Tips For Your Wedding Reception Meal On A Budget
Planning the meal for your wedding reception can be one of the greatest expenses you are likely to encounter. With the following tips for your reception meal for your wedding on a budget, you should be able to significantly reduce the cost of the food budget.
To plan for your reception meal for a wedding on a budget, try to keep your guest list to a reasonable number. You’ll need to keep this optimal number (assuming that EVERYONE you invite will be in attendance) in mind as you look for a venue for the food for your wedding reception meal. Make sure you have a definite attended count at least 2 weeks before the reception so you can negotiate price if you have less attending than you thought.
First, shop around to see what kinds of services are offered based on the type of place you choose to hold your reception. Halls which offer individual service by a wait staff will always prove to be higher in cost than a family-style buffet line offered by other venues. The additional money goes to pay the salaries of anyone else who is necessary to provide service.
There is the possibility that the cost of less expensive food includes the pay for a few people who will stand with the food offered on the buffet line and serve it as your guests go by with plates in hand to get their meals. In some rare instances, the only server who will actually stand with the food will be someone who will dispense measured portions of whatever meat may be offered to insure that everyone there gets a serving.
Get an estimation of what the cost would be per person, depending on what fare is offered. Be aware that the more exotic the fare, the higher the cost will be, especially if there is a choice of two or three meats offered. At a family-style affair, you are likely to get one meat choice, some sort of starch, either in the form of a pasta dish or mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls or other bread, green salad with a simple dressing, and a choice of water, coffee or tea to drink. In some instances, the pasta dish (usually shells or ziti with some sort of marinara sauce) will contain meat as a component.
Dessert will more than likely be the wedding cake, although in some instances ice cream or sorbet can be included. If an alcoholic beverage like champagne for toasts allowed and offered, there is the possibility that it will have to be provided by the bridal party.
Some venues not only allow alcoholic beverages, but will offer bartending services. In this case, you need to try and determine whether it is worth the expense to offer open bar services (usually including some sort of soft drinks for non-drinkers) or whether you should make it the type of service where guests have to pay for any drink they want. Be aware that open bars can run upwards of $500 and could go as high as $2500 depending on the number of guests you expect to have served.
As a final tip for your wedding reception meal for a wedding on a budget, consider having finger foods, especially if your wedding is scheduled for the morning or early afternoon. The choice of small sandwiches and items like cookies or pastries is a much lighter fare that will sit better, especially if guests have already had breakfast or lunch.
This sort of item will cost far less than a traditional reception sit-down meal. You may also find that if you have family or friends can help provide the lighter foods, you will need minimal staff at the hall. In this instance you can also serve the wedding cake at the end, and can bring in a punch or other assorted beverages (be they alcoholic or non–alcoholic) that can go in and on paper dishes and cups that you provide.
To your beautiful wedding reception!
By: Bob Hamilton
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