People like Food, and let’s be honest. It’s one of the main reasons that Cousin Ronnie and Aunt Mittsie even came to your ceremony. But that doesn’t mean you have to bust the bank to please these people with your reception menus. Many people invest thousands in special cakes, hundreds in icings, and even more on Finger Foods and salads. Wedding catering can be done right without spending a ton of cash, and without your guests even knowing that you cut a few corners.
Begin your cost-cutting measures with the first course of the night: the hors d'oeuvres. Typically, these little morsels come out during the cocktail hour of your reception, when people are trickling in from the church or temple. There’s a bit of confusion as people find their seats, race to the bar, and find out friends and relatives. Sure, they want a bite to eat in between all of this other activities. But they won’t notice if you only offer half the hors d'oeuvres as you originally intended. For instance, serving only five types instead of ten won’t cause a ruckus, while it could save you on the caterer’s bill.
Better yet, outsource your appetizers and other side dishes to willing friends and family. With the right dishes and serving utensils, your guests will never know that the salad, soup, and finger foods are actually home-cooked meals instead of the catered kind. And as long as your friends and family members are excellent chefs, no one will care even if they do know.
For main dishes that are catered, steer clear of selections that will take more time to prepare than they’re worth. Believe it or not, the caterer is working on labor costs just as your car mechanic would. If you select a hard to prepare dish, such as lobster, tenderloin, or certain fish, you could be jacking up your bill just with labor costs.
Finally, whatever you choose to order from a caterer, figure out the vendor’s small print costs. These usually include such figures as the “guaranteed number.” This is the minimum amount of guests that the caterer is basing his or her fee upon. If you actually have fewer guests than expected show up, you could wrack up extra costs for each person below this guaranteed number. There is a reason, after all, that wedding invites request an RSVP!
Begin your cost-cutting measures with the first course of the night: the hors d'oeuvres. Typically, these little morsels come out during the cocktail hour of your reception, when people are trickling in from the church or temple. There’s a bit of confusion as people find their seats, race to the bar, and find out friends and relatives. Sure, they want a bite to eat in between all of this other activities. But they won’t notice if you only offer half the hors d'oeuvres as you originally intended. For instance, serving only five types instead of ten won’t cause a ruckus, while it could save you on the caterer’s bill.
Better yet, outsource your appetizers and other side dishes to willing friends and family. With the right dishes and serving utensils, your guests will never know that the salad, soup, and finger foods are actually home-cooked meals instead of the catered kind. And as long as your friends and family members are excellent chefs, no one will care even if they do know.
For main dishes that are catered, steer clear of selections that will take more time to prepare than they’re worth. Believe it or not, the caterer is working on labor costs just as your car mechanic would. If you select a hard to prepare dish, such as lobster, tenderloin, or certain fish, you could be jacking up your bill just with labor costs.
Finally, whatever you choose to order from a caterer, figure out the vendor’s small print costs. These usually include such figures as the “guaranteed number.” This is the minimum amount of guests that the caterer is basing his or her fee upon. If you actually have fewer guests than expected show up, you could wrack up extra costs for each person below this guaranteed number. There is a reason, after all, that wedding invites request an RSVP!
