Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

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RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

We are getting married in August and have a very tight budget! We have chosen and priced all of our food and tablewear for $359, which will feed 175 people! We found everything at Sam's Club! Also, all of our serving wear has come from the Dollar Tree! No one cares what it looks like, just what's on it!

Post by AlmostAugust

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

I'm getting married on June 13th 2009 and we are paying for this wedding. I'm not working and he makes enough to cover the bills plus I have 3 kids and he has 2. It's a second marriage for both of us. He had the big wedding thing his first time around but I didn't. I want this to be mine but with our budget, it's not going to be perfect. So every person I talk to says you cant go wrong with pasta. Everyone loves pasta, salad, and bread sticks. To all you women out there in my position, good luck. Lord knows we need it lol!

Post By Kelly (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

Hello, I was thinking spaghetti dinner salad and bread sticks.
I was thinking how to do the pasta. I have a roaster I was going to put it in but do I add water and if so how much. Or just cooked pasta and then put in the roaster and the steam will keep it fresh. Please help. Also if I put the sauce in a crock pot will it stick and do I have to stir it or can I just leave it Please email me heather041304 AT yahoo.com

Post By Heather (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

Hi, all these ideas sound great! When we have a wedding in our family the women all get together the day before the wedding and cook. We typically make the salads and cook up the meat for sandwiches. Get some drinks made up or pick up some off sale. Get all the groceries and meet at someone's house. We make the salads in large bowls and then transfer to ice cream buckets. They are easier to carry to the venue and free! This way you have good family food and get to spend the day before your wedding with the women in your life! Congratulations and the best of luck!

Post By Dani (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

BBQ pulled pork. Easy in a crockpot, place a pork tenderloin, 1 container of BBQ sauce, 1 chilli packet, and 2 TBS. of lemon juice. Serve with potato rolls.

Post By Sandy (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

I am having my wedding on 10/4/2008 we will be serving spaghetti and salad, breadsticks, my mom says it's cheap and easy. She's help serve a wedding where this was done, they also had varieties of pastas (cold) for those who don't care for spaghetti. Sandwiches are easy and cheap too.

Post By princessrivers (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

For our wedding it is costing us well under $1000. We got the hall for free because my fiance works there, got the minister for free because she's our neighbor, caterer is less than half price because he's my boss and I have been
giving him my tip $ to pay down the bill for the past year... for our dinner we are having:

pork shishkabobs
pulled pork sandwiches on crusty buns
Caesar salad
garden salad
pasta salads
vegetarian soup

and for the kids- mini pizzas and juice boxes

The picnic style reception (picnic foods, buffet style) is saving us a ton of money, and it is easy, and people generally like buffet style comfort foods. Also, since it is a buffet, ask your caterer if it is okay to have them set up the food then leave- no point paying them to stand around waiting for you to be done.

The only sucky part about that is you have to have someone (friend, family) keep an eye on if food needs to be replenished, and then someone to pack the stuff up for the caterer to come get it. Some caterers don't mind this, some won't do it. Ask if any plate rental fees are tacked onto your final bill- then think about using paper plates (chinet has some NICE ones) if it will save you some $, and if it is a causal reception.

Not many people will be critical about paper plates, because most people don't go to a wedding to critique stuff like that. Also, if you are in a position to do any advertising for your caterer, like if you work somewhere you can post an ad for the caterer, or where you can give frequent referrals (like if you know someone else who is looking for a caterer, or if you work at a hall or something), you can ask for a discount if you do some advertising for them.
there are lots of ways to save money on a reception meal-- you just have to ask!

We are also doing this- not a ton of people are invited to the wedding & reception- there are 130 guests. BUT we wanted to invite many more- so we invited those 130 to the wedding/ceremony, then mailed out separate invitations for just the dance after the reception--

Put the reason for the dance, location date and time. Make sure time time is about an hour after you expect dinner to be over. That way, your first guest list gets the wedding and dinner, and then everybody you want to be there can come for the dance-- it cuts down HUGE on a wedding budget.
We, Michael & Stephanie, would love for you to join us for our wedding reception dance at --name of hall-- -date- --start time--"

good luck and happy planning!

Post By Enter your name. (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

My cousin did a southern themed reception and did a grits bar! Super cheap and they served the grits in the small, clear beverage cups and offered different toppings like sausage, bacon, cheese, sugar, butter, mushrooms, onions, syrup, or anything else she could think of. It was a huge hit! To go with this they also did things like fried okra, black-eyed pea salad, corn nuggets, and fried green tomatoes. I know that the tomatoes could get time consuming and a little expensive, but the grits bar could be done really cheap and still be served really fancy! Hope this helps.

Post by leighholley

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

I am getting married May 24th '08. My fiance and I came up with the idea of a taco bar. Who doesn't like tacos! We even have a guest that only eats chicken and we are going to put out some ground chicken along with the beef.

Post By Candace (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

Hi! The sam's thing is as great idea. When my mom knows she has guests coming (normally a group of relatives), she hits sam's for cake and pies and stuff. They are huge! She buys bulk bags of nibble foods (wings etc) and sam's has bulk of everything from pop to dinner to dessert. I used to work at target bakery and they make the cakes there and then people would order a large sheet cake for the guests to eat. Good luck

Post By Enter your name. (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

Why not try the chinese food? They're pretty cheap, I called one around and they give me a quote of $4 per person for a 4 dish meal, it would be whatever you choose, a lot of people likes chinese food so this might be a good idea :)

Post By AJ (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

My to-be hubby and I have to pay for the whole deal pretty much by ourselves cuz my rents are going through a divorce and aren't very well off to begin with... so we are doing an "afternoon tea" with just fruit and little desserts from Sams Club! - It cuts back on the cost BIG TIME, and we are having fun collecting different teacups from all different yard sales and antiques places to have a kind of "mad hatter" party!

Post By Karie Anne (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

My husband and I catered our own-course, he fixed the hog (we have a smoker), but I fixed fingerfood-like coleslaw, meatballs in barbq sauce, little wieners in sauce, potato salad, mac salad,dips/chips, and fruitplatter. I also did a wedding for a friend's daughter-simple things:fingerwiches-plain bread with chicken salad, turkey salad, ham salad-take the bread, cut the crust off, spread the salad, top with other slice, then cut in quarters, then quarters in half, you can get 8 out of 2 slices of bread! Mints from the dollar store-hit the dollar stores-great for finding inexpense items-candle holders for mint servers (example), balloons, etc. They have great stuff! I used this tea for my wedding!
Good luck and best wishes

Post By LISA/BLUE RIDGE BBQ CATERING CO. (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

I was thinking about maybe doing a "pasta bar" and just have different sorts of pasta and everyone can just serve themselves. Maybe have some bread sticks and salad or something... then the cake. What do you think about that?

Post by Slauren14

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

You supply the cake and beverages. Tell everyone you want a family feel to the meal and to bring a covered dish of their favorite or best family dish.

Post By ANNA (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

You supply the cake and beverages. Tell everyone you want a family feel to the meal and to bring a covered dish of their favorite or best family dish.

Post By ANNA (Guest Post)

RE: Thrifty Food Ideas For Wedding Reception

Here is a main dish pasta salad that is always a hit with guests. Makes a large dish.
KITCHEN SINK PASTA SALAD
1/2 # each bow tie, veg regotoni,wagon wheels ,shells( or you could use WACKY Pasta)
3/4 cup red onion
2 med gr pepper-chopped
2 med red pepper-chopped
2 cucumber-chopped
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup brocolli flowers
1 cup cauliflower pieces
1/2 # hard salomi-diced
1/2 # boiled ham-juiliane strips
1/2 # mozzorella cheese-cut up
1 cup parmasean cheese
1/2 cup ground romana cheese
1-7 1/2 oz. pitted black olives
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup soy nuts
1 bunch parsley-chopped
2 TBLS salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
GARLIC HERB VINEGARETTE
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups olive oil( I use half oil and half water)
2 TBLS water
1 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic-crushed
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt & Pepper
Mix dressing and pour 1 1/2 cups over salad and let set 12 hours.After the 12 hours:
Add 3 chopped tomatoes
3 chopped hard boiled eggs
rest of dressing.
Toss and enjoy ! !

Post by WIsgal

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