Topping-out ceremony, house completion, whom to invite, whom not, traditions?

So a topping-out ceremony is a must! It brings bad luck - that's for sure. Especially when building a house! No no, the topping-out ceremony has to happen, the neighbors want to come and see as well, after all, they have to endure the noise. And you want to get to know each other. And the craftsmen want to have a bit of fun too. If we cancel the celebrations, there's only work left. That would be a bummer.

We had our topping-out ceremony last Thursday. However, due to the schedule, the roof was already covered. Planned start was 6 p.m., the craftsmen left at 10 p.m., and we only got home at 1:30 a.m. We had expected up to 40 people, but usually many come unannounced or do not respond to "invitations."

We skipped meatloaf because the craftsmen get that every day (e.g., also handed out by us). So we ordered a stuffed pork roast from the local butcher, which cost around €350 for 40 people including drinks.

The tree was a retired small spruce from the nearest tree nursery, decorated with ribbons and tissues.

It was a nice occasion. What you have to keep in mind: depending on the season, definitely pay attention to lighting. We had additionally purchased extra floodlights to be able to guide the group through the house. I consider heating lamps overrated since it is just a shell construction.

We didn't have a topping-out ceremony... (And I really hope that doesn't bring us bad luck)
We wanted to have one, but the shell builder said that almost none of his people (the bricklayers) could come anyway, and the roof frame was erected within 2 days, and 2 days later the roof was on and our house was weather-tight. And since we already know the neighbors, we decided to forgo it. We then gave our bricklayers a little something and a tip.

We also didn’t have a topping-out ceremony. The craftsmen didn’t mind at all. They came from afar and were also happy to be able to go home. Our site manager also told us that the trend is moving further and further away from the topping-out ceremony, towards the sealing ceremony or housewarming party. We will do the latter.
We don’t regret it, because it poured down like buckets during the topping-out week.

We held a riechtfest with the entire Stelltrupp, friends, and neighbors (about 50 people). The catering was roast suckling pig (about one-third of which was left over), dumplings, cabbage, salads, and the usual drinks! As the riecht"kranz" we used a small tree on our property, which would have to be removed anyway because of the terrace, and decorated it a little. It was definitely a good decision and a very sociable evening! The inauguration party is of course still a must

As mentioned earlier, we held a topping-out ceremony. Our site manager also asked several times whether we really wanted to have a topping-out ceremony. From this, I conclude that this tradition is gradually fading. Partly understandable - unless it’s on a weekend, you have to take a day off, which you might be able to use better elsewhere. But in such matters, I am rather traditional. For me, it was never a question that we would have a topping-out ceremony. I also see a topping-out ceremony as a way to thank the craftsmen (of course, it can be expressed differently). It is equally unquestioned for me (since it doesn’t hurt) that the topping-out tree (stub) is hung as a good luck charm for the house on the framework. The only thing we omitted was the time capsule under the house (OK - strictly speaking, we just didn’t think of it).