How to Cater a Wedding From a Small Kitchen

Buffet style may require more food but less serving help.

With careful planning, you can cater a wedding using the space of a small kitchen to create a delicious and economical menu for your intimate affair. Your kitchen may limit your storage and cooking space, but not your creativity. A menu with controlled portions requires attention to the number of guests, your budget, your method of serving and most importantly, the safety of your food.

Things You'll Need

• Menu
• Platters
• Chafing dishes
• Slow cookers
• Warming trays
• Serving trays
• Serving utensils
• Dishes
• Cutlery
• Beer/wine/liquor
• Drinking glasses
• Napkins
• Insurance
• Wedding display cake
• Sheet cake
• Cutting knife

Instructions

1. Plan several days in advance. Determine the budget that you have to work with based on one plate per person, plus 30 percent, for each course. Accept no more than 125 guests for a small kitchen to avoid the need for commercial equipment and more food storage space than your small kitchen can accommodate. Arrange for three cooks and servers per 100 people and three people for cleanup. Assess the oven size, freezer and refrigerator space before planning the menu.

2. Schedule the time of the event between regular meal times to minimize appetites. Hold a lunch reception instead of dinner to minimize portions and beer, wine or liquor consumption.

3. Create a menu that you can prepare and place on a platter ahead of time, such as roasted vegetables or sliced prosciutto and fresh mozzarella with sliced ham, turkey and provolone. Serve chicken or pasta for an economical and practical main course or an hors d'oeuvres buffet with a limited bar as a cocktail menu.

4. Cater using the cafeteria style of serving, which allows you to control portions. Use
   chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays to keep foods warm. Consider a buffet, which may require more food but less help for serving. Ensure that you have an adequate supply of serving trays. State in your invitations if your reception will include only a cocktail buffet so that guests don't expect a full course meal.

5. Order a small wedding cake just for display and a large sheet cake to cut and serve. Serve the cake as the dessert to complement your meal.

Tips & Warnings

• Ensure that your liability insurance covers you for food poisoning, accident or injury.

• Bacteria can spread through poor hygiene. Instruct all helpers to wash their hands often, use clean utensils, keep work areas clean and prevent food from sitting around at room temperature.

References

• Ellen's Kitchen: Self Catering Your Wedding or Event: The Steps Before the First Step
• WeddingVendors.com: Tips for Planning a Small, Low Budget Wedding
• Cost Helper: Wedding Caterer Cost
• The Kitchn: Catering Your Own Wedding: A Step-by-Step Guide
• University of Minnesota; Catering Successfully; Ken Myers, et al.
• NSF International: 8 Tips to Keep Buffet Food Safe

Resources

• Guide to Starting and Running a Catering Business: Joyce Weinberg