Inexpensive Reception Food

Italian is the easiest and so much of it you can make ahead.

Mexican fajitia buffet would also be doable

Thanks for the suggestions. I was thinking about Italian but something more than just a spaghetti and meatballs. I don't know, I guess I just kind of feel like that's "cheap food" and people would feel that we were kind of skimping. Maybe I should check in to some other types of Italian food.

Have you looked at caterers at all?

Italian easy stuff:

Lasagna~wanna get fancy? do a chicken or veggie one

Baked Ziti with italian sausage.

veggie pasta with white wine cream sauces and roasted veggies, or hell~just roasted veggies are very tuscan!

chicken or eggplant parm: SO easy!!

make an undressed cesaer salad (so it doesnt get mushy)

antipasto

any advice/recipes you need, please feel free to pm me :-)

You probably can cater from a Mexican or Italian restaurant for about as much money as making your own without the headache. I catered a promotion party for my FH when he was promoted Gunnery Sergeant in the Marines from a local Mexican Restaurant. It was only $8.50 a person and included tacos, burritos, and tostadas as the main dishes, all the fixings including guacamole, chips, and salsa...we had 50 people 30 of them being Marines and had to eat leftovers for 2 days after the party...

Just an idea, my favorite Italian dish is balsamic chicken penne. Delicious and reheats well. You could also make a fairly large batch of bruschetta. Serve the bruschetta in small serving bowls and provide the french bread toasted w/ mozzarella on top. That keeps well in advance, just toast the bread.

Cooking for 100+ people is not an easy thing; have you ever tried to do that before? Do you really want to practice on your wedding day when you have just a couple other things to do?

My suggestion is to look into caterers. Seriously, by the time you make it all yourself, you're not going to save that much and what you do save will go to tranquilizers.....

Have you looked into a local BBQ place. We did that for our wedding for 70 people it was only $7 a head. Not a bad deal at all since no one had to deal with the food. You don't want to be doing stuff like cooking and serving the day of your wedding. Let somebody else do that!

I love that everyone helps like this!

I dont know how you can pull it off but I am sure that other brides have done it before and when you are open to asking questions that means that you have a level head!

Good luck on either doing it yourself or finding an inexpensive place to do it for you!

Having a cold cut selection along with other appetizers is what I suggest for low budget aiming. Best of luck!!

I'm using my favorite Italian restaurant's take-out. Spaghetti (with and without meat), salad, and garlics/garlic-cheese bread for 140ish people for 700 bucks. My venue staff will tend to it and our guests will serve themselves buffet style. (:

Hi Sharonna! I was one of those brides who was planning to diy our wedding food with the help of my mom (who is a professional caterer). After really weighing the options, it turned out to not be worth it at all. Just to purchase the food (seasoning, garnish, etc), it was going to cost almost $900, before serverware, etc., to feed about 50 ppl. Plus I was going to pay someone $125 to prep and serve it day of. My mom was the one who put her foot down, and said that she, as a professional who has also hosted large family events, did not want to spend her only daughters wedding cooking and stressed over food- nor did she want me to. I found a caterer who is charging $1325 for the food (apps, dinner, salad, rolls) , tea, and lemonade, three servers/attendants, and food tables and linens. Not to mention the food was amazing! And for only $300 more than to diy. I think it may be worth it to weigh you options and consider a professional for this one.

Ours is a upscale picnic theme for our buffet. We got hams we are baking and then I either making a sides or getting from a deli. The work day of isn't going to be on me but the DOC will have her assistant refill containers for me.. We also are having a smaller wedding only about 80 totally invited.

What is your budget?

We are having sirlion, calfornia vegetable blends, mashed potatoes with gravy

and rolls

DOC's shouldn't be cooking.....

I think going Italian is perfect. As Blair mentioned, it is easy to do ahead.

You can also add presliced roast beef, pulled pork, some premade potato and macaroni salad.

I was going to cook for our welcome dinner for our wedding weekend. After serious anxiety, I opted to get my local Italian place to cater and carted it to the venue in Vermont.

If you can do it and it won't stress you out, go for it.

However, I agree

We're doing our own food for 150 people. I agree with the Italian suggestion. We're making Pasta shells with meat and veggie stuffing, covered in Marinara sauce. We can make and freeze the shells beforehand so that the day of we just have to cover in marinara sauce and stick in the oven.

That and about 5 easy to make salads.

Making our own food is going to save me at least $2000 !

I always love Italian food at weddings. And I think cooking is doable if you won't stress out. I love the idea of homemade food at a reception, it feels personal.

My favorite Italian dish that we make at home is alfredo and pasta with bacon, greens (either peas, broccoli, or asparagus), and onions. And sometimes chicken.

Warms great and taste amazing. FI makes the alfredo from scratch if you need a recipe let me know.

I would definitely be interested in recipes!! Thanks so much!!