I want to talk about your reception because this is where you will be spending the bulk of your wedding dollars. It’s really important for you to work within your budget so you get the best value when planning your reception.
One of the first decisions you need to make concerning your reception meal is figuring out how much money you have to work with on catering costs. The number of guests you are having at your reception is going to greatly impact your overall cost. This is something that you need to keep in mind when making up the guest list. The more people that you invite to your reception the more money you will have to spend on food.
Another pricing decision you have to make is based on which caterer you choose. There are many caterers to choose from, and prices vary from caterer to caterer.
To save money, do not sacrifice quality. Remember, you will be trying to save money when hiring somebody to cater your reception, but you also want to make sure that the food is of high quality. After all, what good does it do to hire a low cost caterer that serves food that your guests won’t like? For this reason, you need to make sure that you research different caterers, go to food tastings if possible, and read reviews from other brides before deciding upon a caterer. Ask questions when meeting with catering companies. Some caterers are perfect for larger weddings and are way too expensive for a small 50 guest wedding.
A question to ask your caterer is what’s included in the per person cost. Some caterers include food, wait staff, tax and gratuity, some include a combination of these, and others only include the food. You need to ask, because if the cost for the service staff, tax and gratuity aren’t included, you need to add in those amounts and refigure your per person cost.
The other thing to keep in mind is that not all foods cost the same. So if you really like a certain caterer, have them cost out different options. You’ll find that chicken is a lot less expensive than meat. The cost of the meat will also depend on the cut you select. Caterers are use to reworking proposals until you are comfortable. So feel free to ask them to come up with different food combinations until you arrive at a per person cost that works for your budget.
