Today, I am especially concerned of my funds, due to a lovely collision I had on Thursday that not only damaged my car (damage is a sugar coat) but also ruined my laptop.
Sadly, that shadow is not me keeping my laptop warm with blanket. That is my screen.
That normally would be a huge pocket dent. Thankfully, it is only a $80 screen repair.
But now, we shall talk about the costs of catering.
Sadly, one of my favorite venues, The Tippecanoe Place, is estimated with catering to be $45-$55 a person. Assuming the average family is 5 people, and maybe 3 families per side, plus maybe a 6 people wedding party (which by the way, including you and your spouse, would be about 40 people), that could up to $1,900. That's almost a bare minimum guest list.
Photo Credit: Google
Ouch. Nope.
Many venues only will allow you to reserve if you have their catering, so unfortunately you are promised to spend a fortune. Provided you can cater however you want, this is what you can do instead to avoid spending a fortune.
1.) Potluck! Have everyone bring a dish. If you're lucky, they'll ask you what you like and they will bring it. If you're handy with computers, you can do a "potluck registry" so there is no over abundance of those meatballs that you'll be eating for a month.
2.) Do it yourself... or you know, have mom help.
3.) Finger foods, provided you have the wedding and reception either before or after normal eating time. Notify your guests if you do not intend to provide a full meal. If they care about you, they will understand.
4.) Ditch the bar... it's not worth it. People act like stupid drunks, and having an open bar will put a serious damper on your beach honeymoon beverage fund. Sober up for a good time. If you're worried about the toast, try a family friendly sparkling grape juice.
5.) No food. The same with finger foods, notify your guests that you do not intend to have a meal. It's almost a guarantee that there will be cake involved, and 2 liter soda is fairly inexpensive. Even better, decorate the soda bottle and have one or two at each table as a centerpiece. Simplistic, yet functional!
Photo Credit: Pinterest
6.) Pizza anyone? Yes, believe it or not, pizza is becoming more and more acceptable as wedding food. But be sure you put a limit on slices until everyone gets a slice or two.
Photo Credit: Google
As always with any planning, stick to a budget. Thankfully more and more people are ditching the idea of traditional expensive wedding menus and venues (haha, that rhymes) and people are doing fun backyard weddings now more than ever because of the venue and catering dilemma. Hopefully these tips help.
I like the idea of doing maybe cake with a soda bar... What ideas do you have for your wedding?
Did you have success without traditional catering?
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