar and pay a $1500 tab for everyone to drink and celebrate with you!”
Well. Not helpful, kids.
We decided to wing it and aim for something in between.
And, I gotta say, I think it went ok! Some of the staff were telling me I was invited to every unit event from now on. I’ll take it!… I think…
But, for those frantically searching for ideas, here’s what we landed on.
PLANNING:
Not an ideal timeline. Since we didn’t get much heads up, this is what it looked like for us.
3 weeks prior:
- SET A BUDGET (And remember you’re gonna be buying new uniforms, so you’re not exactly swimming in the dough right now, ya hear? Ours was $600, and it worked out well.)
- Give family members heads up
- Research and gather quotes from local bakeries for a cake
- Research and gather quotes from local bars and restaurants for entertainment space (we decided on the conference room after all, because it fell on a holiday weekend and we knew no one would come after work, as everyone would be headed straight home to be with their families. I wanted to use the park near the office, but it was already 90 degrees by 0900, so that option sailed REAL fast!)
- Things to consider: security of site – are civilians allowed? Are cameras/ phones allowed? Is outside food allowed?
- Research and gather quotes for catering
- Shop for and/or order plates, napkins, cutlery, table cloths, labels, decor (COUGH DOLLAR TREE COUGH COUGH)
- Design or purchase invitation for spouse to send out (decide if RSVP is necessary for food/head count), and be careful of OPSEC if you share it online
- Decide on what you should wear (remember this is a professional ceremony, and that government buildings rarely ever have appropriate heating and air)
- Remind spouse to obtain any needed updates to uniform (the PX at M’s permanent duty station does not, in fact, carry his unit patch/pin. Go figure.)
2 weeks prior:
- Confirm date (I’m told most units can do this a month in advance, but M’s was in the middle of a Change of Command, so it was tricky)
- Remind spouse to confirm promoting party and start shopping for a thank-you gift, as well as travel accommodations, if necessary
- Book catering, cake, and reception space with any necessary deposits
- Send idea photos to bakery. Confirm final payment.
- Plan the food, make grocery lists and food prep lists
- Wash and dry platters, bowls, serving utensils, crockpots
- Designate a large box or tote for reception items
7 days prior:
- Make buffet labels (if necessary)
- Pack platters, bowls, serving utensils, decor, table cloths, cutlery, plates, cups, labels, and EXTENSION CORDS in tote (consider placemats or dish drying mats if you’re using a crockpot)
- Prep as much food as possible and freeze (ie: make meatballs)
- Make final payments on food and cake so you don’t have to worry about it day of
- Make reservations for celebratory dinner
- Call the visitors gate of the post and ask for parameters on how you can get civilian guests on post
- Remind spouse to get uniform dry-cleaned, if necessary
- Confirm arrivals of family/guests
3 days prior:
- Grocery shop
- Clean the house, prep guest rooms, notify neighbors
- Wrap thank you gift for promoting party
2 days prior:
- Meal prep for family visit. (Curry Chicken Salad, Deviled Eggs, Cole Slaw)
- Prep sauces, dips
- Take meatballs out of the freezer to defrost
- Finish any necessary personal hygiene (get haircut, do manicure/pedicure, etc)
- Designate a job for each family member the morning of so they don’t drive you insane asking how they can help
- Ie: You pick up the cake, you set up the veggie/fruit table, you pick up the catering, you set up the decor, you prep the camera, etc.
Day before:
- Chop veggies
- Chop fruit
- Obtain gate passes for civilian guests
- Remind spouse to pick up uniform at dry cleaner and prep, lay out all elements to uniform night before (avoid the last minute phone call: “Babe! I forgot my socks!”)
- Rehearse or talk through promotion ceremony (if you feel it’s necessary)
- Confirm that everyone knows their job
- Try to relax
Day of:
- Wake up early to put meatballs and sauce in slow cooker
- Pick everything up
- Your spread shouldn’t be that intricate, so it shouldn’t take more than thirty to forty minutes to set up, but give yourself a fifteen minute grace period in case there are any issues, and get to the site an hour before hand
- It’s likely the staff will offer to help when they see you bringing everything in – accept it! You’re paying them in free food and cake!
Night of:
- Beam with pride 🙂
- Remind your spouse how awesome he/she is, as well as how lucky they are to have you!
MENU
To be frank, I’ve only been to two promotion receptions, but the best guess I’ve got to how these things go, is just do you. Don’t sweat it so much. If you guys are the chill BBQ type, go for it. If you’re a little bit brunch-fancy, quiche away! We knew we wanted to do something a little bit different, so we opted for an Asian-American theme to honor M’s heritage. We prepared for 45-60 guests, a number we estimated after attending a change of command ceremony reception in the unit.
Homemade:
- Sweet and Spicy Chili Beef Meatballs (homemade)
- Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs (homemade)
- Veggie Tray (carrots, cukes, snap peas, tomatoes, bell peppers, and cauliflower) with Ranch Dip (home prepped)
- Fruit Salad (Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Pineapple, Honeydew, Strawberries) (home prepped)
- Bottled Water, Vernors Ginger Ale, Squirt Grapefruit Soda, Sweet Tea, Coke
Catered:
- Assorted Sushi Tray
- Assorted Asian dumplings (aka: Gyoza)
- Kung Pao Chicken with lettuce wraps (hold the peanuts)
- Two-tier decorated cookies and cream cake
Decor:
- Five plastic table cloths purchased at dollar store or target’s clearance
- Two centerpieces my mom had leftover from a patriotic event at church
- Little chalkboard labels I bought on Amazon for $11 that I can use at our next event
That’s literally it. I offset the colorful tablecloths to make it cheerier, placed the colorful napkins and centerpieces in the middle – good to go! Since the cake was two-tiered and beautifully decorated, it served as the main aesthetic.
We ended up spending about $150 on food we prepped, and about $250 on catered food, and $200 on the cake. An additional $50 on serve-ware and decor, and we just barely broke our $600 budget. Not too bad!
Unfortunately, it was done in a secure building, so I don’t have much in the way of photos, but you get the idea.
