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Many brides will spend over half of their wedding budget providing a full catered meal for their guests, which can be wonderful if your finances permit. However, if you find yourself with limited funds there are several ways to save while still preserving the lavish and elegant atmosphere of a traditional wedding meal.If a full dinner is important to you consider serving buffet style. A served dinner not only requires knowing what each guest would like well in advance (chicken vs. beef, etc.), but also considerable catering staff to serve the meal. Buffets allow greater flexibility for both you and your guests. Last minute changes can be made to the menu without any serious ramifications, and guests can decide what they want to eat and how much of it they want. Plan on saving anywhere from 10% to 50% simply by choosing a buffet. If you really want a served dinner, other options include cutting the overall number of guests or making the reception by invitation only.You may also want to consider an evening ceremony, starting between seven and seven thirty, where you serve hor‘dourves and a dessert. This option allows you to serve a large number of guests exotic food for slightly less than a basic meal, or an array of domestic hor’dourves for significantly less than a full dinner. You can reasonably expect to save at least another 25% over serving a buffet dinner. A pleasant side effect of serving hor’dourves is that you do not need seating for all of your guests at the reception site, which means you can use a smaller facility and do not need chairs and tables available for all of your guests. While this may not seem significant, keep in mind that renting a simple chair will cost at least $1.50 each, a basic table will cost $12.50 or so, a tablecloth will be another $10.00, and you will probably need a centerpiece as well.If your budget is particularly tight and you do not want friends or family to make the food for your reception, do not be afraid to use local bakeries to supply your guests with hor’dourves and even dessert. Your selection may be somewhat limited, yet you will not have to pay the 15-18% gratuity most caterers charge. To customize the presentation, you can go to your local restaurant supply store and buy some inexpensive yet elegant food trays. Most bakeries will be happy to put your order on your own serving dishes.An often overlooked option are small catering operations run by stay-at-home moms and retired chiefs. These businesses are typically suited to smaller weddings; however, they are usually willing to expand their menu to accommodate special and unusual requests.On a final note, be sure to carefully research exactly what each caterer provides. Some simply provide the food, others go so far as to cover non-alcoholic beverages, a dessert, silverware, china, and even tablecloths. It is often more affordable when you work through the numbers to use a caterer with a comprehensive package, but not always. Ask for references from your potential caterer, view pictures of their work, and taste samples of menu items to ensure you make a wise decision.
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