Tips for Catering Your Own Wedding
To say that catering your
own wedding is a lot of work is a vast understatement. It demands
much of your friends and family, assuming they're willing and
able to help, and it might not save as much money as you think.
But home-grown weddings can be much more meaningful than the
cookie-cutter events pictured in those dreaded bridal magazines.
If you do decide to go for
it, there are some important rules to follow.
• The bride and groom
should not have any catering responsibilities on the day of
the wedding. Your entire circle of friends and family will be
in town all at once; the last thing you'll probably want to
do is worry about where the cake plates are.
• Depending on the
time of day the event will occur and how long you would like
your guests to linger, you don't need to serve an entire meal.
Champagne and finger food can also be very elegant and festive.
• Food is often the
biggest cost of a wedding. In a recent survey of smaller, quality
San Fransisco Bay Area caterers showed they charge an average
of $75 to $100 per head for a full wedding meal. This estimate
usually includes food, nonalcoholic beverages, staff and rentals.
It does not include alcoholic beverages, taxes, gratuities and
service charges. The price also depends on the number of guests,
the type of food, the style of service, the venue and many other
factors.
Items such as fine linens,
cut crystal, filet mignon and sushi stations can easily push
the per-person rate higher.
If you want to try this catering
feat yourself, here are some things to keep in mind:
• Facility.
Confirm that your reception venue allows outside caterers; some
places present you with lists of appropriate choices. Also,
figure out how much time you will have to set up the party and
drop off food, and to break it down later. And, is the kitchen
fully equipped? How many ovens are there? Is there enough refrigerator
space for the food and drinks, or will you need to bring coolers?
• Hiring
a staff. It's critically important to have one
person in charge of every catering detail on the wedding day.
Pick a person who has catering or restaurant experience, and
someone you get along with well. Cooking schools often have
job boards where you can place notices for gigs of this sort.
• Meet
with the manager before the wedding. In paid
sessions, let her know exactly what the menu is and who will
be doing what. Designate a responsible person as the manager's
contact during the reception.
If possible, have the manager
recommend waiters she has worked with before, and have her estimate
how many you will need, based on the number of guests, venue
and type of service.
• Menu.
Weddings bring together people of all generations and parts
of your life, which means lots of different eating restrictions.
Buffets can give you more options. Choose a meat or fish main
course, then select a vegetarian main course, or at least some
substantial vegetarian side dishes and salads.
• Drinks.
Caterers say many of their clients save money by buying the
drinks themselves at discount and then having the caterers serve
them. Another cost-saving measure is to not have a full bar,
which calls for expensive liquor, mixers and lots of different
kinds of glasses. Or serve only sparkling wine, or only wine
and beer. In fact, some venues allow only beer and wine, or
even wine only. It's nice to offer a mix of nonalcoholic drinks,
including bottled water. Don't forget: You will need to chill
the drinks somehow, so purchase plenty of ice.
• Party
rentals. This is a big consideration for do-it-yourselfers.
Caterers say rentals cost an average of $10 per guest. If you
order rentals through a firm, you will probably spend just as
much without the industry discount caterers get. There are also
delivery charges, and the rentals must be returned, often a
problem since you usually can't leave them on site after the
wedding.
Alternatively, you can purchase
paper plates and plastic cups. Or do what my sister-in-law did
for her wedding celebration: Collect an eclectic mix from garage
sales and thrift stores. It's a great excuse to do that Greek
thing and break them at the end.
• Thank-you
gifts. Don't forget to let friends and family
know how much you appreciate their help.
