diy Catering

Allie, you are continuously creating these threads referring to truly inappropriate hosting. Why? What’s the point? You know what kind of response you’ll receive here.

Never self cater. If people get food poising from food provided by someone who doesn’t run a catering company, they might sue that person. It’s really happened, and we’ve seen people try to self-cater. It’s dangerous. There are ways to save money without self-catering and making sure all of your guests aren’t poisoned by something a friend of a friend made.

No alcohol and catered spaghetti... I'd be real pissed if I wasted time for that.

There is nothing I would rather do than get dressed up and travel to your wedding with a nice check for you in my purse and then spend several hours not drinking and eating your lukewarm self-prepared food.

I have a recommended reading list on how to properly host guests if you are interested on the correct way to host guests.

If not, I can't validate this idea with praise.

Definitely a know your crowd thing. If they're into tepid food, instant weight loss from violent bouts of vomiting, and into witnessing forced labor of VIP guests, then absolutely do this! Way to save a few bucks!

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I think it's great that you've decided to use a caterer instead.

I wish there was a like button.

Really, it's your wedding day! This is a time to leave it to the professionals. If you want to do a spaghetti meal, I recommend doing a variety of pastas and sauces (meat sauce, meat balls, sausage, alfredo, marinara, prima vera) but get a good local Italian restaurant to cater it. It won't be that expensive. I don't know how many guests you are serving, but by the time you rent chafing dishes to keep them hot, set up a nice display, utensils, plates, napkins, rolls, cheeses, etc, etc, it will cost more than just the purchase price of the food. Cooking etc for pasta should be the same day, not days before (perhaps lasagne or baked ziti only can be done the day before) because the sauce must be hot and pasta would be without sauce and that must be done properly--the pasta must be slightly moist and not sticky so it serves properly on the plate and folks add their own sauce/toppings. Do look around for a good deli, pizza place that serves pasta dishes or a reasonable caterer. You don't want to exhaust yourself and there may be issues with the venue needing a food license from a professional.

pasta menu

pasta bar/station

pasta set up with chafing/stainless steel servers to keep food hot

This reminds me of a Facebook group that I am a member of. They are ALL about the honeyfund, potluck, and NO ALCOHOL BECAUSE IT'S THEIR DAY.

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Wow, I didn't know you couldn't get food poisoning from improperly prepared vegetables and non-meat things. This is such a helpful idea! I can't wait to tell my Aunt Mary that her mayo-based pasta salad can sit out in the hot sun all day. Will save us so much money on food prep and "safety" equipment.

I think this would be a TON of work on your end. I would highly suggest looking into a local restaurant that caters for cheaper than a private cater.

I think this is a really good idea! Its okay to need to save money! Im talking with my mom to see what she and my sister will be able to make. If they cant we may just order pizza! Everyone loves pizza.

I went to a wedding like this years ago. Bride and groom self catered and 3/4 of the guests (including me and my boyfriend at the time) were violently ill for days. Do not do that to people. I literally don't remember anything else about that wedding, it was horrendous.

I am not going to worry about the food on my wedding day. That is going to be up to the venue. That would just be another level of stress I do not need. And...oh heck no, spaghetti sauce...no, no, no.

Sorry, I think the food should not be up to the bride to make. Unless this was a backyard wedding, I would do pro food. Health concerns, presentation, serving...a whole ordeal of issues that I would not want to even think about on my wedding day.

It is not nice to assume OP is a troll.

@OP If it saves you money, go for it! I am sure your parents won't mind helping!

View Quoted Comment It's not nice to re word what I said. I didn't call the OP a troll. 😊

View Quoted Comment I didn't say you call them a troll. I said you're assuming she's a troll. What else can you mean by saying it's a troll post?

It doesn’t matter how good or poor of a cook you think you are. Save your guests the food borne illnesses and properly host your guests by serving a catered meal.
Not to mention, your choice to not serve alcohol at all is even worse (if that’s even possible) than making your guests pay for their own alcohol. I am by no means condoning a cash bar, but as a guest I’d at least like the OPTION to an adult beverage if I’d like one (and I don’t even drink).

Small budgets are my FAVORITE excuse for anything involving poor hosting. Cut your guest count. It’s that simple.

There is a lot to do if you cater yourself. Be ready to do a lot of work.