5 Tips To Lower Your Wedding Catering Costs

Getting married and planning your wedding is a very exciting time life. It can also be a very costly adventure by the time everything is planned. The financially savvy bride will look for ways to cut costs but still have the wedding of her dreams. The catering budget is usually one of the most expensive components, but here are five tips to help you keep the costs down:

Happy Hour Hors d' Oeuvres

Cheese and crackers and the veggie tray are fine for the buffet table but have your more expensive appetizers tray passed. Having a server go around with things like shrimp canapes will prevent guests from gorging themselves and will give you more control by spacing them out. You can also serve inexpensive appetizers that everyone loves. Deviled eggs with different garnishes are a good bet. Big bowls of mixed olives, pasta salads, and grilled vegetables are other inexpensive ideas.

Serve Salad As An Appetizer

You can save money at dinner by combining the appetizer course with your salad. Eliminating a course will save you both money and time. You can also then afford to serve something a little more upscale. A Caprese salad with fresh mozzarella, julienned basil, sliced ripe tomatoes, and an aged balsamic vinaigrette is much more impressive than lettuce with a cucumber slice and a cup of soup.

Jazz Up The Chicken

Inexpensive cuts of meat like chicken are popular wedding options, and it's also a safe bet as most people like chicken. However, it can be boring and like every other wedding dinner. Ask your caterer what sauces they offer. Adding a sauce won't add much in price, but it will make the dinner much more memorable. You can do the same for the fish.

Bring On The Beef

Not everyone can afford a beef carving station or grilled tenderloin. That doesn't mean you can't still have a beef option for your wedding feast. Beef tips in a rich red wine sauce served over tender spaetzle and garnished with fresh parsley or beef short ribs braised in dark beer and served with assorted fingerling potatoes are just as yummy as and more interesting than prime rib. They are also less expensive cuts of meat.

Offer A Pasta Entrée Choice

You can save money by offering a vegetarian choice that will entice even meat eaters to try. A pumpkin and ricotta ravioli with a brown butter sage sauce will typically cost less than a meat entrée, and because it is unique, it will likely pique the interest of guests who are interested in trying something different.

Contact a local wedding catering company for more information and assistance.