Crunched timeline and budget...when do i hire a caterer?

I think this is really going to depend on your area and how many guests you’re trying to feed. Some of the restaurants where I am only need 72 hours if you’re just ordering trays and not having them serve/staff your reception. Some others book up months before and won’t take new events if they already have events that weekend. I would contact places you might be interested in and just ask what their usual timeline is.

I would call around to caterers/restaurants that you’re considering and ask them how much notice they need for the amount of guests you’ll be hosting.

I would call around to caterers and restaurants and see what type of deposit if any you would need to be able to book them. My initial deposit was less than $100 to book the caterer. I know every caterer will be different but if you start calling around now you will also know what pricing will look like.

A wedding can be planned in three months, so esp. if yours is small, you can probably wait until Oct./Nov. of this year.

Restaurants can do catering with only a few days notice.

I would call around too. Usually to hold your date they require a deposit! My caterer was a $500 deposit and we don't owe him any more money until 2 weeks before the wedding. But if you're not too picky I'm sure finding a caterer will be easy. Keep in mind though that if you find someone you really like, (inexpensive) you're taking a risk by not booking them and someone else can steal them. Another way I saved a lot of money was getting married on a Friday! Its not as popular as a Saturday so caterers are less likely to get booked. But it is becoming kind of a trend here in New England. People are catching on that its ridiculous to pay 2,000 more just for a Saturday wedding. Think about it! Good luck.

Look into Mission BBQ if you have one near you. I have heard they serve great food for a very reasonable price. They may give you a better idea of cost and when to book them.

Another vote to look into restaurants who offer catering. Can you tell us more about your wedding? Is it in a venue? Home? Backyard? We might be able to offer some additional suggestions to help you save some money.

If you go the restaurant route you need to be able to keep the food hot and to hire someone (think extremely responsible older teen or college student) to keep it refilled, clean up messes, and to put the food away.

I have had 4 daughters get married and we gifted them their weddings. To pull of the kind of weddings they wanted (and we wanted to give them) we rented facilities where we could bring in our own caterer, bartenders, etc. Because that added to the workload I was able to hire some older teen girls through my sister in law. She is a varsity cheerleading coach and I hired her girls to help with clean up. The money they made went straight into their accounts for cheerleading camp. win-win for all.

I'm right there with you with feeling the crunch. Just got engaged and wedding is july 14th due to fiance living in another city and me not wanting to sign on for another years lease.
With our TINY budget (in addition to the wedding, and moving, did I mention i've been out of work due to bad accident?) we have decided to have the bare minimum in guests, have a morning outdoor wedding at his grandparents house, and have a brunch instead of traditional reception food. The cake will be doughnuts. So far, thank you costco for bulk breakfast food. If your planning in Jan 2019? Make calls to caterers now and at least grt an idea for pricing. You got time!!!

View Quoted Comment Caitlyn said exactly what I was going to say! The caterers know the real deadline. They want your business so they might even say a few months before is enough notice

I agree with PP, call around and ask what kind of notice they need and then get a quote. Make a list of all the places you call and then when you have enough saved - call them and book.

Thank you so much everyone for your help! 💕

Our parents bought trays of Italian catering for our Eparty and ordered it about 2 weeks before the date. If you do something simple like Italian or BBQ they don't need too much advanced notice! For a wedding I would still try to book a few months in advance in case there is a problem you can still find a back up.

Have you considered doing a potluck-style wedding? I’m sure there are lots of varying opinions about this, but it could be a good solution for you, especially if you want to keep costs down and keep it casual. Perhaps you could provide a sort of main dish and ask guests to bring a side dish of their choice in lieu of gifts.

Our family is cooking for us, and it has made everything so much easier. We are all so excited about it, too.
Don't feel like you HAVE to have a caterer.

View Quoted Comment THIS! 👍🏻👏🏻

View Quoted Comment You say that so much that I’m starting to think it’s not true.
OP, potlucks and self-catering are bad ideas. It’s not safe, and it’s rude to ask your loved ones to work at your wedding, or bring a dish. You also can’t guarantee the cleanliness of other people’s homes.

There's always subway, they cater and you can give your guests a few different sub options

How many people are you planning to have?

View Quoted Comment Why would you ever want to push the cost of your wedding onto your guests?
Why would you ever ask them to bring something “in lieu of gifts,” thereby implying that a gift is mandatory?