Catering for Weddings

My favorite thing about weddings is food. My least favorite thing about planning my wedding... Food! I can't believe how costly it can be! I keep having to go back to the drawing board and re-balance my budget. Today I'll give some tips on how I decided on the Food/Catering budget.

Deciding on what type of food to Cater.

This is where you have to ask your family what type of reception were you having. If you're doing a relaxed 'come and go' reception you won't need to order a massive 4 course meal service. If you were only wanting a dessert theme reception then obviously, you get to grab the dessert menu! One of my favorites is a brunch theme! I also enjoyed the 'family style BBQ' theme my neighbor Amanda had. The importance on decided what style of reception you'll be having is so you can target the right Catering service and focus solely on that style of menu.

How to shop for a Caterer:

- Read reviews online!

- Check local websites and do local google searches near where your venue is! (you don't want to pay an additional travel cost!)

- Visit grocery stores! A lot of grocery stores now do catering.

- Check out your favorite restaurants and see what service they provide.

What to Ask a Caterer:

- Options of food?

- Pricing by tiers or types of food?

- Are they including drinks in the pricing?

- Is there a pouring fee with Alcohol?

- Last date you can confirm guest number?
- Is this a buffet line or a sit down and waiters will bring out the courses?

What did I do? I'm having a "Cocktail Style Reception". This means I plan to have drinks (Wine, Beer, and some non-alcoholic choices), Some simple food trays: Fruit tray, Veggie Tray, Meat Tray, Meat balls, small finger sandwiches, and for dessert Cake and Cookies. 
I wanted to keep my reception simple and wasn't wanting to have a full Dinner for everyone. This was because of price + we're going to be out on the beach! My goal is to have the food compliment the beach vibes so super chill and relaxing.