In my pursuit of a culinary degree, I have to take a class in banquets and catering, which I started last week. On our first day, we discussed different occasions that customers might seek to cater with a plated banquet or buffet. This discussion naturally progressed to weddings, at which point the Chef asked if anyone was getting married. I raised my hand dutifully, and was asked where we were going for catering. This is where it got interesting.
I took this discussion of wedding catering as an opportunity to shock and amaze my classmates with our nontraditional take on the wedding, especially the food. Not as a chance to point out that our idea was better than anything else, but to offer up an alternative in an environment that was decidedly traditional. With a smug sense of self-satisfaction, I proclaimed that we were, in fact, not hiring a caterer at all. We were calling on friends and family to cook for us, and serving up a taco bar with ice cream sundaes for desert. Chew on that (pun definitely intended)!
I was less than pleased when the Chef’s response was to skip over my comments all together, and to immediately ask, “who else?” Why didn’t the class gasp at our plan, and demand more details? Why didn’t they recognize our brilliance? I think it was because, in my excitement, I failed to realize that I was also excitedly announcing that I was taking money out of my classmates’ pockets.
What’s this? Another perspective? Let’s discuss.
By catering our own wedding without hiring a professional, we’re saving a bunch of money. But we’re also refusing work to an industry that I am training to become a part of. I honesty hadn’t thought of it like that. In a round-a-bout way, we’re taking money out of my pocket, and then sharing the details with the internet. That had not occurred to me. However, by cutting out the middle man, we’re saving money. So, it’s an interesting conundrum for someone in my profession.
Do I regret our food plan? Absolutely not. I’d love to support my fellow culinarians, but the bottom line is catering is expensive. If you can get food catered for a wedding at less than 12 to 15 bucks per person, you’re doing great. Most people will pay more like 25 to 30. I’ve yet to do the final pricing for our wedding, but based on the help we’re getting from our amazing families and the savings we’re experiencing by doing it ourselves, we’re probably going to pay about $5 per person.
What does all this mean? First, it means that we’re saving a bunch of money that is making our honeymoon possible. More importantly, it means that our families are incredible. Their help is a blessing. Without them, we’d never be able to pull off our meal, and we’d have to buy into the catering that is expected and accepted by so many in the world of weddings.
Thanks everyone.
For our low-budget-yet-classy wedding, we opted to save money in the food department by NOT doing plated entrees or a dinner buffet, but instead offered our guests A TON of appetizers, both tray served and buffeted. Having worked banquets and weddings for years before, I saw firsthand how much food was wasted at these events, just scraped right off the plate into the trash, and I didn’t want that to happen at OUR wedding. We lucked out that we found a venue that hadn’t done many weddings, so their pricing was really reasonable, and I think an appetizer-heavy reception equated to just $4 per head! Our guests enjoyed caprese salad, skewered bacon-wrapped shrimp, cheese and fruit platters, etc., and everyone seemed pleased! We also saved money by having a talented friend make our cake — a three-tiered buttercream-covered juggernaut! — and we just paid for the ingredients, and then decorated it with fresh flowers.
I think your plan is awesome (we actually went to a wedding with a taco bar last October!), and sure, you can look at it from the perspective of the food service industry, but there will always, always be people wanting and willing to pay for the full service food experience, so I wouldn’t feel too bad, if I were you. 🙂