Thanksgiving dinner for wedding

I have no experience with cooking large meals but I just wanted to wish you the best of luck! I will keep you in my thoughts

I'm so sorry to hear that you are no longer in remission, my thoughts are with you.

Would you consider hiring a caterer for part of the meal? You could make all the desserts, or cook the turkey, or make a few sides, and leave the rest to the pros?

I totally understand wanting to do this, but it really is a huge undertaking and you have no idea how you'll be feeling come November. If you can limit what you're doing, it might allow you the satisfaction of cooking for your loved ones while taking off the pressure of having to do EVERYTHING.

Best of luck to you.

At the very least, buy the hams and turkeys and then make the sides yourself...

I would plan for some extras. That way you know you will not run out of food. Any extras can be stores and eaten over the next few days or frozen so you won't have to worry about cooking while adjusting to your new treatments.

And just an idea that might help with trying to prepare so many items. Does anyone in your family have a smoker that you can borrow? We have used one to smoke turkey, ham and pork loins for the last few family holidays. We've had enough with leftovers for 35 people. Some people don't like the taste of smoked meats, but if you do it might be worth looking into. We've put all the meat in there and that frees up the oven space for all the side dishes. It's helped cut down on the amount of shuffling things around that we've had to do to time the cooking properly and keep everything hot until it's served.

Hi @Chanel ! I love to cook for my family too, so I completely understand why you want to make a home-style Thanksgiving dinner for your guests and do it yourself. It sounds like you have some help, and so with enough preparation (making sides a couple days in advance) I think you can definitely pull it off. Praying your health improves and that you enjoy your special day!

Everyone has already given pretty solid advice. I just wanted to mention that $500 for catering is actually pretty cheap, not "through the roof." For your own sake (won't you be tired?) I'd revisit that idea.

Thanksgiving dinner is a lovely idea, but it's hard enough to pull off with 12 people. Plus, every single person has a slightly different idea of what a Thanksgiving dinner should consist of!

As an oncology nurse I think you need to reconsider. If you are starting a new chemo treatment you need to heavily think about food safety. It's a much bigger issue for you than someone who isn't immunocompromised. Cooking this amount of food is not easy. I think you should get a caterer so you don't end up with a food borne illness

I second @BohoRN, you must be very careful while on chemo. I'm sure you know this already, but just wanted to give you another reason to reconsider. In the end, you know what's best for your body. If you decide to do it, stay aware of your fatigue and rest when you need to.

You should seriously hire someone to cater this. When my aunt was doing chemo she didn't have the energy to eat thanksgiving dinner, much less cook it.

@BohoRN2017 and @SaraJ, she said she is starting chemo the FOLLOWING week, the actual week of Thanksgiving, and her wedding is the prior week.

@Chanel, I just wanted to say I am so sorry for everything you are going through. I do not know the numbers needed, but I second using a roaster for either the turkey or the ham. I always do my ham in my electric roaster, and it is always very very juicy, and pretty much no work needed.

I second a PPs advice of having others do the side dishes, or at least bring some of them.

Also, with regards to dishes, around the holidays Costco has some very nice plastic plates and silverware that look like the real thing. Maybe get some of those so that you can take it easy after your ceremony?

Good luck to you, I hope the day turns out as nice as you are hoping.

I'm a pretty healthy person and cooking dinner for 20 people on Christmas nearly knocked me on my ass. Please consider your health and hire someone to at least help you cook. There are plenty of personal in-home chefs out there that will cook in your own kitchen. I'm sure given the circumstances they will let you help them since it is your own kitchen.

It would be unfortunate if you were too tired to actually visit with your guests from all of the cooking. I don't want to see you regret any parts of the day, ESPECIALLY spending time with your family. That's what a wedding is all about!

Chanel, I am so sorry for everything you are dealing with right now. I hope this round of chemo is your last because fuck cancer. I honestly don't have any advice for you. I know you want to do this and I completely understand why so that is 100% your choice.

@cantwait4thedate - if she ends up with food borne illness it could potentially delay her treatment. Honestly it's a very common recommendation for cancer patients to be mindful of food preparation... The other reality already brought up is fatigue. Very different for Chanel than it would be for you or me.

BohoRN2017- I get that you're trying to help but honestly Chanel did not ask for medical advice. From her posts she has clearly dealt with this before and was asking for advice about amounts for food. Stop trying to give her unwanted medical advice. She is an adult and will take care of herself

@bohorn - you're trying to help. And that's great. But you have no idea what her illness or treatment entails. You may be an oncology nurse but that doesn't mean you know everything about what her doctors have told her specifically. I'm also a cancer patient and it gets really frustrating having people who don't know your personal life try to tell you what to do/not do. Every patient is different. And as my hospitals tagline says "no cancer is routine"

@chanel- I feel for you girl. Your numbers questions were answered above so I won't dive into that but I wish you the very best. If you're comfortable saying, where are you located?

I also second the toaster oven suggestion. I use two for every holiday

In this instance hire a caterer. That is way too much food to handle on your own. That said, omg thanksgiving dinner for your wedding sounds amazing. I personally think potlucks work okay if that's your cup of tea. But omg girl don't do that to yourself

@BohoRN, I am well aware of that, as I am a nurse myself. However, Chanel needs to make the decision to spend her days (especially what she thinks will be her final Thanksgiving to cook) by herself. I am sure she knows this as this is not her first chemo go-round. Sometimes as nurses we are trying to give good advice, but ultimately the decision is up to the patient, who first and foremost is a person, not just a patient. I know you are trying to help her, as we all are, but this is her decision, not ours.

@Chanel, I found some nice plates I was telling you about on Amazon, in case you are interested. The link and a pic are posted below.

https://smile.amazon.com/OCCASIONS-Heavyweight-Disposable-Wedding-Luncheon/dp/B01MTZMHCD/ref=pd_ybh_a_17?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7FFS3V60J800W7VQZD07