I am so sick of talking about food for my upcoming wedding reception. I am getting married 8/22/09, my fiance and I have been back and forth about different, inexpensive food ideas for our reception. We are on a strict budget because we are paying for everything ourselves.
I think it would be a good idea to have casserole type dishes with salad, rolls, fruit, relish trays, and a cheese nibbler tray. He feels we need to have a main meat dish with all the sides. I try to explain to him that it can get very pricey doing it that way. I am a very flexible person, any ideas where we could possibly incorporate a meat dish with out going over budget?
All of the suggestions are great - two other "meats" that I can think of are "Swedish" meatballs, and Hillshire Farms Little Smokies which can be cooked up in some bar-B-que sauce. Your food selections depend on the time of day your reception is and the cost per person. If all you can afford is punch, tea/coffee and cake then go for it. You can even have the "cake" reception printed on your invitation, or on a separate sheet you put inside (that way if people want to eat before hand they can). Tell you fiance if he can come up with the additional $$ for a full sit down then you'd be more than happy to set one up. Sounds to me like he's trying to impress people rather than having them come to congratulate you both on your marriage. Good luck and have a happy married life.
Hey Fairygirl1, Listen to all this good advise! I hope you have family and friends that will pitch in and help with the food and I bet they would love to help with the decorations and anything else you ask of them. My niece recently got married, planned her own wedding, and I have to say it could have been so much better if she would have ask her family for help. To top that, she gave herself a baby shower at five months pregnant, ummm, it didn't turn out so well either. We had planned to give her one later in her pregnancy, guess she couldn't wait. Oh, well, I'm just saying that I bet the ones that love you are just waiting and WANTING to help you guys. Best of luck to you both for a long and happy life.
I saw all these bits of advice you got. Is this a reception, or a 5 course dinner? Honestly! I am a 70 yr. old, had first marriage on a very low budget, (Mom made my awesome dress). we arranged our own flowers, and the reception was a nice cake that a friend made, tiered and all, another friend made the "grooms cake", the one that is dense, cut in small pieces and wrapped in foil and lace, in our case, and the unmarried girls are supposed to sleep with it under their pillow. Anyway, finger foods, crackers and a cheese ball, fresh, crisp colorful veggies, and other snack things are enough. You are getting married, You do not have to impress anyone! By the way, my first marriage lasted 39 1/2 years until death separated us. Hope this is of interest, It really is your wedding. Let them eat what you offer. Have a beautiful, long marriage.
The underlying problem here is not the food. You may need to address the bigger issue of his lack of understanding about the need to economise especially if you are trying to buy your own home... Money is one of the major issues that cause a rift in relationships and needs to be addressed
Not to worry. Try suggesting homemade meatballs - with a pasta on the side that guests can put them over. This takes care of a "meat" but won't be too expensive. Men just don't think they have been fed if there isn't something "manly"! No matter what the food, it will be a wonderful day to remember - and when you say "I do" you won't care what the meal consists of! Many good wishes coming your way for a long and very happy marriage.
A lot depends on how many people you are inviting. If you are feeding 35, a meat entree isn't so bad. Past that, you could go into debt. Some advice: My first marriage was a big, fancy affair with everything custom made. It lasted 3 years. My current (and forever) husband of 28 years and I had an almost-free wedding. I baked the cake, a friend decorated it, and we served homemade foods. My husband made the wine. Our rings are simple gold bands. I have never been so blessed as I am with my DH. In other words, a big wedding doesn't guarantee a happy marriage. Best wishes!
At our wedding. the family knew we couldn't afford a reception so the aunt's got togeather and did finger foods.We had a cake and punch as well and everyone really enjoyed it.Do have someone make plates for the bride and groom,otherwise you may not get to eat.
First of all, don't stress. It can be done. We did low-budget, too. That was 14 years ago, when $30,000 weddings were the rage, and no one complained. It was fun, and we spent less than $2,000. That includes absolutely everything: license fee, musician's fee, venue, clothing, food, flowers, and a few miscellaneous items. You're in even better luck, though: today it borders on fashionable to have more restraint with your budget. Revel in this!
I'll sidestep the question of full meal or not. That's totally a matter of preference you and your beloved will have to agree on. But whichever you choose, you should let guests know by indicating "light refreshments," "heavy hors d'oeuvres," or "dinner" right on the invitation. No surprises = no complaints.
Alcohol will blow any budget in a flash, so skip the champagne. A punch made of pineapple juice or 5 Alive and lemon-lime soda or ginger ale with orange, lime, or pineapple sherbet scoops on top is tasty, refreshing, festive, and far less expensive. Sometimes you can even adjust the ingredients to match your wedding colors!
Potluck is completely acceptable (again, indicate on invitation) if you choose full meal. Or, if you want to provide the meal instead, economical means you'll have to think fun and non-traditional--not prime rib and new potatoes but, say, barbecue with cole slaw and macaroni salad.
You can make the food yourselves, or you can get it from a few different places instead of full catering service from just one. It means more variety as well as easier budget. We bought salads from a local deli, cake from the local grocery store bakery, cheese biscuits and shrimp platters from Red Lobster, etc. Think about which of your local places make the best ___, and buy from them. There's a little more pre-event running around to do that way, but it's not a problem if you plan ahead. Or maybe ask two or three close friends/family to assist with preparations as their gift to you instead of buying something big and expensive.
We had brisket we did ourselves and a turkey. We cooked them in our roasters (my sister helped) then had a couple of side dishes. Others brought some things and it turned out really well.
One thing though. The bride and groom were so busy with their friends they did not get a chance to eat. Before the wedding or before you start people eating. Fix two plates for the bride and groom to take with them where ever they are going. Our daughter commented that they did not even get to taste the food LOL. There was some left also BUT like I said they were busy.
Our granddaughter (brides niece) wanted to give them a toast. She was 15. She had them stand in front of her and she proceeded to say. I don't have any money to give you anything but I wanted to give you a toast. Then she handed them a slice of real toast and told them they had to split it for she only had one piece. It was one of the highlights of the evening. Glitz
We did potluck as someone said they did on here, was wonderful, everyone loved it. My brother got a couple of pork shoulders and paid .70 cents a pound to have them smoked. Had a ton of meat for less than 20 bucks.
Why not do it the old fashioned way? Just serve cake, ice cream, coffee, and punch. Time the wedding and reception so that there would be no reason for people to expect a meal of anykind.
Why does he feel you "need" to have a meat main dish with sides? Because that's what he wants, or because that's what is expected?
I got married 14 years ago, and my best friend just got married last month. They were on a very tight budget (paying for everything on their own). I brainstormed and did some shopping with them. They ended up buying rolls from the bakery at Sam's, along with some packages of deli/sandwich meat and some packages of sliced cheeses. They (along with some family helpers) sliced the rolls the night before, and arranged meat and cheese trays. They had little packets of condiments. They purchased lots of strawberries and dipped them in chocolate. They had mini cream puffs. There were other little things to nibble on (I remember mints and vegetable trays - purchased at Sam's, and they arranged themselves).
My reception was a little bigger. We had a buffet line with some hor d'ouvres and we had a similar set up for sandwiches. Quite a few of my mom's friends volunteered to help, so we also had some Japanese dishes, also (sushi, gyoza, fried rice, etc . . . ).
You needn't have a BIG (expensive) spread at your reception. The most important part of the day is your union. True friends who are there to celebrate with you won't care if you have just cake and punch. Do what is right for the two of you - not because of external expectations.
Best of luck. I'm sure you'll make the right choices, and it'll be wonderful.
Have the wedding outside of a eating time: IE - 12:00 or 6:00. There is no rule saying you must feed anyone! Or do a private FAMILY only, catered affair, then dips and chips and cheeseball crackers for reception snacks. You don't want to remember all the cost and work it takes to make a wedding happen. Earase as many headaches as you can NOW, and remember the experience of it later...
I went to a wedding a few years ago and their reception was a potluck! Everyone was really excited, as were the bride and groom as they got to enjoy all kinds of dishes! There was so much variety, something for everyone and the couple didn't have to pay for any of it. All of us were proud to contribute and I found that it made the wedding more fun.
You could have an Italian type meal. Buy ground beef at the lowest price you can find and make your own meatballs in sauce. I made meatballs for my daughters wedding using a boxed meatball seasoning mix that you can buy in the section where they sell gravy mixes. I didn't follow the directions on the box. Instead, I mixed the seasoning mix with the ground beef with some eggs and breading until they felt like the right consistency, and then rolled them into balls, and placed them on cookie sheets about an inch apart and baked them in the oven @400 degrees; it's a lot faster that way, and you can make them ahead and freeze them. I used Prego for the sauce, and bought it when it was on sale. You can then make a pasta dish (like a penne or rotini) using the same sauce. Make a salad, or have a little salad bar so that people can make their own salads, and add some Italian bread, and butter. If you want you can place some rolls by the meatballs in case some people would prefer to eat meatball sandwiches.
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Request: Wedding Reception on a Tight Budget (06/15/2009)
I'm planning my wedding in August of 2006. I'm wondering if there is anyway you can help me plan my wedding reception for something under $1,500.
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Request: Wedding Reception on a Tight Budget
Archived on 06/15/2009
I'm planning my wedding in August of 2006. I'm wondering if there is anyway you can help me plan my wedding reception for something under $1,500.
Sher from Bronx, New York
Feedback:
RE: Wedding Reception on a Tight Budget
Yes, I would say borrow as much as possible. You can also get relatives and/or friends to make the food. If its a mid-afternoon wedding, finger food is appropriate and inexpensive (little sandwiches and cookies). If you want to serve a meal, I'd say try to make dishes that can be made in bulk: white beans and rice, chili, jambalaya, even some kind of spaghetti or another rice dish, or maybe barbecue. You can even contact a local food vendor or grocery store and order from them. You can get drinks from WalMart or somewhere on sale. I'd say get familiar with prices, so when you see things on sale closer to the date, you'll know if you are getting a good deal or not. (11/15/2005)
By Olivia
RE: Wedding Reception on a Tight Budget
We did our whole wedding on $1500 that included my dress (bought on clearance) and all the tuxes for the men and the bridesmaids bought their own dresses (they wanted to.) We went to our local grocer and they made up finger sandwiches for us, we had potato salad, cole slaw, relish tray, fruit tray, etc. And even had a wedding cake made.
We had juice, tea, sodas, and coffee for beverages as we held the reception at our local church and no alcohol could be drank there. This also included the photographer who worked at a local Walmart photo center.
Good luck and have a great wedding day. (11/16/2005)
By IMAQT1962
RE: Wedding Reception on a Tight Budget
A theme wedding is a great way to have a cheap wedding, yet make it look like you meant to have it that way. For example, my husband and I were married on Cinco de Mayo so we had it catered by La Salsa (fast food mexican) and pre mixed margaritas and Corona at a self serve bar. Everything we did was inexpensive, but the theme helped it look like that was the way we wanted it anyway.
Another idea is to make a cupcake tree for a wedding cake. There is no need for someone to cut and serve a cake. My stepmom made all 120 cupcakes and the total cost was $6.75 for cake mix, frosting, and tins. Cupcake tree stand can be purchased at a party store or e-bay (around 10 dollars).
Finally, remember that you will only have one special day and you deserve to splurge a little here and there. (11/19/2005)
By Jayla M.
RE: Wedding Reception on a Tight Budget
My husband and I just had our wedding reception, five months after our wedding because of timing and family issues. We got our reception hall for free because my father-in-law works there as part time maintenance person. He just promised to clean everything before he left. Our friend works for a DJ service, so he provided our music as our wedding gift. We used the reception site's caterer and got an "employee discount" of 50%. We bought flowers, decorative rocks and 10 hour tea candles at Michael's Crafts when they were 50% off. I bought vintage vases for $2 each and paper napkins in our color at GFS.
We provided our own appetizers from GFS. Frozen appetizers at $15 a box. Salad (with cheese, croutons, tomatoes, onions, bacon bits, and dressing), soup, veggie trays, cheese ball (I made myself) and crackers, meatballs (from my mom), and potato salad. We bought Sara Lee cheesecakes at GFS and served with choice of chocolate sauce, caramel or strawberry sauce. We put a fortune cookie (also GFS) at each place setting and used the dishes and candle holders the hall provided. I bought disposable cameras for $2.80. I put out half to start. When I saw those were used up, I put out a couple more and still had three to return, unused. The total cost was around $800. (11/20/2005)
Buffet style is less expensive then sit down and still elegant. Get a friend to take pictures, make bouquets from floral shops or supermarkets by buying a bouquet and putting a pretty ribbon around them, no limo, do your own hair, use candles to decorate whenever possible, print your own invitations with a computer program you can buy at most stores, have people buy their own drinks, and as the other woman wrote, borrow, borrow, borrow.(05/04/2006)
RE: Wedding Reception on a Tight Budget
I went to garage sales and bought all the clear vases I could, filled them with shredded shiny gift wrap and added silk flowers for table decorations. I made my own cake topper which was very fun and easy, using Styrofoam, lace, doves, and lace covered Styrofoam bells. I also made all the boutonnieres and corsages and even the bridesmaids bouquets (my mom made crochet fans and I added silk flowers), my sis-in-law made a cards box.
We limited our parts of the drinks to one per drinker by having my brother pass out drink tickets, after that they had to buy their own. I wanted to make my own cake, but hubby said I would be too busy and he was right there. Shop the dollar stores and see what bargains you can find there for decorating. Good luck, best wishes, and congratulations. (05/05/2006)
By garnetgirl9
RE: Wedding Reception on a Tight Budget
My suggestion is if you have the time, do it yourself. Flowers 2 words,- Sam's Club, look at samsclub.com. Want roses? app $60 for 100 stems, lilies and orchids are app $50 for 50. Also check overstock.com type in bulk flowers end pick to your hearts delight.
I live in Tallahassee which has gorgeous city public parks, and the only fee we have to pay is a $30 connection fee if we want power for any park we choose. This includes using the gazebos. We're doing a November wedding here which means beautiful weather not too hot, not too cold, and rain is rare, so we're planning an outside early evening affair. All I need to supply is seating and tables for our guests. We're doing our own set up. We're using the same place for both the service and the reception, and renting a local senior center for a rain location. ($80 early registration fee)
Also, never doubt the wonder that is eBay. We're doing a favor bag that includes lucky bamboo and a hand blown glass ornament with our monogram painted on it since we're going into November. The place cards are actually small palmetto fans that have cards on them, just in case of it being warm (blissweddingsmarket.com). On the tables we're supplying an inexpensive variety of small wooden dollar tree games to provide ice breaking among table groups.
For our decorations we're doing branches painted silver with the ornaments hung on them mixed with holly (free from my tree), dried lavender (eBay), and Eucalyptus (overstock) in clear Dollar Tree pillar vases. The ornaments will be $163 for 300, ribbon to tie them will be app $30 for 300 yards. I'm also setting up beeswax pillar candles the I made, on the tables surrounding the vases. We're hanging inexpensive white paper lanterns and parasols from the trees above and weaving Christmas lights in them so they glow.
Granted we're blessed to have a brother who's a baker, so the are cakes taken care of and one of my best friends is a concert pianist who has recruited some friends to provide a band as his gift to me. One of my fiancee's cousins is a notary public, so she's doing the service. (you can have a trusted friend become ordained online). We're taking advantage of the discount offered off the marriage license for premarriage counseling. We're making our invitations by printing them on a sheet of ivory vellum and putting that in a trifold of card stock in our colors. ($15 for 40 invites) We're asking RSVP by e-mail or phone to cut down on postage.
My dress is very basic and I'm making my own veil ($20 includes comb, lace, netting. etc.). My something borrowed is my mothers wedding petticoat, my something blue is the sash on my dress, my something old are the pearls my grandparents gave me when I graduated.
My grandmother and future sister-in-law are doing the pictures. My grandfather is videotaping it. We're having the rehearsal dinner at the same place and will probably do a buffet meal of some sort.
Well here's my issue, I need ideas for inexpensive dinner meals. We're at $1500 right now. I want to keep it under $2000. Any ideas?
(09/20/2006)
By Jan
RE: Wedding Reception on a Tight Budget
One of the ideas in our wedding planner is to call your community college that has a culinary arts program and see if any of their students would be interested in doing your wedding reception at cost as a class project. We did this and we had an exquisite reception dinner complete with hos d' oeuvres, shrimp, and caviar for just $500!
