Choosing which foods to serve at your wedding is always an important decision. You want to create a lovely meal for all your guests, and make sure everything looks as beautiful as it tastes. Not many bridal couples can afford a fully catered affair. But that doesn’t mean that your meal has to be anything less than spectacular. You just need to put some creativity into planning your food for the big day. Here are some ideas for serving gorgeous wedding food on a budget.
Cater the Meal Yourself. Preparing the food yourself, along with some family and friends, can be a very special treat for your wedding guests. It’s also a way to make your wedding more personal. Instead of traditional wedding fare, you can serve your family’s favorite food or ethnic specialties. Those unique touches will make this a meal everyone will remember with pleasure.
Go Halfway. If preparing the entire meal by yourself sounds too overwhelming, go halfway. Hire a professional caterer to prepare some of the dishes you serve, perhaps an attractive main course. Then round out the menu with your own favorite side dishes and appetizers. By having a caterer do some of the meal preparation, you can relieve your budget and also your stress level.
Serve a Buffet. A buffet style meal can be a lot easier on the budget than a sit-down meal. Some foods that look wonderful on a buffet table are vegetable trays, fresh fruits, salads, rolls, and cold cuts. Your local deli might be able to prepare the trays for you. You can also assemble the platters yourself and add some lovely garnishes to spruce them up.
Potluck Dinner. If yours is a more informal wedding, consider serving a potluck meal. Ask everyone who attends to contribute a dish to the wedding feast. Your friends and family might be delighted to participate in your day in this way. You’ll also get a wonderful feast with a variety of everyone’s best dishes. If you do decide to have a potluck dinner, be sure to organize what everyone is going to bring, so you don’t get too much of one type of dish.
Serve Appetizers. If you have your heart set on serving elegant dishes like seafood and prime rib, being on a budget doesn’t mean you have to do entirely without them. Instead of serving them as a main course, plan ahead of time and create appetizers that are smaller, more affordable versions of these expensive dishes. For example, instead of seafood main course, serve crab cakes or a tasty lobster sauce with another appetizer.
The food you serve is an important part of your wedding day. At the same time, it’s not so important that you should go into debt or break your budget to pay for an elaborate meal. With some creativity and planning, it’s possible to serve gorgeous wedding food without overspending.
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