How to Cater Your Wedding Reception

Hiring a caterer for your wedding reception can be extremely expensive. Depending on the number of guests you expect and the complexity of your desired menu, the costs can easily run into the thousands of dollars. That's money that could be better spent on something more meaningful, such as your honeymoon or a down payment on your first house. In the interest of saving money, may couples are now choosing to cater their wedding receptions themselves. Fortunately, it is entirely possible to have a lavish, do-it-yourself reception without spending a fortune.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Make some important decisions in advance. You'll need to determine how many guests to invite to the reception, as well as set a budget for food and supplies.

2. Decide what kind of reception you want. Will it be a formal sit-down dinner, a casual buffet or a family-style picnic? The type of reception will be the major influence on the kind of food you serve.

3. Come up with a menu. You can consult one of dozens of wedding planning books available at your local bookstore for ideas, or just use your own creativity and preferences.

4. Break down the dishes on your menu into individual ingredients. Then, go comparison shopping at two to three different grocery stores. Write down the prices of everything you need at each store, then add it all up to make sure you're keeping within your budget. Make adjustments as necessary.

5. Enlist some help. Get three to five willing family members or friends to agree to assist you with the shopping, cooking and decorating. You can't do it all on your own, after all. You've got to get married, too!

6. Use your own china and silverware for formal dinners. For more casual receptions, purchase inexpensive paper plates and plastic utensils in pretty colors or patterns.

7. Rent an event hall with its own kitchen for your reception. That way, food can be prepared onsite, so it is at its freshest when the reception starts. If this is not possible, arrange to cook the food at the home of the person who lives closest to the venue where the reception will be held.

8. Start cooking at least 2 to 3 hours before the wedding starts. This should give you plenty of time to prepare the food, set it out for the reception and get dressed for the wedding.

Tips & Warnings

• Realize that a wedding reception doesn't have to be fancy to be memorable. The reception is a party to celebrate your union with your mate. It's also an opportunity for you to visit with your guests. A cookout, a spaghetti dinner or even a simple selection of appetizers is often enough to keep most guests happy.

• If you know of any vegetarians who are planning on coming to your wedding, plan to have a vegetable-based dish or two that they can enjoy.

• If you're going to splurge on any food item, make it the cake. Many couples who cater their own wedding receptions still buy fancy cakes from professional bakeries. However, if you or your friends have good baking skills, making your own cake is perfectly acceptable.