07 May Best Advice | Catering…Budget Savvy Tips
I asked our friend, Francesca at Newton Farms Catering, to offer up some great tips about catering. Food at any event is a large part of the budget and therefore Francesca is here to shed a bit of light and share some food for thought.
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Budget, yes the B-word. It’s a component every wedding, big or small. Do not worry, you can still have fabulous food on a shoe-string; just make sure you do it properly. What you think may be inexpensive may end up costing you the most. Here are our tips for the budget savvy bride.
Photograph by Tomme Hilton
When you first talk with a caterer, give them your budget for food. If you’re not sure what your food budget is, I recommend going to a bride friendly wedding website like Wedding Wire for their budget tool {it will tell you how realistic your budget is, and will also let you move monies around if you splurge more on a particular item and save on another}.
Photograph by Tomme Hilton
Photograph by Tomme Hilton
Hint: Your food budget should include all food, service, taxes, additional fees & rentals {if needed}.
Once your food budget is set in stone, the fun begins! Menu choices- should you have a sit down dinner, buffet, stations or hors d’oeuvres? There are many misconceptions about reception foods. Brides think that having a cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres is budget conscious because they are not serving guests a full meal. Heavy hors d’oeuvres receptions can end up being much more costly then a sit-down dinner or buffet. There are so many other options that are more cost effective. If a bride is set on a cocktail reception atmosphere, think heavy hors d’oeuvres and a combination of active stations, or displayed hors d’oeuvres.
Photograph by Tomme Hilton
Photograph by Tomme Hilton
If your reception is during dinner time, guests are going to expect to eat a fair amount of food. Heavy hors d’oeuvres can get expensive because they are bite sized. These small bites add up! Combine heavy hors d’oeuvres and stations to get more of a meal with the same type of atmosphere for your guests. Your bank account will thank you!}
Photograph by Tomme Hilton
Photograph by Tomme Hilton
Photograph by Tomme Hilton
Thank you Francesca for the great tips. On a personal note, I have had the scumptious luxury of Newton Farms Catering at events and their boxed to go lunches. Delicious!
{Photographs courtesy of Newton Farms Catering, The Connellys, and Tomme Hilton}
You can find Newton Farms and Tomme Hilton on Facebook too!
