Cheap Foods to Serve at Weddings
Serving food to guests at your wedding doesn't have to break the bank. Get creative with your wedding cuisine with local produce and side dishes that are inexpensive. Embellish entrées with nontraditional garnishes to include fruit pieces and spice sprigs that complement the main course. Gourmet-looking dishes don't have to mean gourmet pricing.
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Appetizers
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Serving more than one course at a wedding reception may seem expensive, but in fact if you serve hearty foods before the main course you can save a bundle. Soups packed with rice and potatoes, extra-large rolls and garden salads, which can be purchased at a lower cost, fill guests up before enjoying the more costly and much smaller dinner choice. Use small dinner plates for the main course to keep guests from feeling like they've been slighted on their portion size.
Multicultural Food Options
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Shape your wedding ereception around an Asian-inspired cuisine. Include a vegetarian-option stir-fry station at your wedding which, with its emphasis on rice and vegetables, may be less expensive than a traditional beef choice. If you do decide to include a meat option to the stir-fry station, include more veggies and less meat to save money. Italian pasta and Mexican foods are much less expensive than the normal "meat and potatoes" style wedding cuisine.
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Dessert Reception
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When planning your wedding to begin late in the evening or long before dinner time, include a dessert-only cuisine for your reception. The pie, cake and mousse choices can be created by the friends and family of the bride and groom which cuts costs on catering. Include a rented chocolate fountain and fresh fruit, graham crackers, marshmallows and pretzels as a guest cuisine option for the dessert-only reception. Ensure that attendees are aware that in lieu of a traditional dinner, you will serve desserts.
Wedding Cake
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The wedding cake is one of the most expensive items purchased at the reception and a good place to save a few bucks. Use a small wedding cake for the formal cake cutting and bake a sheet cake to share with guests or consider nontraditional dessert options that don't require a per-person price for a large four-tiered confection. Donuts, chocolate-covered strawberries, cream puffs and cupcakes are more budget-friendly alternatives to a large wedding cake. Offer guests a trip through a candy buffet as a wedding favor and dessert.
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References
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