Catering for my wedding It is possible

Cost cutting tips and ideas

I have now given you ideas of where to look and what to ask when you find venues, but in reality what can you do to save money?

It all depends on what you are looking for on your wedding day and also the type of food you are hoping to serve your guests. I will be covering catering in the next chapter, but as this greatly affects the type of venue you will be able to choose I need to mention this now. A traditional format for a wedding reception involves a sit-down meal after the wedding ceremony (the wedding breakfast) followed by a break for people to have a rest, then by an evening reception with finger buffet and entertainment.

However, these days the format can vary from traditional to something that suits your lifestyle or reflects your individuality. Based on my experiences of weddings I have been involved in organising, here are some of the options available which could save you hundreds of pounds.

One couple invited a small number of close friends and family for a sit-down meal at a modern restaurant after the wedding ceremony. They then hired a local hall and had a finger buffet for a larger number of guests in the evening. By reducing numbers at the day reception, they saved money and also had a greater choice of venues that could accommodate their guests. They paid a hire fee for the hall for the evening only and managed to find caterers to supply a finger buffet at a very reasonable price.

Another couple held their reception at a country pub which had a function room. The function room opened out onto a terrace where guests could also sit. The reception was held in the early evening and the pub manager supplied a lavish barbecue with a large range of salads.

As the couple only had to feed their guests once during the day (rather than having a meal in the early afternoon and further food in the evening) they managed to save a considerable sum of money. The pub gave them the venue hire for free as they had used their in-house catering rather than bringing in their own caterers.

A variation on this suggestion was a couple who also began their reception in the late afternoon, but decided to supply a finger buffet for their guests throughout the evening.

They hired a function hall in a hotel and kept the invitation open to their guests to come and go as they pleased, but ensured the finger buffet was replenished at several times during the evening. Although they had in the region of 150-200 guests overall, this option worked out as far more economical than trying to organise a sit-down meal, but also ensured the guests were all fed adequately.

Another option which was chosen by some friends of mine was to have a cold fork buffet for all their guests (around 100) during the afternoon. The reception finished in the early evening and people were free to go and enjoy their Saturday night in whichever way they wanted to.

The amount you can save is largely affected by the number of guests you want to invite and the type of food you would like to provide.

As I have already mentioned, the food at your reception combined with the venue will probably be the biggest expense you will have to cover. But if you are careful about what you choose to serve your guests, it is still possible to feed everyone without bankrupting yourselves in the process. At the same time you are clarifying what you want in terms of your venue, you also need to work out what type of food you want to serve and at what times. The venue and the food need to be compatible.

You aren’t usually responsible for feeding (and paying for) so many guests and the bill for this can come as quite a shock.

As food is usually charged per head, your final bill will be directly proportional to the number of people you invite. However, if you can’t cut your guest list, the alternative option is to carefully consider what you actually give your guests to eat and the times at which you feed them. Depending on what you actually book, you need to remember that the venue/caterer has to prepare the food, possibly provide table linen/crockery, employ staff to serve and clear up often at anti-social hours, which all adds up.

What aremy options?

If a venue is able to supply catering in-house, it is unlikely to allow outside/ external caterers in. In certain circumstances they will, for example if food must be prepared in a certain way for religious reasons. However, the venue may charge a fee for using their kitchen facilities so this may work out more expensive.

Outside/External Catering

If you are going to engage the services of outside caterers, it may be a good idea to ask at the venue whether there are any businesses that have provided catering at the venue before. If a caterer regularly supplies a venue, they are more likely to be familiar with the facilities and have greater knowledge of what is available on site so that they can ensure they bring any necessary equipment with them.

They may also be used to providing table linen suitable for the furniture at the venue.

Always check with the venue manager whether they will allow you to use outside/external caterers.

If a venue allows you to bring your own drinks, but is unable to supply glassware, it may be possible for the caterers to supply this and also assist with pouring and serving of drinks for your guests. You will need to check if there is a cost attached to this.

Always check with the caterers about public liability insurance and certificates of food hygiene. Ask to see certificates.

Cost cutting tips and ideas

So now you have looked at different types of venue and have considered in-house or external catering options. Apart from cutting down the guest list, where is it possible to make savings without compromising quality or losing your guests to the local take-away?

Based on my past experience of many different types of wedding reception, here are a few ideas that other people have used in the past.

If you are going to have a sit-down reception during the day, it is possible to reduce the cost by choosing a cold fork buffet rather than a hot sit down meal. Cold food tends to be easier and cheaper to produce. It can be prepared off-site and transported in refrigerated vans by caterers and therefore can still be supplied even if kitchen facilities are limited. Having a buffet also reduces the amount of waitressing staff needed. However, the food can be prepared to look fantastic and colourful with centre pieces such as dressed salmon or carved cold meats.

If you decide on a sit-down, three-course meal for your reception, consider altering the menu to a starter, main course and serve your wedding cake for dessert. If the starter and the main course are substantial enough, your guests will not miss a separate dessert and those with a sweet tooth will still have cake and it could save you money.

Both the barbecue and finger buffet options tend to be cheaper than formal sit-down meals or fork buffets. If you time your reception for early evening and choose these catering options, it could work out more economical than having a formal sit-down reception during the day followed by an evening reception.

If you choose a venue such as a restaurant or hotel, ask for the various menu options available and check if choosing a set menu or food that is in season can work out more cost effective.

If you are looking for something a little different to a traditional English reception, perhaps you might want to consider other international cuisines as an alternative (although this will depend upon your location in the UK as to how feasible this is).

If using in-house or external caterers is still too expensive, another alternative would be to ask family or friends to help with making food (or perhaps use the concept that each guest should bring a dish).

If you are considering a cold finger buffet, it may be possible for family/friends to make trays of sandwiches and other cold buffet food. However, if this option seems to work for you, you will need to consider the following.

– Numbers of guests and how much food needs to be supplied.

– Will friends/family have time to make the food and attend the wedding?

– How will the food be transported to the venue?

– What the conditions for food preparation and storage will be. Professional caterers have to adhere to food hygiene regulations by law to avoid causing illness. Anyone providing food for your guests needs to be confident they can do this too.

– Will the venue allow you to choose this option?