How to Cater 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, start by memorizing the first rule of catering your own wedding. 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. 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?

Hire 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.

Be sure to 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.

Discover more ways to save money on wedding catering:

Looking for catering in St. Louis, Missouri? Start your search for St. Louis wedding caterers in our vendor directory.