How to Save With Wedding Food?

It's simple to feel defeated by the sheer magnitude of wedding bills.

But there are ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality or taste during a wedding reception. Save money on groceries without compromising flavour or quality with these suggestions! Boutique Events Group provides a sumptuous setting for your wedding ceremony.

Score the Right Caterer

Recommendations from friends and family are the best method to choose a reliable caterer. Seek advice from reliable friends and family members, and study up on online evaluations and comments.

Make sure to check the caterer's references, but more significantly, you need to feel comfortable with them.

If a couple comes in for a taste and likes the food and service but doesn't like the caterer, the team shouldn't hire that caterer.

For the most important day of your life, your interactions with the caterer should be filled with happiness.

Do it Your Way

The manner in which food is presented might vary. We'll go over the benefits and drawbacks of three of the most popular options below.

No matter the approach, a seating chart can help maintain order and relieve tension for your guests.

Buffet

Pros: Allows people to mingle more easily and provides a wide variety of food options for everyone.

Cons: There may be a greater chance of long wait times, of sloppy plating of food, and of higher prices overall due to the greater variety of options available.

Seated

Pros: Formal and sophisticated; a smoother evening's events are ensured by having everyone dine at the same time.

Cons: Socializing is hindered, and additional wait staff may be needed.

Stations 

Pros: Customizes the meal, allows diners to engage with the kitchen staff, and provides a varied menu.

Cons: The most costly choice; if not handled properly, your reception might end up seeming like a posh food court.

Make it Delicious

These days, most couples would rather dine on something a little more original and delicious than a traditional buffet supper. The latest things that have captured our hearts

Try Breakfast

The phrase "waffle station" sum up the entire concept. An elegant breakfast or brunch can be served at a reception in the morning or early afternoon for significantly less than at supper.

Feed Them Family-style

Guests are more likely to talk to one another and form bonds as they share in the experience of passing around platters of food.

Think Local

Eco-friendly and a great way to showcase local cuisine, locally sourced ingredients come straight from farms.

Bonus: It's not uncommon for locally sourced foods to outshine their transported counterparts in terms of flavour.

Create a Mini Restaurant

For an additional fee, some caterers may set up a temporary kitchen at the venue so that guests can place orders from a restricted menu right away.

Order In Food Trucks

These mobile food carts are perfect for bringing your favourite street foods to any event. Before leaving your car, find out whether any permissions are required.

Moderate Your Bar

You can disregard this advice if a well-stocked bar is high on your list of priorities.

However, if alcoholic beverages aren't very important to you, this can be a place to save money.

Don't bother stocking a bar with of different kinds of booze, mixers, and condiments; instead, just provide wine, champagne, and beer (sparkling wine works too).

Make sure to include at least one distinctive cocktail if you're dead set on offering cocktails.

Alternately, you may have a "semi-soft bar," in which only some alcoholic beverages, such cocktails, use hard liquor.

(Vodka and whisky are our top picks since they are both versatile spirits that may be enjoyed alone or mixed with a wide range of other ingredients.)

Serve Only Two or Three Courses

A three-course dinner consisting of a soup or salad, main dish, and wedding cake is plenty after guests have sampled hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

Keep in mind that this is far more food than the average diner orders at their favourite eateries. Don't be scared to say no to the caterer if he or she suggests adding any pricey extra meals to the menu for your reception.

It's not required to have them (and people will want to get to the dance floor anyway).

Go Easy on the Hors D'oeuvres

Although caterers may likely suggest a number of different options, you can cut costs by limiting yourself to no more than three pre-made appetisers during the cocktail hour. Naturally, you want to provide your visitors with some sort of snack, but at this stage in the celebrations, you don't want to spend too much money on food.

Skip Passed Appetisers

By passing around crudités, dips, cheese plates, gourmet crackers, fresh bread, and colourful fruit, you may save money on the cost of food preparation and serving personnel. In addition, visitors prefer to assist themselves rather than waiting for a server to inevitably pass by.

Stick to the Basics

There are always those pricey dishes at a catered event. Don't waste your money on lobster, oysters, fillet mignon, Ahi tuna, caviar, or truffles. If you must have one of these flavours at your occasion, have the caterer make a hors d'oeuvre that highlights the item while being restrained in its use. For instance, consider a small blini topped with a teeny bit of crème fraiche and a sprinkle of caviar.

Throw A More Intimate Reception A Few Days After The Big day.

It's only common sense that when you invite more people around, you'll also need to make sure they have plenty to drink and eat. Reducing the number of guests you invite is the greatest method to save money on food and drink.

One way to avoid having to make such selections is to hold the reception on the same day as the ceremony. Several days to a few weeks after the wedding, host a smaller celebration (don't even call it a reception) in your house or a local park. Only close friends and family should be invited, and only simple foods and drinks should be served (a potluck BBQ and coolers of canned drinks, for example).

Don't Count On Venues That Have Their Own Catering

There is one surefire technique to save costs on the dinner served at the reception, and it won't even need any effort on your side. Call ahead to make sure you can bring your own food to a venue if you plan to do so. Don't consider a location if you won't be able to bring in your own food and drink.

Host your party at the home of a friend or family member.

Your best bet is to have a family member or close friend who has a large enough home to host the party (and possibly the ceremony, depending on your preferences).

In fact, if your reception is intimate enough and their feelings for you are strong enough, they may even pitch in to help with the food and drink as a token of their appreciation.

If you're having the party at someone's home, you might want to keep the guest list smaller than if you were holding it at a public venue.

Keep Your Ideas Straight

You may save money on food and drink by coming up with themed dinners that utilise fewer, cheaper ingredients. When food is presented in a consistent manner, even the most boring dish becomes more appealing.

Rather than being an afterthought at the tail end of a long buffet table, guests will be much more enticed by a Southern-themed meal that includes fried chicken, fried okra, and macaroni and cheese.

Popular themes include:

• Soothing fare
• Good nutrition
• The meat, the bones, and the fat (pit-roasted hog for our wedding was ridiculously inexpensive per guest and provided us frozen leftovers for months)
• Barbecue

Keep away from Extra, Unneeded Expenses

Do not let the wedding venue pressure you into spending money on frivolous add-ons. The ritual of cake cutting is an extreme example. Ask for guest assistance in slicing and plating the cake instead of using a professional service.

Do not pop the champagne.

Champagne is highly pricey, costing at least $5 a bottle for bulk-purchased bottom-shelf sparkling wine and $5 or more per glass for venue-provided stuff, and the labour needed in pouring and measuring hundreds of servings is tremendous.

Money well spent, but not on the first toast at the wedding. Use whatever drink you and your company are already enjoying as a toasting beverage. Perhaps no one will even realise there is no champagne if the individual offering the toast has something truly insightful to say.

Serve food on paper plates and cups.

If given the choice, go with the environmentally friendly disposable utensils; otherwise, choose a different restaurant. The following fall under this umbrella:

throwaway cutlery constructed from biodegradable materials

• Biologically degradable silverware and dinnerware
• Eco-friendly and reusable packaging
• Using paper plates and disposable trays

Request a Family Rate Discount

Don't forget to enquire about a price reduction if you're under 30 and in need of catering services. Children under the age of 12 typically aren't subject to a separate fee at most restaurants and caterers. It's true that some insurers will cover kids up to age 16, but often only the most generous plans would do so.

The leverage of offering discounts for kids can't be overstated. Find a caterer who is willing to provide a discount for kids and use that as pressure to seek the same treatment from the other caterers you're thinking about hiring.

Perform the Ceremony During the Day

Weddings done throughout the day are far more cost-effective than those staged in the afternoon or evening. If the reception is conducted during the day, and guests leave before the conclusion of the evening block, a private venue may provide a discount. There is often a small fee to reserve a pavillion or grill at a public park. Need some help with the wedding planning? Check out our list of top-tier Wedding Event Planners here.

It's safe to assume that your daytime wedding guests would like some tea and club sandwiches, basic grillables (hot dogs and burgers), and even snack items (chips and salsa). Wedding Spot features a number of venues that are perfect for hosting wedding brunches and lunches.

Let the Party Die Out Quickly

There's no use in keeping up the festivities past their normal start time.

Cutting out the cocktail hour and turning off the dance music an hour or two after dinner may shave two to four hours off the length of your wedding. An afterparty can be thrown for those who don't want the celebration to finish. Eat fewer courses and order less variety.

Naturally, dishes that need more time or effort to create, such beef Wellington or a cassoulet with a wide variety of ingredients, will cost more. When you're trying to watch your pennies, it's ideal to eat things that don't need much work in the kitchen. You are under no need to serve a multi-course dinner to your guests during the reception. You may save money by having the caterer make only one main meal that everyone will enjoy, and another dish for those with dietary restrictions (like a vegetarian or gluten-free dish).

Serve Bar Snacks

The heavier reception menu items, such as pigs in blankets or meatballs, should not be served until dinner guests are seated, at least in the room where dinner will be served.

Nuts, pretzels, and dried fruit are just some of the bar snacks they graze on during cocktail hour to whet their appetites. Participants are likely to eat less during the formal appetiser round, which will help you save money on wedding food.

Supplement With Stations

Budget-friendly ways to feed guests at a reception include setting up one or two food stations. Your visitors will be impressed by a sushi bar just as much as a grilled cheese station where they may customise their own meal.

Bring Your Bottles

Caterers often enable customers to bring their own wine and spirits for a small corkage cost. Selecting a wine and spirit vendor with a "buyback policy" that guarantees you money for any unused bottles once the party is over is ideal.

Choose Local and In-Season Ingredients

Work with your caterer to select one-of-a-kind items that are in season and locally cultivated around the time of your wedding, much as you could with your florist for bridal flowers. Try as you may, finding and purchasing fresh strawberries in the middle of winter will be difficult and expensive.

Educate Yourself

There's no need to become a master cook, but it doesn't hurt to know which cuts of meat and seafood are the priciest. Generally speaking, the price of organic fruits and vegetables is higher than the price of conventionally grown foods. Discuss with your caterer in advance which menu items are must-haves and which ones you can do without.

Manage the Booze

Having a drink at the bar at supper is usually not more expensive than at other times of the day. Wilson predicts that guests will continue to consume around one drink every hour. Her number one suggestion for saving cash at a sit-down meal is to talk to the wait staff. People will drink everything you put in front of them, so tell them not to go overboard with the servings. Be sure to inform the caterer if you want to provide individual wine glasses or bottles to each guest. A good server will be able to pour at a steady pace, allowing the bottles to last throughout the dinner.

Tips to Reduce Wedding Reception Cocktail Hour Costs

Reduce Wedding Cocktail Hour

One simple strategy to save money is to shorten the time between when the ceremony ends and the reception begins. These suggestions range from easy fixes applicable to any wedding to more out-of-the-box suggestions that may be useful to you.

Inviting Guests To Bring Their Own Alcohol is Encouraged.

• Asking visitors to bring their own booze is not as impolite as it sounds. Simply state on the invitation or website that alcoholic beverages will not be provided during the cocktail hour.
• After that, do one of the following to make sure the aperitif goes well:
• Mixing it up and having a party. You may use a free online service like PotluckHub or a shared spreadsheet to organise a cocktail potluck, where guests bring their favourite alcoholic beverages to share.
• Please take these as examples only. When hosting a bring-your-own-alcoholic-beverage cocktail hour, you're free to be creative with your table settings.
• Get some mixers for the bar. If you expect your guests to bring alcoholic beverages, stock up on inexpensive mixers like soda and fruit juice. Keep a stock of paper towels, ice, and glasses at all times.
• Cocktail hour with a specific focus. Select a beverage category, such as craft beer, and have guests bring their favourite examples to share during the cocktail hour.
• Stay with Just One Drink

If you're not interested in having a BYOB cocktail hour, there's no need to add extra stress by offering multiple alcoholic beverages between the ceremony and reception. Here are a few reasonably priced drinks:

• Having your favourite brewery or cidery instal a keg tap.
• We popped the cork on the Champagne and handed out eco-friendly Champagne flutes.
• It's also OK to provide the venue's house wine or to buy cheap red and white in quantity (see our wine-buying guide for tips)
• Create a signature cocktail in advance, such as your favourite as a couple or one that complements the wedding's colour scheme.

Don't worry yourself sick trying to choose a drink that will please everyone at the gathering. Most individuals would rather drink white wine or hard seltzer than beer or strong liquor (and some prefer not to knock back cocktails before dinner anyway).

Don't let anyone drink the booze

No hard and fast rule requires booze to be offered during the cocktail hour of a wedding. No matter if the restaurant allows BYOB or not, put the booze away until dinner time.

In the meanwhile, non-alcoholic beverages like sweet and unsweet tea, as well as water flavoured with citrous, cucumbers, or berries, should be made accessible from dispensers.

Clear the area for photos before the ceremony begins.

Many weddings use the cocktail hour as a way for guests to pass the time while the wedding party poses for photographs. If the wedding photos are completed before the guests arrive, they won't want to hang around for the cocktail hour.

If the ceremony and reception are conducted in the same location, you may not even need a formal cocktail hour.

Final Word

Food and drink expenditures are bound to account for a sizable portion of your wedding reception budget, even if you employ every cost-cutting measure that makes sense for your special day.

The good news is that we can make more reductions if necessary. It is possible to save costs for your wedding reception by cutting down on or eliminating a few details without negatively hurting your guests' enjoyment. Your own wedding catering? Have us connect you with the best wedding caterers in Melbourne.

Don't allow anyone tell you that you can't have the wedding of your dreams because of a lack of funds.

Content Summary

• But there are ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality or taste during a wedding reception.
• Save money on groceries without compromising flavour or quality with these suggestions!
• Boutique Events Group provides a sumptuous setting for your wedding ceremony.
• Score the Right CatererRecommendations from friends and family are the best method to choose a reliable caterer.
• If a couple comes in for a taste and likes the food and service but doesn't like the caterer, the team shouldn't hire that caterer.
• For the most important day of your life, your interactions with the caterer should be filled with happiness.
• We'll go over the benefits and drawbacks of three of the most popular options below.
• No matter the approach, a seating chart can help maintain order and relieve tension for your guests.
• Create a Mini RestaurantFor an additional fee, some caterers may set up a temporary kitchen at the venue so that guests can place orders from a restricted menu right away.
• Order In Food TrucksThese mobile food carts are perfect for bringing your favourite street foods to any event.
• Moderate Your BarYou can disregard this advice if a well-stocked bar is high on your list of priorities.
• However, if alcoholic beverages aren't very important to you, this can be a place to save money.
• Don't be scared to say no to the caterer if he or she suggests adding any pricey extra meals to the menu for your reception.
• Naturally, you want to provide your visitors with some sort of snack, but at this stage in the celebrations, you don't want to spend too much money on food.
• There are always those pricey dishes at a catered event.
• Reducing the number of guests you invite is the greatest method to save money on food and drink.
• One way to avoid having to make such selections is to hold the reception on the same day as the ceremony.
• Call ahead to make sure you can bring your own food to a venue if you plan to do so.
• Don't consider a location if you won't be able to bring in your own food and drink.
• Host your party at the home of a friend or family member.
• You may save money on food and drink by coming up with themed dinners that utilise fewer, cheaper ingredients.
• The ritual of cake cutting is an extreme example.
• Ask for guest assistance in slicing and plating the cake instead of using a professional service.
• Do not pop the champagne.
• Money well spent, but not on the first toast at the wedding.
• Serve food on paper plates and cups.
• Children under the age of 12 typically aren't subject to a separate fee at most restaurants and caterers.
• The leverage of offering discounts for kids can't be overstated.
• Weddings done throughout the day are far more cost-effective than those staged in the afternoon or evening.
• If the reception is conducted during the day, and guests leave before the conclusion of the evening block, a private venue may provide a discount.
• Need some help with the wedding planning?
• Cutting out the cocktail hour and turning off the dance music an hour or two after dinner may shave two to four hours off the length of your wedding.
• Eat fewer courses and order less variety.
• You are under no need to serve a multi-course dinner to your guests during the reception.
• Participants are likely to eat less during the formal appetiser round, which will help you save money on wedding food.
• Supplement With StationsBudget-friendly ways to feed guests at a reception include setting up one or two food stations.
• Caterers often enable customers to bring their own wine and spirits for a small corkage cost.
• Selecting a wine and spirit vendor with a "buyback policy" that guarantees you money for any unused bottles once the party is over is ideal.
• Choose Local and In-Season IngredientsWork with your caterer to select one-of-a-kind items that are in season and locally cultivated around the time of your wedding, much as you could with your florist for bridal flowers.
• Discuss with your caterer in advance which menu items are must-haves and which ones you can do without.
• Manage the BoozeHaving a drink at the bar at supper is usually not more expensive than at other times of the day.
• Her number one suggestion for saving cash at a sit-down meal is to talk to the wait staff.
• Be sure to inform the caterer if you want to provide individual wine glasses or bottles to each guest.
• Tips to Reduce Wedding Reception Cocktail Hour Costs Reduce Wedding Cocktail HourOne simple strategy to save money is to shorten the time between when the ceremony ends and the reception begins.
• Inviting Guests To Bring Their Own Alcohol is Encouraged.
• Asking visitors to bring their own booze is not as impolite as it sounds.
• Simply state on the invitation or website that alcoholic beverages will not be provided during the cocktail hour.
• When hosting a bring-your-own-alcoholic-beverage cocktail hour, you're free to be creative with your table settings.
• Get some mixers for the bar.
• Cocktail hour with a specific focus.
• Select a beverage category, such as craft beer, and have guests bring their favourite examples to share during the cocktail hour.
• Stay with Just One DrinkIf you're not interested in having a BYOB cocktail hour, there's no need to add extra stress by offering multiple alcoholic beverages between the ceremony and reception.
• Don't worry yourself sick trying to choose a drink that will please everyone at the gathering.
• No matter if the restaurant allows BYOB or not, put the booze away until dinner time.
• Clear the area for photos before the ceremony begins.
• Many weddings use the cocktail hour as a way for guests to pass the time while the wedding party poses for photographs.
• If the wedding photos are completed before the guests arrive, they won't want to hang around for the cocktail hour.
• If the ceremony and reception are conducted in the same location, you may not even need a formal cocktail hour.
• Final WordFood and drink expenditures are bound to account for a sizable portion of your wedding reception budget, even if you employ every cost-cutting measure that makes sense for your special day.
• It is possible to save costs for your wedding reception by cutting down on or eliminating a few details without negatively hurting your guests' enjoyment.
• Your own wedding catering?
• Don't allow anyone tell you that you can't have the wedding of your dreams because of a lack of funds.