Have you been going back and forth on what type of food you would like to have at your wedding? Have you thought about the costs of a caterer and the ways you could possibly save money? If you have said yes you are in the right place!
I want to help you make a decision between a potluck or catering. There are other options out there like a Food Truck which is becoming a very popular novelty to have at a wedding. I will leave this subject here until a later date…
Let’s start with a potluck because it is most definitely a cost saving way to have your food taken care of for your wedding reception.
A potluck, for those that don’t know, by definition is taking a chance on what food is brought and hoping that it is acceptable enough for the event it was brought to. For me, personally, this isn’t a chance I want to take and I don’t believe that you would either, right? This is one of the challenges of a potluck! Though, it may save you money, you will have to find a way to organize and make sure that what is being brought will truly benefit the array of food you will be having. You don’t want 3 aunts showing up with crock pot macaroni and cheese, 2 grandmothers bringing brownies, and uncles bringing nothing but chips… Right?
There will be a little more work ahead of the wedding to ensure that you have a list of things you would LIKE to see at your wedding and hope that family members, as well as friends, will hop on the gravy train and help knock off the items on the list. This way you will make sure to have a variety, as well as quantity, needed for your wedding. On the other hand, you only live once, you could always let people know that there is no meal choice on your invites… they need to check yes or no to bringing a home made, or store bought, item… Close your eyes and hope for the best!
Catering can be expensive but it’s kind of like going out to eat in the sense that the meal is prepared and served to you. Catering is more traditional and its nice that you don’t have to worry about what food is being brought or if there will be enough. You get to select from the options the caterer provides and the cost of the caterer is determined by the cost of the plate multiplied by the number of anticipated guests.
Cost can be the concern with catering because no matter if it’s $7 a plate or $20 it is going to put more strain on your bank account. Catering also provides, most of the time, table wear and silver wear where you may want plastic forks and knives with paper plates for a pot luck.
Think about what type of atmosphere you are trying to create. I just booked a bride and groom today that want to have a burger bar for the August 20th, 2016 wedding. For a situation like this it’s 1) Not a potluck 2) not a caterer but 3) fits the theme and atmosphere they are trying to create for their backyard wedding in the middle of a Maine summer!
I will discuss other options like a burger bar or food truck at a later date… I leave you with my experience… Out of all the weddings I have done the best food has been from the potluck weddings. If it is well organized and planned out you can’t go wrong with home cooked meals!
Until next time, happy planning!