23 Cheap Wedding Reception Food & Drink Menu Ideas on a Budget

Casey Slide

wedding food drink When my husband and I were planning our wedding, we wanted to keep it simple, elegant, and most importantly under budget.

So we were a little shocked when our caterer quoted us her lowest price of $35 per person for dinner – not including alcohol. With 160 guests, we were already at $5,600, and with an open bar were looking at a total bill of more than $10,000 just for food and drinks! Our total budget was around $10,000, so we needed to find a few ways to scrimp and save when it came to the dinner and alcohol.

If you want to save a bundle on food and drink at your wedding as well, here are 23 ways to do it.

Save Money on Appetizers

1. Provide Your Own Appetizers
This may sound time consuming, but it’s actually quite easy, particularly if you choose appetizers that can be made ahead of time and frozen, then just warmed up right before cocktail hour. Most caterers charge an overinflated price for appetizers, and you can save up to 50% of the cost this way. Here are some of my favorite, quick and easy appetizer recipe ideas you can use.

2. Do Not Have Servers
My mom thought it would be really fun to have servers walking around with trays of appetizers at my wedding. In the end though, we decided to pass on the idea. Your guests will care a lot more about actually eating appetizers than how it is presented to them, and you won’t have to pay the extra wait staff.

3. Go Simple
Your guests will probably be hungry when they arrive at the reception, and most of them will not care what they eat as long as they can have some sort of snack before dinner. So set out some simple crackers, cheese squares, and some fruit. Your guests will be very satisfied with just that.

Save Money on Drinks

4. B.Y.O.B.
When you book your wedding reception venue, make sure to ask if it is okay to bring your own beverages (B.Y.O.B.). By bringing your own beer, wine, and liquor, you will not have to pay the inflated prices that the venue will charge if they were to provide that service.

5. Limit Open Bar
If your reception is for four hours, consider only having open bar for the first hour or two. Many guests will have a drink when they arrive at the reception while they are waiting for the festivities to begin and will not have a second drink. Others will leave after dinner is served and will not even be there for the second half to enjoy an open bar. Another option is to close the bar during the dinner hour. Most guests will be busy eating and conversing and won’t need a beverage during that time.

6. Serve Only Wine and Beer
Limit the types of alcoholic beverages served to just wine and beer so you will not have to pay for liquor. This will still give your guests who want to drink alcohol two good options to choose from.

7. Serve Non-Alcoholic Beverages
I went to a beautiful wedding on a farm once that served a bunch of fun, non-alcoholic drinks, such as frozen mocha and fruit smoothies. After my third frozen mocha, the last thing I cared about was having an alcoholic beverage!

8. Serve One Signature Drink
If you really want to serve liquor at your wedding, consider serving one signature drink, perhaps you and your future spouses’ favorite. It would be fun for the guests to try it out, and it would save you money since it would require limited alcohol.

Save Money on the Meal

9. Don’t Have a Sit-down Dinner
Serving heavy appetizers instead of a meal has been a big trend in recent years. Guests can mingle more, and can still get satisfied with the appetizers. And your wallet will thank you too.

10. Pick a Venue that Allows Outside Catering
In order to find the best deal, make sure your venue allows you to use the caterer of your choice. This is not the case with many hotels that require you to eat their food.

11. Check the Prices of Both Plated and Buffet Meals
I have always thought that a buffet is more expensive because guests will eat more food, and therefore, more food is needed. At the venue for my wedding, this was true; the buffet was more expensive than the plated meal. Others will argue the opposite. My advice is to check the prices of both options, and go with the cheaper.

12. Consider Stations
Similar to the idea of a buffet, the stations concept allows guests to visit different “stations” to get their food. You could have a carving station, a pasta station, a taco station, a southern cooking station, and so on. This is a really popular option for modern weddings and is priced competitively.

13. Serve Family Style
Have you ever been to a restaurant that serves family style? The entire table orders a meal as a group, and the food is passed around the table just like at home. A big pan of lasagna is certainly less expensive than 10 plates of filet mignon for a table.

14. Order Take Out
There are no official wedding food rules, and if you and your future spouse like pizza, then order some pies. If you like Chinese food, order a couple pu pu platters along with some fried rice. It’s your wedding so serve food you love, and you could save big time.

15. Have Your Family Cook
You could have a cooking party the day before your wedding where the cooks in your family get together to make their signature dishes. This idea could work great with either a buffet or family style service.

16. Don’t Serve Out of Season
Many foods are seasonal, so make sure you do not serve anything out of season. This can be very costly because the food needs to be transported long distances, which inflates prices.

Save Money on Desserts

17. Have a Simple Display Cake
It may be tempting to have an extravagant seven tiered cake, but resist the temptation and have a simple two tiered cake and a large sheet cake in the back. Your guests will be none the wiser (and most people don’t eat the wedding cake, anyway).

18. Have a Cupcake Cake
Instead of a $400 cake, my husband and I spent less than $100 and had a beautiful tiered display of yummy red velvet cupcakes. You could also send your guests home with a matching boxed up mini cupcake as a wedding favor!

19. Have a Sweets Bar
Go to a drugstore and pick out bags of candy to serve in different dishes on a candy buffet. Or, you can have different desserts like brownies, pies, and cookies for your guests to choose from. This is much cheaper than a wedding cake and a lot more fun.

20. Serve Smaller Slices
If you have your heart set on having a particular wedding cake that is expensive, see if you can downsize it and serve smaller slices. Most bakers charge by the slice, and if they’re getting two servings per slice, they might be able to cut you a break.

Other Ways to Save Money on Wedding Food and Drink

21. Have a Daytime Wedding
Breakfast and lunch cost less than dinner so consider having a daytime wedding. I went to a wedding a few years ago that served breakfast at the reception. I got a made-to-order omelette and pancakes!

22. Invite Fewer People
As I mentioned, food is where a huge chunk of your money goes for a wedding. Since food is typically charged by the head count, invite fewer people as a way to save some dough. This applies to wedding invitations as well.

23. Check for Hidden Fees
If your venue charges fees for things like cake cutting and champagne toasts, avoid those fees if possible. Instead of having champagne passed out by the serving staff, have the best man raise whatever glass is in his hand, and all the guests will follow suit.

Final Word

There are plenty of ways to save money on food and drink at your wedding, without sacrificing style or having guests leave with an empty stomach.

What are some of your best tips to save money on food at drink at a wedding? Please share them in the comments below.

(photo credit: Shutterstock)

Categories: Family & Home, Marriage, Money Management, Spending and Saving

Casey Slide
Casey Slide lives with her husband and baby in Atlanta, GA. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and worked for a prominent hospital in Atlanta. With the birth of Casey’s son in February 2010, she decided to become a stay-at-home mom. Casey’s interests include reading, running, living green, and saving money.

Learn more About Money Crashers - including co-founders Andrew Schrage and Gyutae Park.

Comments

http://www.savings.com/blog/blog.html Amy Saves

I love #18. cupcakes are so cute!

also, buffets are a good way to go.
D’Metria Clarington

#15=We are getting married May 28,2011 and my aunts are all getting together and making their signature dishes. This is so much cheaper than having it catered. I have cut extremely cut costs. I wish i would have read this aritcle earlier about the cupcakes. I opted on a local baker who works from home. I got a nice deal but the cupcakes would have sufficed me. LOL
http://twitter.com/SmallBudgetBigD Kari

Great tips. The bf and I aren’t engaged yet, but I’m saving this article for when we are :-)
- Casey Slide
  
  Good luck! Enjoy your time dating though. That is a really fun time in a relationship that is often missed when your married!
Trisha

Doing a limited open bar looks so cheap, don’t do that
- Casey Slide
  
  It may look cheap to some, but to others it looks smart. Not to mention that it’s better to have a limited open bar than no open bar at all, and for many couples, that would be the alternative.
  - http://www.facebook.com/ekrauter Ella Krauter
    
    I see no reason a couple should splurge on a full open bar UNLESS it is a high priority and really expresses who they are an their lifestyle. Some people are party-ers, some are not. My fiance and I are doing limited open bar (wine, beer, non-alcoholic drinks) for the entire event, and a customized martini bar just for the cocktail hour (of 4 martini types – blood orange/mango, chocolate/mint, traditional triple olive dirty, and lavender/honey/vanilla.) By having a martini bar we are saving money because we only have to buy vodka and other liquors you use in martinis. Our venue / caterer allows us to provide the booze. That also saves money. And we’re buying from a local liquor store that allows a customer to return unopened bottles. Just in case, may as well get our money back if possible. We’re also buying our toast wine from them – not going with champagne (I don’t care for it) getting moscato. (And if we have extra unopened bottles of these, we’re going to save them for our own, future dinner parties.)
    Many people think faux flowers such as silks look so cheap too. But, for some couples flowers are not a high priority or there are allegies etc. Again, I think it depends on what a couple will prioritize and what expresses them best.
Cady

buffet is a good idea but beware that buffet sometimes doesn’t mean all you can eat. The venue I went to have buffet option and they said it enough food for all the guest as if they are served on the table so if one or two dishes may get empty before others and they won’t get refilled. Make sure you ask the venue about it.
Wedding cake usually not being eaten as your guests already so full after appertizer, full meals and desert. You can go for 1 cake ( to be cut) and all display cake for other tiers (display only) I heard that option is available, never really find out myself
- Casey Slide
  
  That’s a great point about buffets! Thanks for adding that!
Jrf2amf

Great ideas for weddings or anniversaries. As far as an open bar how about no bar or drink coupons. Don’t forget potential legal problems if a guest drunk at your wedding and kills someone on the way home.
- Casey Slide
  
  Eek! Good point! Thanks for mentioning that!
  - tawnysmom1
    
    you probably wouldn’t be found liable for that. unless you’re in the business of selling or manufacturing alcoholic beverages, you’re not responsible for someone else drinking and driving of their own free will.
    - WA Caker
      
      not true, tawnysmom1. If you are the person whose name is on the contracts for the event, you share responsibility with the bar vendor for the safety of your guests. Applies to private, in-home casual dinner parties to formal occasions in a rented venue.
- michellem5
  
  Good point! We were told if we didn’t hire a bouncer who checked ID’s and who would not allow one to keep drinking even if they’re noticeably drunk, that we WOULD be liable for a party goer driving drunk.
Guest

We did 1 signature drink (frozen hurricane),champagne, wine and beer (kegs) plus water. Never underestimate those who will want just water. Our food menu was a group of heavy hors d’oeuvres served as a self service buffet–that was easily as filling as a meal. At $20-25 a person it was not cheap, but cheaper than $100 for plated meals. We also had a large cake so people could fill up on that if they did not get enough food. No one walked away hungry or lacking drinks. A lot of people just think they HAVE to do the sit down dinner and you don’t. That was never done by anyone except the extremely wealthy until very recent years–now everyone thinks it’s required. Even most of the people who do them can’t really afford to, but they struggle with it anyway…
- Casey Slide
  
  Sounds like there definitely would have been enough food. I love that you did the signature drink!
http://www.cutbaddebts.com/ Geoff

I have never thought about all those possible savings on the wedding reception. If only more people adopted some of those tips. The cost of weddings has got ridiculous.
- Casey Slide
  
  I agree. There are so many ways to save, but when it comes down to it, people want exactly what they envisioned for their wedding and they don’t realize until they get the final bill how costly everything ended up.
Mecheleburgess

I’m planing on getting married this Oct. 2012. And i to have been looking to cut the cost of food for my reception. I know it may sound a little cheese but i’m going to have a pitch in reception. That way i will not have to deal with the cost and headache’s that come with planing a high priced reception of food. I used to be a activities director in a local nursing home for 3year’s. With a very very small budget and i alway’s was able to make very little out to be ALOT each and every month. I’m very crafty so i know how to make and put just the right perfect touches on that will make my decor’ of food and it’s display look like I’ve paid a pretty penny for all the decoration’s and food. I’m sure my guest will be very pleased with the out come. Now for drink’s….. I plain on having four big beautiful glass jar’s of ice filled lemonade/punch/sweet tea/lime drink. with all fresh cut lemon’s and limes. With only wine and beer served also. I will have family help with making brownies,cookies and a candy station. with big bowels of fresh cut fruit, and platter’s of veggies and assorted bread’s and cracker’s. I’m looking to spend about $300.00 on food. This is Not including the CAKE! I didn’t want to waver on that so i’ve saved for our cake. Over all i believe our total cost will round off to be $950.00 And that’s with all the decorations. I hope sum of my idea’s will help with cutting your food cost for your wedding down also. Congrat’s!
- Casey Slide
  
  That is really impressive to only spend $950! And those are some great ideas on how to save money. Everybody throws a wedding differently so every wedding ceremony and reception are different, and that is a good thing. I like the idea of doing four big glass bowls for drinks. Good luck on your wedding, and more importantly, your marriage!
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Liz-Leyden/100003766056570 Liz Leyden
  
  If you’re having a potluck reception, try to find out what guests are bringing beforehand. There’s nothing like a wedding reception with 10 types of potato salad, 5 types of pasta salad, and nothing else.
- http://www.facebook.com/millie.rodriguez.186 Millie Rodriguez
  
  I am getting marrie on Oct 13, 2012 and u gave me an idea out the drinks thanx!
- Low budget caterer.
  
  I do baking on the side and catering for indian food. For people on budget, I can make few indian vegetarian dishes at a very reasonable cost
Mrs Maganatobe

Where did you find your cupcakes for less than $100?
- Casey Slide
  
  A family friend who ran a small business at the time made them.
Cindee99

Awesome… great tips! Thank you!
Future Sanchez

I plan on getting married December 8 2012 and i am only 21 i have never planned a wedding before and have only in one when i was younger. also I am trying to do all of this planning and everything on my own while going to school and trying to manage our 1 year old son. We do have a low budget because we are doing all of the finances ourselves I want a simple but nice and pleasant wedding do you have any ideas for me or advice i can really use it because at this point i am completely stuck
- Casey Slide
  
  To get the best ideas on how to save money on your wedding, take a look at all of the articles about money saving ideas for weddings on Money Crashers. You can do that by running a search at the top of this page. There are at least a dozen articles that you will find helpful. Good luck!
- Casey Slide
  
  To get the best ideas on how to save money on your wedding, take a look at all of the articles about money saving ideas for weddings on Money Crashers. You can do that by running a search at the top of this page. There are at least a dozen articles that you will find helpful. Good luck!
- Duso
  
  Hey Sanchez. I’m gonna be totally honest and really try to help. 1. Get married on a week day. I am making my wedding on a Thursday and I got so many extras from the venue just because it was an easy day for all. Go buffet style if you must order from your venue but the way to go have an outside party Carter like you favorite local rest, but make sure your venue will provide you with flat ware that will make things look elegant. With a week day wedding you get all the bank for your buck. You might be able to even get your own soft drinks. When it comes to bar ” who wants to be hung over to go to work the next day” limited bar. Order a small nice cake just for the look in the back you could have someone serve a sheet from SAMs or Costcos. No Dj needed with Pandora you coul satisfied your music needs or download all your favorite songs in a MP3 and that’s it (if going with pandora paying full service for that month is good for no commercials ) so $14.95 vs 1K for a Dj
  Last but not least. Flowers….. It’s almost a must. Do it your self. Best way supermarket florist always have cheap bouquet go to a dollar store buy your vase and get creative I made my own hand bouquet ” YouTube was the helper” Good luck with everything you could do something really nice just gather your thoughts search how to do it yourself on line write everything down so you don’t forget and it will work. If you need my help with anything let me know I enjoy helping others email ma @ lemia1010@gmail just write on the subject I wedding help…?
- Missgagrl1968
  
  Take a look at state parks or community centers that offer tables, chairs, kitchen use, etc all for one price. Have the wedding and reception in the same place, which makes it cheaper. We live in the south, so we love fried chicken. I was surprised to find that one of the local southern cooking restaurants in town would deliver our meal to the state park facility we used for about 80 guests for about $150. They set it up buffet style so guests could serve themselves. We had sweet tea, lemonade, bottled water, fried chicken, green beans, turnip greens, biscuits, cornbread, and mac n cheese. Plenty of food!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003608073815 Pace Venkman

how to save money on a wedding:
go to a courthouse; apply for a license ($70-$100)
pay the justice ($40-$80)
congratulations; you are married.

now invite all of your friends over for pizza and movies.
- Duso
  
  You are right but sometimes you want to wear the nice dress have your friends a fam there have a little gathering to celebrate that you just got married so why not. If you really think about it with 1,500 you could do all that. I am doing it in about 10 days 10 people ( really close friends a fam ) with a wonderful outdoors ceremony follow by a wonderful lunch buffet a gorgeous cake music drinks flowers wedding dress (Vera Wang clearance sale @ David’s ) a hotel room everything you could think and more extras. But I am doing it on a Thursday and I’m pretty much burning down google with all the re searching so I could get the best for the least. And I like to think that I am…
  - naturalbrownbride
    
    Hello…ARE YOU ME??? LOL! I am doing the same…Im inspired by your 10 friend deal….hmmmmmmmmmmm. only problem there is between my mom and dad there I have over 10 aunts and uncles! But yet, Im still inspired!
Jacqueline White

I am getting married on October 20, 2012. Currently I am the one making all the plans because my fiance is in AF Basic Training and will be to Tech School right after, I will literally see him in person for the first time about 1 1/2 weeks before the wedding. I’m trying NOT to go crazy doing the planning myself. We have a decent budget for the reception, but I have a few complications. We have guests who are diabetic and others who are vegetarians so I am trying to find food ideas that can satisfy ALL parties. If I was having the wedding where I live then I would have the perfect place to cater for us and it would be great food at a cheap price as I am good friends with the owners, but it wont be here in state so thats out of the question. The kitchen at the venue is HUGE so I am actually planning on having family and friends help with the cooking. Are there any good but cheap ideas for dishes that you might have to suggest for making the food myself?
- Casey Slide
  
  I would recommend casseroles. They always make a lot of food for little money. Rice and mashed potatoes make good sides because everyone likes them and they are inexpensive. Don’t forget salad and rolls as well because people tend to fill up on these. Good luck!
  - Tricity Weddingbaker
    
    That may solve the problem of having vegetarians in the mix, but the diabetics shouldn’t be eating a heavy starch meal, which rice & mashed potatoes both are. I’d suggest plenty of veggies and perhaps an inexpensive meat choice (ham, meatballs and chicken all come to mind; ham can be cold, meatballs do well in a crockpot, and chicken can be purchased from the local grocery store deli or someplace like KFC…).
    
    As a cake decorator, though, I have a problem with telling people to have a small tiered cake and then “just serve sheet cakes from the back to everyone else.” The same amount of ingredients will need to be purchased, and while the decorating can be minimalistic on sheet cakes, the cost factor is not vastly diffrerent. What actually costs the most in a wedding cake, folks, is the expertise of the decorator in construction. Ever seen a wedding cake fall over? The reason they don’t is because the decorator is skilled in how to prevent that. Those skills take much time and effort. And if the decorator won’t be delivering your cake, you’d best have someone who is capable pick it up — not exactly something that your average cake decorator is comfortable in doing. Your best bet with a cake is to interview decorators and find out if they can work within your budget. Let them tell you what they can do for you. You’d be amazed at how accommodating we can be!
- Sunshine_327
  
  I totally understand how you feel. My fiancée is in afghanistan, where he has been since he came home and proposed. When he gets back we will be getting married. And it is very difficult planning a wedding when your other half isn’t here…especially emotionally :/
  Good luck with your wedding plans!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Liz-Leyden/100003766056570 Liz Leyden

I got married on a Sunday afternoon in fall 2005. We tried to keep the guest list small, despite my husband’s very large family (he has 8 siblings, who all had families). We had a dry wedding, partly because of cost, partly because we don’t drink, and party because a significant number of guests were either underage or recovering alcoholics. A few people thanked us for it. A bunch of guests who wanted to drink went to a bar later.

We bought our cake from a bakery, but we used their retail menu, which was much cheaper than their custom menu. The main cake was a large round, heavily decorated white cake. We also had a smaller round chocolate cake because Hubby wanted chocolate. They didn’t deliver it, but so many people wanted to help I had no problem finding people to help, so someone else picked it up. Everyone loved the cakes, they photographed beautifully, and 75 servings cost $85.
- Casey Slide
  
  Thanks for sharing your story, Liz. Those are some great tips!
Kmgerhke

I got real creative and asked where I work A Assisted living facility if we could hold the wedding and reception in there facility,They have gone as far as donating the food for our event. we just need to supply cheese and crackers. But we chose 2 PM wedding-people already have eaten lunch and all will be done by dinner time. We are having wine and champagne-and water. I found cheap lables that will have our names and wedding dates on them. Just to cool. Total with attire-less than 3 grand
- Casey Slide
  
  Wow, you are awesome! Good for you! That is a great idea, and it was so nice that your work did that for you. Thanks for sharing!
Loves to cook

We cater for people who want classy but can’t afford it. We ask you how much you anticipate spending on food (excluding cake). Then we plan 3 menus that satisfies $$, taste, and guest count. You pick the menu. So far all of our clients have been very pleased. When you talk to the caterer try to not pick from their pricing sheet. Let them know the maximum amount you will spend and ask them to devise a menu for that price. For example: in August 2011 we did an elegant outdoor reception for 159 guests serving pulled pork ‘sliders’, spring mix salad w/ strawberry vinagrete, marinated fresh fruit, and handmade garlic chips for a total cost of $568. The buffet was crystal and silver serving dishes so not only was it inexpensive, it was elegant too.
- Allicemorse
  
  hi! do you have a website? I am getting married in november and would love to use your services!!!!!!!!!
- Erika
  
  please please please supply a phone number or email address….this is awesome. I’m getting married in April 2013 and i am on a budget. my email address is [email protected] I could really use your services
- Libe
  
  Hey there,
  
  I’m very interested in knowing more about your services. Can you please tell us how we can get hold of you? Thanks.
- Libby
  
  This sounds fantastic! Do you have a website?
- Brokeassbrideplans
  
  hi loves to cook! you are a blessing. Please send me more info to [email protected]
- Marjon Selby
  
  I am interested in your services please e-mail me at [email protected]
- Leeann
  
  Hi do you have contact details? please email me [email protected]
- Michelle
  
  HI I’m getting married this Sept! I’am interested in your talent and would like you to help me. pls email me at [email protected]
Sammy Smith

thanks
Liz

I’m getting married next June on my family’s dairy farm. I have a big family and a small budget. I have the venue all set, I’m a baker so I’m doing the cake myself, and a family member is catering for us. We are trying to do everything for 5k, for close to 200 people. I traded my culinary services for a friend who will dj for us also. The tent will be the biggest purchase. I was very stressed out at first thinking it was impossible to invite all family and keep it under 5k, but things seem to fall in place.
- Casey Slide
  
  That’s awesome that you have skills to help you save money on your wedding and were also able to work up a trade with a friend! Good for you!
soontobeturner

I’m getting married March 2, 2013 and I am leaving for basic training March 18, 2013. I am kinda freaking out about the details of planning this wedding because my husband-to-be works nights (so its nearly impossible to keep him awake long enough during the day to help with plans). Thanks for the tips, now the food situation doesn’t seem like such a huge load on my shoulders.
Sleepy

I have been enjoying this site and all the comments! I am getting married October 13, 2012. My fiancé proposed to me in June and we decided to do it so soon because he deploys again at the first of the year. I have kept everything under $1000. That includes my dress, cake, rental of tables and chairs and really having to get all the things needed. I have made everything! I made the invites, favors, decorations, center pieces, head items for myself and the flower girls, made the flower girl baskets. My maid of honor and bridesmaid will be helping me get the food prep. A friend is letting me use her chocolate fountain and there will be all kinds of fruit to dip. Also doing the punch bowls with fruit punch and sweet tea. Coffe to go with cake. Byob, but I am providing the wine for the toast. It’s an outdoor wedding/reception at my fiance’s aunts house so I don’t have any cost for that. And between the chaos of all that and work… Trying to find time to sleep
- Casey Slide
  
  Good for you! That is really amazing, and I appreciate you sharing how you are doing this. Good luck with your wedding and marriage and on getting some sleep!
- Jojo09
  
  How didi you do that??? :O wowwww very impressed! I’m planning my wedding also, and everything looks soooo expensive, I’m trying to manage our budget with 150 attendees, no more than 200 people. If you are willing to help me out to get some ideas to make my own invitation cards, center pieces, head items, etc, this is my email: [email protected] Thank you and hope to hear from you! Violetta!
Ken2idy08

Thank you. My boyfriend of 3 years just told me he wants to get married 12-12-12… its the end of october. This really helped calm my nerves .. we can bairly afford rent
anon

For me and my fiance’s wedding we’re planning on having it all in my parents back yard. We’re self catering (we come from a farm so we’re hiring a couple of gas roasters for the meat, and having salads etc with it). To eliminate issues of accomidation and people travelling we’re camping everyone that’s not local there (so many friends have offered us tents and caravans already, plus it means that we could put the marquee to an extra use), then the next mornign we’re having a brunch and relax with everyone that’s still there. One of my good friends and my auntie are making bridesmaid and flower girl dresses, and we’re going to use hydrangeas from my future mother in laws garden for the flowers. The Marquee is probable the biggest cost, but I’m really pleased we looked around for quotes because there was a really big difference between company’s.

Another idea I’ve heard for catering (if you want to do it yourself) is to make it a fundraiser for a local group. Do all the prep yourselves in the days before, but on the day have a couple of people from your local school/charity group etc. to do the serving/carving etc. That way none of the attendants have to miss out on the wedding, and you give the group/school a donation for the work. It’s cheaper than paying caterers, and is a great way to donate to a local organisation.
- Casey Slide
  
  Those are some unique ideas that you have about the camping out and making the catering a fundraiser for a local group! Good luck with your wedding, and thank you for adding your suggestions!
http://www.facebook.com/katrina.hellicksonwardlow Katrina Hellickson Wardlow

FOR MY DAUGHTERS WEDDING WE HAD A POT LUCK. ALTHOUGH MY PARENTS THOUGHT IT WAS CHEESY, THE GUESTS LOVED IT! AND WE HAD A WONDERFUL VARIETY OF FOODS AND DESERTS NOT TO MENTION THE WEDDING CAKE!
Thecakegoddess

As a scratch baker and cake artist, I have a problem with “serve a SAM’s or Costco or Walmart, or any other commercially prepared sheet cake in the back”. I put a lot of effort, time, and skill into all of my “cakes”, along with my company’s reputation. The last thing I want is for guests to be served a cake that was made by a “commercial” store, loaded with garbage ingredients, tasting like a “store bought cake”, and then thinking that it came from my bakery.This could seriously damage a bakers reputation, and make it harder to get bookings in the future, thereby creating a hardship for a local business owner.
That is comparable to hiring a caterer to do one fabulous item, to keep costs down, then getting the rest from walmart. Or hiring a photographer to take one picture with his professional camera equipment, and then asking them to use a little 2 megapixal point and shoot camera, developed at walmart, for the rest of the wedding pictures, you just don’t do it. Just like a marriage, you either commit completely, or don’t do it,lol. The cake, or cupcakes, or whatever else the wedding couple decides to go with for the cutting ceremony, is the centerpiece of the reception,it is the first thing people look for when they walk into the reception. it is the “table” they stand in front of and oohh and aahh over. the same way the dress is the centerpiece of the ceremony.
Better to have a budget, find a reputable baker to work with that budget, and then stick with that budget. I have worked with many brides to accomdate their budget, including offering a “kitchen cake” to go along with a smaller tiered cake for them to cut. That way the guests have a good experience with all of the cake as well, because the flavors and quality is the same no matter which slice you get. Also, most wedding cakes are based on a 1″ wide by 2″ deep by 4″ high slice. Not much wiggle room for “extra slices” in that without the guest feeling like they are being fed ” Costco samples” instead of “slices” of cake. And, on another note, I have yet to have a couple come back and say, “we ordered way to much cake”, or “not everyone ate the cake”,lol Just sayin :D
- Jolin798
  
  Bakery’s in my area will not do your wedding cake if you want to supplement with “cheaper” cakes. You work hard for your reputation and you don’t need a sam’s club cake to ruin it.
- BridenMI
  
  You bake cakes and probably overcharge for a simple and fun task, guess that is how it is nowadays though. Many bakers rip people off for a cake that would normally cost less were it not a “wedding cake”and that is what causes them to lose business. People are getting more savvy with their spending, get with it or go out of business case closed. Love the ideas above :-).
  - thecakegoddess
    
    I really take offense to the comment that making a wedding cake is a “simple and fun task”. You likely see the pros tackle competitions on television and think it’s easy. It is a very technical craft, and one which took me a while to learn correctly. I don’t live in an area where there are a lot of schools to teach me this kind of work; I am completely self-taught. Yes, for me it is a fun job, but it is anything but simple. No baker wants to have his or her cake topple on a bride’s wedding day. There are technical efforts that must be made to avoid that happening. No bride wants to see the construction it takes to keep her cake standing, so we must be careful to keep that hidden. And every bride wants ever aspect of her day to be perfect, so we are much more careful to insure a lovely produce for her day. And, like everyone else, we deserve to be compensated fairly for our work. I don’t appreciate seeing that some bakers are getting $12-$15 per slice when I can only get $3-$4 in my area; but like every other job, there are going to be people who can command a higher price depending on the area of the country they are providing their service. After all, an architecht in Boston will garner a higher price than an an architecht whose office is in the middle of Iowa farm fields. Is that fair? I don’t know, but it seems to be the way our world functions. I’m sorry you have such a problem with paying professionals for their expertise. I recommend that you talk to your baker and let them know you have a budgetary limitations; you’d be surprised at how many of us are willing to work within a budget if it’s presented to us. I am honored to do what I can because you want to hire me.
    - Amanda
      
      I understand your point of view because i enjoy making cakes and doing cake decorating (Just a hobby for now) but also as a bride on a budget, i dont feel you should be offended if a couple chooses to pay much less for a cheap sheet cake for the guests. If i were to do that, i would not try to pass it off like it was the cake you made, it would be obvious that the fancy cake was for me and my fiance while the guests cake was much lower quality. This will not be an issue at my wedding because we plan to have a small two tier cake with a full dessert bar filled with various pies, cakes, and cookies made by family members!
    - bride-to-be
      
      I teach cooking to middle school students and have been doing quite a lot of baking lately. Cakes are one of the easier things to make – they are a quick bread, not a yeast bread, thus mostly a matter of mixing wet ingredients mixing dry, combine without over mixing, bake until fluffy and not sticky in a reasonable sized pan. As long as you have a good recipe to follow, there shouldn’t be much of a problem. Some people have some super amazing decorating skills and outstanding recipes, and some people seem truly cursed when it comes to cooking and can’t make box-mix cake or boil water, but generally cake should be doable. My groom-to-be wants a tiered cake with columns separating the layers… and we’re having a semi camping wedding, so transporting a catered cake is out, though there is a lode with a good kitchen, so I guess that means my brides maids and I will be doing some cooking the day before! I have been doing a lot of cake research and made a “practice” tiered cake last weekend. I used a vegan recipe without thinking, yet it turned out quite well! 3 cake recipes to go, many more to try. My neighbors have been appreciating evening deliveries of extra cakes. :)
    - bride-to-be
      
      Though, I totally agree with your first post for this thread – advertising a real cake made of quality ingredients then seeking out chemical Walmart garbage cake to actually feed people is terrible. Using quality ingredients is the secret to every food. I shutter at the thought of store bought cake, and Costco cake is probably why I am afraid of catered cake as well – I’ve never paid for a better cake than I or my mum make – always too much sugar or sub-par ingredients… or just a bad recipe for mass production? No one should substitute a commercial cake for a custom cake at their wedding. I’m glad there are good caterers in the world to draw people away from Costco cakes.
    - bride-to-be
      
      *sneaking out chemical Walmart garbage cake
    - lovergirl
      
      costco is a wealthy company…..they really are…..I just googled it….check it out :)
- lovergirl
  
  you should donate some of your cakes so that folk like me who have a tight budget can get the “good stuff” and not the “commercial sheet cake”….do you know a photographer who would like to do the same…. :)
George

Thank you….i do catering and your idea was perfect…thank you.
Georgekcadams

Casey, I would love to know more secrets to saving cash for my wedding. Thing is mine will be in another state and guests will be paying for airfare and hotel. We plan on keeping it smile and cheap, just immediate family and friends. Thank you
http://www.facebook.com/ali.burcham Ali Burcham

I disagree a tad with not hiring servers. When you pass your apps, you can get away with less food because people aren’t going to grab 10 shrimp like they would if the food is just sitting there. People tend to load up on food that’s not monitored!! Check with your venue to see what the extra labor charge is and weigh the difference.
mkc

Ive never understood why people feel the need to invite 100+ people to their weddings, maybe its because i don’t have a huge family or anything but it just seems ridiculous both budget wise and because it wouldn’t be that close of a gathering.
http://www.facebook.com/rosy.fernandez.7374 Rosy Fernandez

Great article, but besides food I think a lot of money can be saved in entertainment expenses. I recently attended the wedding reception of my niece that was so wonderful. They had put up a big-screen tv and played a musical show made with pictures of the couple’s dating days. It was perfectly synchronized to music and because it was professionally made, the results were awesomely romantic and touching! They got the show custom-made for them by SmilingSnaps and I had never seen anything like that before.
Kym

this sounds like a 10,000 dollar wedding
PLEASE

I can’t even read some of these posts because of the spelling and punctuation mistakes. I think all of you should go back to elementary school.