How to Cater Your Own Wedding

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Looking for ways to cut costs when it comes to feeding your guests? Learn how you can plan all the steps to cater your own wedding to save money.

Whether you’re just starting to research vendors for your wedding day or you’ve been planning for several months, you’ve likely learned that catering costs for a celebration can be high. In fact, many experts suggest setting aside at least 50% of your total budget for your venue and catering.

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One of the things that can drive the cost of catering up (along with everything else) is your guest count. So, consider inviting fewer people to attend your celebration.

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Like almost every other aspect of your wedding day, the key thing to do if you would like to cater your own wedding day is to plan ahead. You will want to decide on things like your menu, necessary ingredients, plan to cook, and any help you may need well in advance.

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Because a wedding day is a special occasion, many catering companies look to serve more luxurious dishes (filet mignon, anyone?). However, if you’re planning to cater your own wedding day to save money, you will want to fill your menu with more affordable ingredients.

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If you’re looking for the most expensive ingredient culprit, it’s almost always meat. To keep your total costs down, watch how much meat you include in your menu. Things like barbecue sandwiches, tacos, pizza, and pasta may involve some meat, but you won’t need nearly as much as a typical plate of meat, vegetables, and starch.

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If you think about family parties for birthdays or holidays, there are always plenty of salads on the table. That’s because potato salad, coleslaw, fruit salad, traditional salad, or others are relatively inexpensive to make, yet they make a ton! Lean into this concept for your wedding day menu to save.

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How to Cater Your Own Wedding

Looking for ways to cut costs when it comes to feeding your guests? Learn how you can plan all the steps to cater your own wedding to save money.

Looking for ways to cut costs when it comes to feeding your guests? Learn how you can plan all the steps to cater your own wedding to save money.

Whether you’re just starting to research vendors for your wedding day or you’ve been planning for several months, you’ve likely learned that catering costs for a celebration can be high. In fact, many experts suggest setting aside at least 50% of your total budget for your venue and catering.

Tips for Catering Your Own Wedding

One of the things that can drive the cost of catering up (along with everything else) is your guest count. So, consider inviting fewer people to attend your celebration.

Invite Fewer People

Like almost every other aspect of your wedding day, the key thing to do if you would like to cater your own wedding day is to plan ahead. You will want to decide on things like your menu, necessary ingredients, plan to cook, and any help you may need well in advance.

Plan Ahead

Because a wedding day is a special occasion, many catering companies look to serve more luxurious dishes (filet mignon, anyone?). However, if you’re planning to cater your own wedding day to save money, you will want to fill your menu with more affordable ingredients.

Consider Affordable Ingredients

Reduce the Amount of Meat

Serve Lots Of Fruit And Vegetables

If you're looking for affordable ways to feed your wedding guests, check out the rest of our tips for catering your own wedding.

If you're looking for affordable ways to feed your wedding guests, check out the rest of our tips for catering your own wedding.

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