Over 400 women packed into Stav Hall at 11:30 a.m. Saturday for the annual Mother-Daughter Luncheon.

There was also a banquet at 5:30 p.m., boasting 373 mothers and daughters. The meals' large attendance was partly due to the whirlwind of events surrounding the inaugural weekend. Many interested people were put on a waiting list and some were actually turned away. In order to comply to the increase in demand for tickets, the banquet committee is wrestling with the idea of adding a brunch on the following Sunday for next year.

In a reception held before each banquet, mothers and daughters were given free St. Olaf picture frames and had the opportunity to get their pictures taken by a professional photographer as a souvenir of the day. Held in the Black and Gold Ballroom, the reception beforehand gave mothers time to meet each other before heading into Stav Hall.

Once in Stav Hall, the women were welcomed by Lindsey Kosman, banquet co-chair of SAC. After a brief introduction, Kosman stepped down in order for the prayer and toast of each meal.

An Asian buffet was served at the luncheon. For the dinner, guests ate a meal of salad, raspberry cream chicken with rice pilaf, and a layered chocolate torte.

"Being a vegetarian, I had the privilege of being served a most delicious dish of sautéed tofu and vegetables," said student Ashley Colasanto. "I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the entire meal - my compliments to the chef."

Those who attended the dinner were graced by a performance from the Manitou Singers. The all-women group traditionally sings at the banquet. The choir sang "Lift Thine Eyes" by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and "Alleluia" by Charles Callahan. These two pieces were chosen out of the choir's repertoire from their San Antonio, Texas tour due to their joyous and celebratory nature.

"It went smoothly and it was quite an honor," said student conductor Karen Miller. "It was definitely a learning experience."

After each meal, selected speakers spoke on the importance of the little things mothers contribute to their daughters' lives. Senior Laura Shattuck spoke at the luncheon while Alicia Spielmann spoke at the dinner. To choose appropriate speakers for this year's meals, Kosman and Banquet Co-chair Pam Shattuck looked for talented speakers that expressed the desire to talk about their relationships with their mothers.

Work on the banquets began a year ago when Kosman and Shattuck set the date and planned the menu immediately following last year's banquets.

"We think that Bon Apetit, Heidi Anderson-Isaacson, Leslie Sanberg and Larson Printing have been absolutely wonderful," they said. "We couldn't have done it without them." The pair plans four banquets a year.

Anderson-Isaacson, assistant director of Student Activities, has aided the girls in their planning of all the banquets this year. Along with being a resource for questions, she made sure all bases were covered in the planning.

"[My favorite part is] seeing mothers and daughters spending time together," she said. "No matter what happens with the food or the organization of the night, I hope that students enjoy some quality time with their mothers."