HINTS TO HELP YOU SAVE
TIME & MONEY
1. Schedule your reception at a time of day when a brunch or luncheon menu would be appropriate.
2. Don’t have your heart set on serving “tasting portions” in cute little dishes. The food is extremely labor intensive to prepare and purchasing the little dishes can have a negative impact on the budget.
3. Don’t think that serving appetizers will be more economical than a full buffet. Rice, potatoes and veggies cost much less than the quantities of meats and cheeses needed for an full appetizer menu. Appetizers can also be much more labor intensive to set up – which can put a strain on your helpers.
Oops, this is labor intensive and expensive
4. Have a “Pot Luck” reception. Yes, it works if it is well organized. And everything you need to make that happen in included in the DIY Planning Guide
5. Request that close friends help you prepare an item to bring to the reception in lieu of a gift. You can provide the recipe and ingredients….their labor is the gift.
6. Plan your menu to use seasonally available items – a fruit platter in the winter will be more expensive than one in the summer.
7. Purchase fruit and vegetables from your local farmers market. My clients used to save money by arriving late in the day and buying bulk quantities at a discount. The vendors would prefer to sell the produce at a discount, rather than pack it up to move to another market.
8. Plan your menu as soon as possible. Adjust the recipes for your guest count and prepare your master shopping list. Watch grocery store advertisements for staple and meat items on sale and freeze until needed. Purchasing food items over a period of time will feel like less of a strain on your budget.
9. Purchase meat in bulk from a wholesale meat market for more variety and better quality. Roasting a large piece of brisket, rather than purchasing and cooking several smaller pieces purchased at the local market will save you money. And you will produce a dish that your guests will rave about.
10. Adjust meat recipes to serve approximately 4 to 5 total ounces of meat to each guest. If you are expecting 100 guests and are serving two entrees you are not going to prepare 100 serving of both recipes.
11. If you have a favorite entree at a local restaurant order just the entree in bulk “to go” and then have someone pick it up before the reception. If the restaurant doesn’t offer a catering menu ask them if they would prepare just the one dish to go.
12. Have “the father of……” BBQ his “specialty” two days before the event and then re-heat in chafing dishes.
13. Plan your menu around food that you both love…..remember this is about creating a day that you will remember forever. If there is some menu item that you “have to have” and it is putting a wrench in the budget; cut corners somewhere else.
14. Don’t schedule a formal “appetizer hour” prior to the beginning of the buffet service. It will increase your food cost and probably throw the schedule out of whack if you are holding your reception in a rental hall. Do have the drinks and beverages iced and ready to serve when the guests come in the door. An appetizer or two served with the dinner on the buffet table will provide a nice touch of variety and will be appreciated. I do recommend setting up a small side table with drinks and a light snack if any children are invited.
15. Purchase one or two bulk filler items from your local box store. The Artichoke Dip from Costco has always been a favorite with my clients and the cost is comparable with making it from scratch. Don’t be afraid to include a purchased “short cut” or two.
The Salad Bar
16. One of my client’s insisted on setting up the buffet with a bowl of greens surrounded by a large variety of additional salad ingredients. Although I tried to persuade her to consider other options she was determined to have it. Not only was the set-up time consuming but while moving through the buffet each guest had to look over the assortment of items available to decide what they wanted to put on their bed of lettuce. And then there were the assorted dressings to choose from……..
Instead of taking 45 minutes for the guests to serve themselves it took at least twice that amount of time. This impacted the timetable in the kitchen for the rest of the evening because all the rented dishes came back to the kitchen to be scrapped and rinsed later than expected. By the end of the evening, the helpers were so far behind schedule that the deadline to vacate the building was almost missed and the security person was ready to lock the kitchen doors…no matter what was still inside. Had the helpers not stacked dishes, food, etc. outside the kitchen door the venue deposit would have been forfeited. To tell the truth, I was surprised that my client even told me about what happened.
A simple salad consisting of crisp greens tossed with croutons and dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette will save you $$. And of course, you have the option of adding other veggies. Other foods that are rich with complex flavors will be on the buffet; a simple salad can be a welcome change.
17. Compare prices before purchasing items in bulk at your local box store. Usually soft drinks and beer can be found on sale at a lower cost than the everyday price at the box store. Once you determine what quantities you need (hopefully early in the planning stage) you can purchase these items over a period of time.
This also allows you to spread out the cash outlay over an longer period of time.
