10th February, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
Weddings are a pricy affair, and sometimes you need a little help to prevent you starting married life with a second mortgage. One area you can help cut costs is with the food and drink, if you come up with some little creative ideas.
One way to lower the costs is to provide your own appetizers. This might sound like a lot of effort and it’s almost tempting to just get the checkbook out, but this is much easier than it sounds. Pick some finger foods which can be either made in advanced or can be frozen, then just warm them up before the cocktails are served. This is an area caterers love to overcharge, so by doing it yourself you can save a huge ton of money.
Skip the servers if you want to save for the piggy bank. It might be fun and classy to have waiters walking round with silver platters, serving champagne and appetizers, but to be honest, this is not an essential luxury. Your guests are there for you, and if anything is of importance it’s the quality of the food – not who serves them.
Going all out on elaborate appetizers is a waste of time. The cocktail hour is about socializing before the formal meal, and chances are guests are going to be on the hungry side, so any snack will do. Even something as simple as cheese, crackers and some fruit will go down a treat for peckish guests.
The drinks tab can be a hefty price to pay, and one way to save is to make the event bring your own bottle. By doing this, you save on inflated prices the venue would charge for serving those drinks. An open bar can create some problems, and not just with the bridesmaids making a fool of themselves, but in terms of price. Limit the bar to maybe one or two hours, and to even cut costs – just serve wine and beer only or maybe one signature drink.
Saving money on the meal can be done a various ways, from skipping the sit down meal in favor of a buffet with multiple stations. You can even get your catering from a take out services, but make sure your venue allows for outside catering. If you do want a sit down affair then go for family style – have each table come with their own dish you can serve yourself. It’s fun, intimate and you’ll get some great quality food. And remember, seasonal food is always cheaper than non-seasonal, and tastes better too.
Save on the elaborate wedding cake with some alternatives, like some beautiful cupcakes, which can be displayed in a tiered style to mimic the wedding cake. Have friends or family bring their own desserts – the choices are limitless! If you’re not a baking type, then opt for a sweets bar – get some bags of candy and prepare a buffet, or offer a variety of cookies and brownies. This is a lot cheaper than a wedding cake, and you’ll find your guests get to have more fun
20th December, 2012 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
If the usual sit down meal at a wedding of formal elegance where you need a copy of Emily Post under your seat isn’t your cup of tea, then have no fear, there are plenty of quirky and fun ideas to incorporate into your wedding that will leave the guests feeling less intimidated and more likely to have fun.
For those of you with a theme in mind, planning your catering around that is a good start. Opting for a Moroccan wedding? Then tajines all round! For those going for something vintage or rustic, then the appropriate menu needs to be found. However, have a look at these ideas if you’re stuck for a theme.
One great idea for a wedding menu is to go back to the 1950s. Think Elvis and Rock N’ Roll. Maybe you can draw inspiration from the diner in Pulp Fiction with the Five Dollar Shake and all, but this need not be a “junk-food” extravaganza. Why not serve up some classic iconic dishes? Open up with some prawn cocktails and maybe you can do an Elvis with some high-quality gourmet cheeseburgers and homemade fries. You can have a lot of fun with this theme – why not go all out and get a cake made to look like Elvis?
The Beach Barbecue is ideal for anyone planning a beach wedding, but if you’re nowhere near the sea, you can bring the beach to you – if the weather is good, that is. It doesn’t have to be a swimwear theme, not exactly ideal for the older members of the family, but have a wedding marquee set up with a few barbecues around serving up cooked meat and fish.
A Victorian Banquet might fall under the guise of a traditional wedding meal, but it’s the fact that so many couple eschew traditional for elegant and avant-garde that makes it modernist by proxy. Start off with the soup course, hors d’oeuvres, the entrée with fish or meat as the center, a good dessert with a cheeseboard and port for the die-hard traditionalists.
If you’re stuck with a low budget wedding, then there is a way to get your catering done for low cost – bring your own dish. It can either function as a wedding potluck or assign something to your guests, whether they’ll bring desserts, appetizers or mains in. Make sure you find out any allergies your guests could have in advance and make sure everyone is aware of this. It’s a nice way to get friends to contribute to your wedding.
13th October, 2012 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
Catering is a huge part in the wedding planning, but sometimes it’s a headache to decide how to do it. Are you going to go for a full sit down dinner or a classy buffet? Is there going to be a theme? The questions are endless – so take a little inspiration from the up coming trends of 2013 for your catering inspirations. It may seem a little early to start planning, but like with all good caterers it’s important to book in advance.
One hot trend that is growing and growing in anticipation for the upcoming wedding season is one that leans towards a traditional family style rather than the traditional buffet. This family style is where all the dishes are served on large platters or dishes on each table. This can help to stimulate a more intimate and familiar setting for guests. A family style buffet is also inexpensive compared to serving individual courses and compares to a buffet, yet offers the comfort of a sit down dinner without having to pay through the roof for it.
Opting for this method allows you to serve food with elegant and fun displays from something more sophisticated to more rustic – take a whole roasted side of salmon with braised vegetables and topped with plenty of herbs for example, or something meaty like a braised lamb shoulder with mint and tomato confit. It’s a catering style that offers a lot of fun and creativity.
Homemade deserts and cakes are in. Cupcakes were huge in the cake range for weddings since they were cost-effective, came in a variety of styles and flavors and not to mention easy to make. However, all popular ventures must come to an end and there is a new hot thing in town. Pies, cobblers and classic crumbles are now in over the elegant wedding cakes and dainty cupcakes, and these are usually paired with a modern touch such as experimental flavors – think avocado sorbet to accompany key lime pie or even smoked caramel ice cream with pecan pie. You can really add a unique touch to these classics with a little imagination. Grown up versions of childhood treats are also rather fun, like bourbon and maple popsicles or raspberry champagne freeze ices in wrappers. They’re oh so elegant and chic and your guests will go nuts.
The final thing – less is more. When it comes to wedding functions, casual elegance wins each time. You can even enjoy a classy BBQ wedding if you make the right touches – like offering a champagne lemonade cocktail to accompany it. Family style comfort food wins each time with locally sourced ingredients and rustic center pieces. Opt for something less extravagant and go for a more personal touch.
