Wedding Food

When it comes to wedding food, the verdict seems to be clear: Eat the same things you would turn to on a rainy day.

Comfort food is not only guaranteed to please hungry guests, but it’s almost certain to be a more economical choice than the alternative. Once-trendy mashed potato bars at fancy-cocktail stations are on the out. Instead, bring on the mac ‘n’ cheese bar, or for cold-weather weddings, the chili bar. And a stadium-food station with mini burgers, fries and pigs in a blanket is almost certain to be a hit. “By virtue of being unique, it looks like you spent more and people are thrilled to see stuff that they don’t eat at every single wedding,” says Sharon Naylor, wedding expert and co-author of “What’s Your Bridal Style?” (Citadel, 2007).

Another option to consider is serving ethnic food, which is usually less expensive than traditional wedding fare. Mexican, Italian and even Chinese food all are going to be less expensive than, say, a traditional American beef entree. Try turning it into a food theme, suggests Alan Fields, co-author of the book Bridal Bargains (Windsor Peak Press, 8th Ed.). “Instead of having your standard wedding reception with a sit-down steak dinner and an open bar, you can have a buffet of Mexican food, and then you have a margarita machine that makes frozen margaritas instead of a full open bar,” he says. Just by choosing a simple theme, you can save a good amount on your catering bill. Plus, guests often greet familiar food items warmly. “When people go to a wedding they like to eat food that they can identify with,” Fields says. “People like food that they can look at and go, ‘Oh I know what that is!’ And that usually is less expensive.”

When planning the reception, be sure to watch out for budget busters. Shrimp and beef tips are classic examples. Instead, go with chicken, which is more affordable. Or, if you have your heart set on shrimp, try to incorporate it in another, more wallet-friendly way: skip the cocktail shrimp and do shrimp salad. “You can (always) use more expensive foods in less expensive ways,” Fields says.

The undeniable standard for the wedding is a cocktail reception and sit-down dinner. But if you like, you can ditch the trends altogether and do things your own way. There are certain regions and families that have their own sets of rules. These can range from a tea party in afternoon with no music or dancing, or coffee and cake at a church hall.

If you are looking to do a big meal but want to save some cash, lunch (as opposed to dinner) would be a good idea. “Grab the earlier timeslots on a Saturday or a Sunday because you can be paying one-third of what the couple that has the same exact party at night would be paying,” Naylor says. The perfect start time for a lunch would be around noon or 1 p.m. Generally, if you’re planning an evening wedding, dinner is an absolute must – unless the ceremony starts after 8 p.m. In that case, you can have just champagne, wine and desserts without cocktails or a main course.

No matter what you do, make sure it’s clear to your friends and family before they arrive. “Guests need to know if they need to eat before they come,” Naylor says. “They get very angry if they’re not fed [and not warned].”

Cocktail How-To

So now you know what you’re eating, but what about the beverages? Or more specifically, what about the alcohol?

When thinking up ways to save money on your wedding, alcohol can be a great place to start. Between champagne, wine, cocktails, beer and liquor, it is typically the biggest expense for the wedding reception. But it’s easy to slash major bucks off of your alcohol costs, all while keeping your guests happy.

Martinis are usually seen as a classic wedding drink, and they can be offered in addition to beer and wine. When making your wine selections, keep in mind that people are pretty particular about their wines these days, so make sure you taste the wine when you check out the catering service.

Even on a budget, you don’t necessarily need to eliminate top-shelf drinks from the reception so long as you limit the bar list. Naylor recommends serving beer, wine and two types of mixed drinks. Or, should you choose, you could have more drink selections but one tier down from the top-shelf options. The only rule that you should always abide by when it comes to drinks is this: Always, always have an open bar.

© CTW Features, Ben Larrison