It is every couple’s dream to have the best wedding day. The food that you serve your guest at a wedding says a lot about you as a couple. At weddings, it is estimated that couples use 10$-300$ per plate for every guest.
There is a lot of pressure to ensure that you serve your guests the best food to meet and exceed their expectations.
Food takes a considerable chunk of the wedding budget. According to Wikipedia, 50% of an entire wedding budget is spent on food and drinks.
But there are ideas that you can use to ensure that you do not need to reach deep into your pocket to cater for food unnecessarily.
Order from Local Restaurants
Local restaurants are underestimated and overlooked when it comes to weddings. Instead of hiring a wedding caterer, you can get a quote from your local restaurant to serve a meal of your choice.
The best thing about the local restaurant is that they will provide their dinnerware and equipment. In addition, at a reasonable fee, they will take care of serving the food and drinks.
You do not have to take the burden of cleaning the dishes as the restaurant also covers it. The idea is to have less stress and minimize wastage.
By talking to the restaurant chef, you will be able to estimate how much food you will need.
Use Locally Available Material
Do away with a fancy menu that will need you to import the ingredients from other countries. Use locally grown produce or locally available food. It actually tastes better since it is fresh.
Wedding websites such as Zola offer free information on wedding food ideas, wedding planning, registry experience, and getting married in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and other awesome spots. Such a resource can guide you on the best places to source wedding materials and fresh farm produce.
If you cannot use the services of a local restaurant, you can hire a caterer at an affordable rate. Then use the help of your friends and family to assist in food preparation where need be.
Setting Specific Timings
Setting your event to start or finish at a particular time could save you lots of money. Do not let the event drag on for no good reason. For example, if your event is done before dinner, the guests leave early. That means that you do not have to budget for the meal.
Daytime weddings are relatively cheaper than when having a dinner reception. Daytime guests would be comfortable taking lighter meals like snacks, sandwiches, burgers, and soft drinks.
Self Catering Project
You can hire a food truck to cater for your wedding. With this option, there are factors to consider for it to be successful. If executed wrongly, it can be expensive. You will also need an effective plan so that your guests will not have to queue for long waiting for their food to be ready.
Another inexpensive way is to have a picnic wedding. With this method, you can order sandwiches or platters from a local restaurant. You can also prepare the picnic basket with the help of your friends and family members.
Plan a Potluck Wedding
For a small wedding, you can request your trusted friends and family to help you prepare and serve the food and drinks and later team up and clean the dishes.
It is a method that has been used for ages where everyone would come to lend a hand. For a more effective way, you can opt to use eco-friendly disposable utensils.
It is also cost-effective to host the ceremony at your home. If you do not have space, you can request a friend or a relative to allow you to use their place.
But if you settle for a rented venue, find out if you can bring your own food or if they only allow in-house catering.
Cost Cut On the Drinks
You can communicate to your guests that you will not be serving alcoholic drinks, but there will be plenty of non-alcoholic beverages like soft drinks and tea.
Alternatively, you can encourage them to carry their own drinks where you can set up a bar and mix cocktails. You can also reduce the cost by offering beer, affordable wine, or premixing your favorite cocktail drinks.
As I Conclude
Keep it simple and only invite those people who matter to you. Let them know in advance the type of menu that you are serving. You do not have to offer a plated sit-down meal to impress your guest.
You do not have to spend a fortune to impress your guests. Simple dishes presented beautifully go a long way.
A small wedding where people mingle and interact with others either when they are helping or doing self-service will leave everyone happy. And you can stay on the lower side of your budget.
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