Can you believe we’re already in week five of our six-week series on how to save money on your wedding? This week we’ll be covering the topic of food – and how to save money on your catering!
To catch up see our earlier posts in the series:
Saving Money on Invitations
Saving Money on Flowers
Saving Money on Venues (Part 1)
Saving Money on Venues (Part 2)
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 potluck 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:
Full meal vs. heavy appetizers
A 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 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-plating 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 $6 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 of course Costco and Wine World. 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) and be 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 brining in the liquor needed for that one drink vs the thousands of options that are out there.
Disposable serving ware
Now I am definitely one for getting away with 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.
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 two 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 for our last segment next week where we’ll be covering photography!
About Rebecca
Rebecca Grant is owner of New Creations Wedding Design & Coordination. She has been in the wedding business over seven years now, beginning her career in Honolulu, Hawaii, then moving back home to Seattle and launching her business here 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.
To catch up see our earlier posts in the series:
Saving Money on Invitations
Saving Money on Flowers
Saving Money on Venues (Part 1)
Saving Money on Venues (Part 2)
ashley says
We had a “planned” catering meal. We asked for certain people to bring certain things in a quantity. It helped make it seem more like a “catered” meal, but on a “potluck” budget.