Choosing the Food for your Wedding Reception
Food is not often the first thing to be considered when organizing a wedding, but it can often make or brake the celebrations. Careful consideration needs to be given to the choice of food and it should be suited to the venue as well as the guests. If you are planning a very formal reception a sit-down meal at the table would be most suitable, whereas if your wedding reception is to be held out of doors a barbecue might be a good idea.
The style of the food will depend on your budget. If money is no object then a full three course sit-down meal is a great idea. If you are on tight budget it might be a better idea to have a buffet at the reception. This is less formal and gives your guests a chance to mingle.
Unless you are a brilliant organizer and have nerves of steel it is always a good idea to hire a caterer. There will be many things that demand your attention on the day, dealing with a minor crisis in the kitchen you can do without. When hiring a caterer discuss the kind of food you would like to be served and the cost per head. If your caterer is experienced at catering for weddings he or she will be able to advise and guide so that costly mistakes can be avoided. You may have hired a wedding reception venue that already includes the catering and that is certainly one less thing to worry about. If you have rented a venue without the relevant facilities and you have hired a caterer, don’t forget to include the hire of equipment such as portable stoves and crockery etc. when calculating the price.
If you are on a very tight budge you may choose to do the catering yourself and very often family and friends are only too willing to help out. This will work out a lot cheaper because you will most likely just have the costs of the food itself. A family member or friend might take over responsibility for the catering. Weddings where everything is organized by family and friends are among some of the most successful and you have the added bonus that you have managed your big day on a small budget.
In terms of which drinks to serve, you may have various options related to the venue that you choose. Some venues may have their own fully equipped bars which can be used as either a cash bar or an open bar whereby you pay for the drinks. The use of this bar will be taken into consideration with how much you pay for the venue. You will pay more because the venue will require staff whom they need to pay.
As for the wedding cake, there are many specialist catering firms who can design the cake you allow for the number of guests and how many tiers you wish to have. If you are hiring a caterer for your wedding, chances are either they will do this service themselves or recommend another company who you can contact for the design of your wedding cake.
|