How to host a social

A social is a fundraising party, and about as Manitoban as it gets. Most happen a few weeks or months before a wedding, and they do two jobs: raise money for the couple's future, and bring together a much bigger crowd than the wedding itself can.

Community groups, sports teams and charities throw socials too.

• Tickets

  Sold ahead of time, usually $10–15 each

• Prize draws

  Silent auction packages with regular, grand and golden ticket prizes

• 50/50 draw

  Half the pot goes to one lucky winner

• Late lunch

  Served around 10:30–11 p.m., often pizza

• Drinks

  A licensed bar with beer, coolers and mixed drinks

• DJ and dancing

  Music all night long

Before you commit, think about:

• —Your people. Do you have enough communities (family, friends, coworkers, teammates) who'll buy tickets?
• —Time and energy. How much time can you and your partner put into planning?
• —Help. Can your wedding party and family pitch in with setup, volunteering and asking for prizes?
• —Money up front. Can you cover supplies, the hall deposit and stock before ticket money comes in?

It's a lot of work. It's also a one-of-a-kind tradition that helps pay for your wedding and gets the important people in your life into one room.

• —Capacity. Does the number include you and the staff?
• —Room flow. Think through where the door, bar, prizes and late lunch go.
• —Quiet area. Is there somewhere people can take a break?
• —Fridge and freezer. Can you use the cold storage?
• —Damage deposit. How long does it take to come back, and what gets taken off it?
• —What's included. Setup and takedown times, security, how many washrooms, water stations, lighting controls and bartenders.

• —Check the bartenders' pours now and then through the night.
• —Make sure they have what they need: measuring cups, cutting boards, knives and spoons.
• —Pick a cut-off (around 11:30 p.m.) after which no new bottles get opened, so the unopened ones can go back.
• —Try to collect empties separately, though it isn't always practical.

When you book one, ask about:

• —Price. Middle of the range is usually the best value.
• —Equipment. What lights and speakers do they bring?
• —Microphone. Is there one for announcements and draws?
• —Reviews. Read them, and ask around for recommendations.
• —Companies. If you book through a company, which DJ is actually coming?
• —Backup. If they work alone, who covers when they're sick?

• —The DJ's lighting does a lot of the work.
• —Balloons and streamers are cheap and look great.
• —Check whether the hall wants tablecloths.
• —Show your setup crew what you have in mind ahead of time.

Plan the entrance around two tables:

1. Table 1: ID checks (18+), stamps, and taking tickets.
2. Table 2: Selling extras: prize tickets, 50/50 and drink tickets.

Have these at the door:

• —A garbage can for the tickets you collect
• —A price sheet for the people selling
• —A sheet for tracking ticket numbers, for your records
• —A float in $5 bills
• —A phone for e-transfer confirmations, plugged into a battery pack

Getting a liquor licence in Manitoba is straightforward:

• —Apply through the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA).
• —Expect it within two weeks.
• —You'll need to name the store you're buying the alcohol from.
• —Worth knowing. Put two people on the licence, and remember neither of them can drink that night.

Insurance for the night is up to you. Weigh up:

• —What the hall asks for (some require it)
• —How much risk you're comfortable with
• —The cost against the peace of mind

Plenty of hosts skip it. It's your call.

• —Send your orders to Liquor Mart and the beer vendor about a month ahead.
• —Liquor stores won't take back opened products or damaged boxes.
• —Both change their sales every month, so check a month before your social.
• —If you buy early, confirm the return deadline.

Guests who buy on SocialTix get a QR code, but you'll still want paper tickets for selling in person.

• —Design. Canva's business card template works well.
• —Other formats. Bookmarks or appointment cards can be cheaper.
• —What to print. The grand prize, the golden ticket prize, and your email address for e-transfers.
• —Paper. Slightly heavier paper is worth the small extra cost.
• —Printing. Vistaprint is reliable. 500 admission and 500 support tickets is a good place to start.
• —Void tickets. Print extras for businesses, and mark them void with a Sharpie.

$10 a ticket is the sweet spot.

• —It gets more people through the door.
• —They spend more once they're in.
• —It's easy to handle in cash.

For people who can't come but want to chip in:

• —Give them their own prize, say $250 cash.
• —Print the draw date on the ticket.
• —Say where the draw happens, as liquor and lottery rules require.
• —Draw it at the hall if you can, or at home the next day.
• —Ask whether they want to be in the draw. Some just want to donate.

Start a spreadsheet for:

• —Which ticket numbers each seller has
• —Names and contact details for support tickets
• —Which tickets are sold and which are left
• —Who came

• —Post about your social on Facebook and share it everywhere you're online.
• —Show off the regular, grand and golden ticket prizes as the night gets closer.
• —Join the Manitoba Socials Facebook group to share your social, get prize ideas from other socials, read advice, and buy supplies second-hand.

• —Most tickets sell in the last two weeks.
• —Ask people to tell you if they can't make it, so you can resell their spot.
• —Explain to people outside Manitoba what a social is and how they can help.
• —Decide early whether you'll trade tickets with others who are fundraising.

• —Call first. Ask if they donate social prizes, and whether they want a letter or an email.
• —Keep a list. Track which businesses you've contacted and what they said.
• —Ask everywhere. Shops, services, anywhere you go. Plenty of places donate just because you asked.
• —Carry the letter. Keep spare letters and void tickets in your car or wallet for when the chance comes up.
• —Borrow ideas. See which businesses other socials thank on Facebook.

There's a letter and an email to copy under Tips and templates.

Regular prizes (about 16)

Build themed baskets from business donations, things friends and family give, and a few things you buy:

• Girls' night
• Guys' night
• Kids
• Family
• Beach
• Games
• Crafting
• Baking
• Cooking
• Date night
• Fitness
• Movies
• Snacks

Grand prizes (about 3)

Aim for around $500 each. Favourites:

• —A meat smoker
• —A wet-dry vacuum
• —A Nintendo Switch

Black Friday is the time to buy them.

The golden ticket

The big one. For example, a $1,000 WestJet gift card bought at Costco for $900. Put a photocopy in a gold frame on the prize table and keep the real card in your cash box.

Skip the $60 package, since it rarely sells. Don't sell single tickets or sheets.

• —Keep a separate 50/50 envelope in the lockbox.
• —When someone pays by e-transfer or Square, swap in the cash and put it in the envelope.
• —Draw at 11:30–11:45 p.m., before last call, so the winner might buy more.

If you do:

• —Use an IKEA bar cart instead of a wagon. It's cheaper and easier.
• —Fill it with alcohol from the States if you can get it, booze-themed swag, and leftover open bottles.
• —Have one person gather it up at the end of the night.
• —Decide ahead of time which open bottles go in.
• —Try $10 for 5 tickets and $20 for 15.

• —Cheap baskets from Facebook Marketplace, or Costco produce boxes wrapped in gift wrap, do the job.
• —Save ribbon, tissue paper and filler to set things off.
• —Fold and tape cellophane neatly under the box, not bunched at the top, so people can see in.
• —Put a sample ticket above the grand and golden ticket prizes so people enter the right draw.
• —Numbered gift bags from Dollarama work for collecting tickets.
• —Photograph the finished prizes so volunteers can set them up the same way.
• —Make a poster thanking every business that donated.

Serve it around 10:30–10:45 p.m. Pizza is popular and easy.

An order for about 160 guests

• 20 Canadian
• 15 pepperoni
• 15 ham and pineapple
• 7 vegetarian
• 2 gluten-free
• 1 vegan

People sell their leftover supplies cheap in the Manitoba Socials Facebook group.

Along with bottled water, set out a 5-gallon jug with a pump so there's free water all night.

Stick to one brand (Pepsi products, say). Collect PC Optimum points at Superstore for social shopping, since returns give you cash back instead of points.

Buy liquor from Liquor Mart and beer and coolers from a beer vendor, so they're cold when you pick them up. Order about a month ahead.

A liquor order

A beer and cooler order

Split volunteers into one-hour shifts so everyone gets to enjoy the night.

Who you need

• —2 people selling tickets at the door.
• —1 person watching the prizes, if they're in a separate room.
• —1 overseer running the shifts, helping sell, moving cash to the lockbox and dealing with problems.
• —1 roamer walking the room selling 50/50 and booze wagon tickets all night.

Setup and takedown

• —Six people for each.
• —Use your prize photos so the tables get set up the way you planned.
• —Train volunteers at the selling table as shifts change over.

Take more than one kind of payment:

• —Cash. About 85% of what comes in.
• —E-transfer. About 10%. Post your email address where people can see it.
• —Square. About 5%. Add 2.5% to cover the fee.

• —Float. Start with $400 in $5 bills.
• —Two boxes. One for selling from, and a locked one for everything collected.
• —The overseer keeps the key and moves cash across as needed.
• —Keep the 50/50 money in its own envelope inside the lockbox.
• —Swap e-transfer and Square payments for cash in the 50/50 envelope.

Make posters with bristol board, Sharpies and construction paper, and put them at the door and around the hall.

Why $35 for 10 drink tickets? Some of them never get used, which adds to the profit.

• —Ticket prices, what each ticket is for, and drink prices (behind the door table)
• —How to pay and a price cheat sheet (on the door table)
• —Drinks and mix (beside the bar)
• —Thanks to the businesses (on the prize room door)
• —50/50 and booze wagon signs for the buckets (on the door table)

• —Stick together. It's easy to lose each other. Stay close and enjoy it together.
• —Dance and mingle. Have someone remind you to hit the dance floor and talk to guests. The night goes fast.
• —Get photos. Ask someone to take pictures of the two of you through the night.
• —Look after yourself. Take some downtime before it starts (a pedicure, a quiet hour, a good meal), and drink water.
• —Plan the hauling. Work out how supplies, prizes and decorations get to the hall and back.
• —Be bold. Don't be shy about selling tickets or asking businesses. Confidence pays off.
• —Pack extras. Scissors, painter's tape, masking tape, packing tape and Sharpies.

• —Keep the day free for returns and loose ends.
• —Return unopened alcohol to Liquor Mart and the beer vendor.
• —Return unused supplies (cups, plates, napkins).
• —Do the support ticket draw if it didn't happen at the hall.
• —Post the winners on Facebook.
• —Thank your volunteers and donors.
• —Finish the books and deposit the money.
• —Ask family if they want to buy leftover supplies.
• —Sell the rest in the Manitoba Socials Facebook group.

• —Set up a shared email for writing to businesses and receiving e-transfers. It works for wedding RSVPs too.
• —Open a joint bank account for the social's money and paying vendors.
• —Order cheques for it, which makes paying vendors easier.
• —The little things add up. Track every expense and keep every receipt.
• —Don't panic at the liquor bill. A good chunk of it goes back.
• —Save PC Optimum points at Superstore and spend them on the social.

Yes. Would we do it again? Yes. Would we host a second one? Definitely not. It's a lot of work and stress.

But it helps pay for your wedding, and it brings together most of the important people in your life in one room. You'll make a lot of good memories.

Don't overthink it. What matters in the end is that you broke even (or better) and had fun. You'll be laughing about it for years.