Welcome week five (5) of our seven-week series on Weddings on a budget! This Saturday series is written by Rebecca Grant owner of New Creations Wedding Design & Coordination, one of Seattle’s Premiere Wedding Coordinators. She’s filled with a wealth of information and she’s a good friend of mine – so I know you’re in good hands.
If you’re joining us late, don’t miss our past posts when we’ve discussed:
- Wedding Invitations on a Budget
- Wedding Flowers on a Budget
- Wedding Venues on a Budget, part 1
- Wedding Venues on a Budget, part 2
This week we’re tackling a big topic – catering and how to save money on the food at your wedding!
We touched on this topic a bit last week when we were covering venues. You may remember that one of the cost saving tips for an at-home wedding is to do a pot-luck style. Keep in mind when using this option, you may want to consider hiring an on-site clean up staff to handle all the set-up, keeping things refreshed and do all your clean up for you, making a potluck wedding a breeze.
Below are some more great tips on how to save money when hiring a caterer:
Use a venue that lets you bring in your own caterer
Finding a location that doesn’t lock you into a food and beverage minimum is a must to finding extra money in your budget. Negotiating with your own caterer on your menu selections, amount of food served, etc will save you tremendous amounts of money. Remember, cash talks here too! Be sure you are aware of how much staff will be on-site, what the hours of service will be, and if there are any travel fees. Make sure you are aware of all costs up front (including taxes and gratuities), so you know where to cut if you are over-budget. Many times you can cut extra linens, opt for paper plates, plastic cups, and disposable serve ware to cut significant costs on catering. Also be sure you are watching your food selections. Obviously, steak and salmon will run you more than prime rib and pasta, so choose your menu wisely, and don’t be afraid to ask your caterer for a more cost effective menu selection.
Full Meal vs Heavy Appetizers
In keeping with our catering tone, another great way to save money is to plan your wedding for an off-peak time where guests necessarily won’t be expecting food. If you have, say, a 1 p.m. ceremony, the reception should be underway by 2 p.m., and over by 6 p.m. You’ve just avoided the dinner hour, saving you sometimes thousands on your food alone! In this case, opting for heavy appetizers or even just a dessert and punch option is the way to go. I do think it is still nice to provide a little something for your guests to nibble on, but hello Costco! Re-platting a Costco platter to make it look a bit more ‘weddingish’ is a great way to provide large amounts of food at a fraction of the price.
Alcohol
Alcohol is one of those expenses that tends to creep up on people. A good rule of thumb is to count on about $8.00 per guest. This will allow for those that won’t be drinking to compensate for those that will drink too much. 🙂 For cost cutting savings here, opt to just offer beer and wine, and be specific- ask for the brands you want used. It tremendously cuts down on the amount of alcohol your caterer has to bring in, therefore, passing the savings onto you. If you are lucky enough to have a venue where you can provide your own alcohol, you can save even more by purchasing the beer and wine yourself. Some great vendors here in the Seattle area are Costco, Wine World and BevMo (which delivers). Be sure you are staying in state compliance when providing your own alcohol by obtaining an alcohol permit (can be obtained at any liquor store location, fee is about $15.00), and being sure you have a licensed bartender. If you get caught without either one of these, forget all the cost-cutting you’ve done as you will be paying through the nose on fees.
If you really want to have hard liquor at your wedding, opt for a signature cocktail. This would be one drink offering that you and your fiancé come up with that is either one of your favs, or compliments your wedding colors. There are some great options out there! Providing just one cocktail allows you to control your costs by just bringing in the liquor needed for that one drink vs the thousands of options that are out there.
Disposable Serve ware
Now I am definitely one for getting real plates if at all possible in your budget. I think they offer your guests a better ‘feel’ and a more substantial weight as to not have food end up on your lap. However, in meeting with your caterer, express to them that you are willing to use plastic cups and paper napkins. This will save you a substantial amount of money cutting back on the rental and cleaning fee for both. You may even be able to use this option fully, and ask to use plastic utensils and paper tablecloths as well. This would be a great option for a backyard wedding feel. There are also lots of compostible options out there too that help save our planet.
Keep the menu simple
Remember the same rule of thumb applies to food as it did to flowers. Try to use as many in-season, local products as possible. This will significantly cut down on the amount of food that needs to be brought in from out-of-area. Talk to your local berry growers to create a really great jam or jelly for your breads or to local corn growers for a great corn on the cob option.
You don’t need to provide a lot of variety for your guests to be fed well. This also cuts down on cost. Offering a great pasta option along with some sort of protein will keep your guests full and happy without you having to foot the bill for a full 2 protein dinner option.
I’d love to hear how you provided a great meal to your wedding guests with your cost-cutting tips. Check back next Saturday, we’ll be covering flowers!
You can leave a comment on this post or contact Rebecca through her New Creations Wedding Design & Coordination Facebook page and I definitely recommend following her Wedding Pinterest boards – they are amazing!
But wait there is more. . . If you live in the Seattle area, save the date for the 3rd Annual Bridal Open House and Waterfront Wedding Giveaway on April 26 from noon to 4 p.m. Palisades is giving away a free wedding to one lucky couple, and in addition, that couple will also receive a free Rolls Royce Rental, free wedding cake, and much more! Sounds like a frugal way to throw a wedding – win everything! Get more details over at New Creations blog.
If you’re joining us late, check out our earlier posts: Wedding Invitations on a Budget, Wedding Flowers on a Budget, Wedding Venues on a Budget, part 1 and Wedding Venues on a Budget, part 2
About Rebecca
Rebecca Grant is owner of New Creations Wedding Design & Coordination. She has been in the wedding business over eight years now, beginning her career in Honolulu, Hawaii, then moving back home to Seattle and launching her business Seattle Wedding Planning business in November 2009. She’s now one of Seattle’s premiere wedding planners. Because of her experience in Hawaii, her specialty is working with Asia-Pacific Brides; specifically, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Hawaiian and Samoan weddings, however, she also does work a good portion of the time with traditional Western couples. Rebecca would love to help you with your wedding.
Learn more about Rebecca and what she has to offer at New Creations Website! And seriously, check out her Pinterest boards – amazing ideas!
As you are planning your wedding, don’t forget to sign up for your registry! Most stores offer registries and many have online options, making gift giving easier for out of town guests.
These are a few of our favorites:
Amazon Wedding Registry. With an Amazon Wedding Registry you get:
– 10% off most products on Amazon for a savings up to $100
– The World’s largest selection of items – register for all the items you both want.
– Plus keep track of what you want from anywhere. Add items from other websites to your Wedding Registry with the universal button.
Target Wedding Registry. Some of the great perks of a Target Wedding Registry:
– One year after your event date to return or exchange items from your Registry
– Easy to share with friends and family
– 15% coupon for items remaining on your registry.
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