diy Food?

I would strongly advise against self catering unless you’re an experienced caterer with liability coverage. The last thing you want to deal with after your wedding is doctors bills because Aunt Susie doesn’t know how to keep potato salad at the proper temp. You can typically purchase basic side items from grocery stores or places like Costco for pretty cheap.

I dont recommend doing this for lots of reasons, least of all is the fact that its stressful to have to worry about it on your wedding, I know sometimes you do what you gotta do. So, if you are going this route, then make things without mayonnaise which will be more likely to go bad if they aren't refrigerated. I always get asked for my pasta salad at parties. Super easy and cheap. Make rotini pasta and let it cool. Chop tons of veggies like tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, chunks of cheese if you want, and toss it in with the pasta and a really flavorful Italian dressing. It can be made a couple of days ahead and kept in the fridge and it gets more flavorful over the day or 2.

Like the other people have said, I would advise against this. Last year, my fmil had her 60th birthday party that was self catered and a lot of the food had to be thrown away because it did not stay cold. If people had eaten the food they would have ended up sick. A lot of the food she had was similar to the stuff you named. From what I remember, most of the shrimp was thrown away. There were salads that were only half eaten that had to be thrown away. I would hate to see you spend all this money on food that would need to be thrown away because it would be unsafe for people to eat.

I agree with those that advise against it. My fiancé owns a small homestead business where we make maple syrup, sell eggs, harvest honey, raise and butcher chickens, etc. While the idea of DIYing food may sound appealing due to savings on cost, you're putting yourself at risk. God forbid someone gets food poisoning or has a severe allergic reaction to something that may have been cross contaminated. You and your fiancé would be liable and it's quite possible that you could be sued. For our business we had to become incorporated and get insurance policies. Therefore, on the off chance someone sues, the sue the business and not us personally. There's potential for great risk by taking it on yourself. I would look into delicatessen's near you that cater. They could cover the sides that you were describing, take the stress of the food prep off of you, and also protect you.

We are self catering. We are doing chicken quarters over a fire (my friend makes these for large parties), baked beans, mac and cheese, corn, potato salad and cole slaw. For appetizers we are having meat and cheese platter, cucumber sandwiches, fruit salad, and a veggie tray.

Thanks for everyone's opinions. I'm actually marrying an attorney. We're absolutely not liable if anyone gets sick anymore than a person would be if they went to a family BBQ. We aren't selling the food to them, which is what creates liability. I also complete self catered my first wedding, AND did all my flowers and centerpieces. I have catered in the past, as well as been a professional florist. It's a lot of work, but it's also so intimate and rewarding to see my family and friends enjoying and celebrating with the food and flowers I poured my heart into.

Hey! I’m trying to do the same, we’re catering the meats and doing our sides. Any advise on what you picked and what worked/ didn’t work?