Is anyone making their own food for the reception?

Thats a difficult task. You could do a pot luck where every one brings a dish. Thats always an idea. I seen four weddings friday night and a lady did a barbeque style meal for her guests. Its hard to prepare dishes and get ready and be at the wedding not impossible but a challenge you could google some dishes and see what they state would be the easiest. Have you looked into catering?

My family "prepared" all of my supper themselves. We had bbq pork (family friend gave us a hog that we had a butcher bbq and do pulled pork with), beans and potatoe salad (made from scratch). Then we got a formal wedding party serving size only "real" cake and then we got a local grocery store to do sheet cake for the rest of the guests. Had punch (sprite, hawaiian punch and orange juice), coffee, random pops and suntea. Hope that helps!

We are having a "potluck" type reception with guests bringing their most ghoulish style dish.

I saw that episode also on friday. i am really looking into my options. I have changed wedding plans so many times. i just need to pick something and stick to it. i do need to look up caters

My family is making my food but this is the norm where I am from so I am not sure how most families would feel about it or if they would be prepared to do it. It might be a good idea but check with them first.

We are cooking our own he comes from a big old fashioned Portuguese family and i an old fashion Italian family. his avo and ti-tia are making 2 big dishes and my nonna and my zia are doing the same.

We are doing are own food. We choose things that are easy but still good. We wanted a variety of food, plus I am very picky about how my food is prepared. I want it made the way I like it and I don't like going places and getting foods that don't taste like I think they should.....lol

Our families are cooking our food also, but this is the norm for both of our families, so everyone has offered and is prepared to put that kind of work into it. It would be pretty stressful to actually make all of the food YOURSELF, but if you have help from family and friends, it could turn out great.

I'm doin a cook out type I'll have hamburgers and hot dog my ma is makein grilled chicken... So pol think it needs to b fancy but it's only food..a potluck dinner is a good idea it'll def save u money

I think it depends on how many are on your guest list, how often you cook, and if you have people to help you. Do you really want your guests having to refill food dishes? Are you really going to have time to do it?

I think when you cater yourself, your friends and family end up picking up the bulk of the work and can't relax and enjoy your day.

Can it be done? Yes. Does it save you money? Sometimes. My friend wanted to cater herself, but she had to spend so much on burners and pans to keep things warm, she ended up only saving about $50- and she was rushed and frazzled on her day. That's not always the case, but do your research and see if it's really going to be worth it.

In my opinion, it is up to what is usual where you live and how your family/guests feel about such a reception.

My new SIL wanted family to make food for their reception. Since my ex and I were paying for the wedding, it was a resounding NO WAY! This is a day to enjoy, not work like a slave at. So, we booked a hotel and let the pros take care of the food.

Personally, I do not care for potluck receptions, as you just have no clue how people cook. I mean, I have a friend who I know is not the cleanest person in the world. I have watched her wipe her nose and continue cooking without washing her hands. Yuck! I refuse to eat anything she brings to an event. Now, I know, you have no clue that a restaurant chef or caterer didn't do the same thing, but chances are. LOL! Also, with a pot luck, you need to make sure that hot foods stay hot and cold foods stay cold. A caterer will make sure of that.

I personally would not have a potluck dinner, but I have seen people do it. I am working on a limited budget, and at the beginning some of our family members did offer to cook the food. However, our venue doesn't allow outside catering, so it saved me from having to hurt people's feelings. The good thing about potluck is that it is a lot cheaper, but as someone said earlier on the post, you take a chance with people's cooking as everyone's tastes aren't the same.

One thing a friend did for the day before the wedding get together was have a restaurant cater it. They showed up before the event, dropped everything off (with heaters for all of the hot food), and then came back after the event and cleaned everything up. No it wasn't as cheap as DIY, but it was no hassle! So it was buffet style, no servers needed and people what they wanted and how much they wanted.

I'm doing an early afternoon reception, so no full meal. And it's just going to be platters from sams club. Pull the platter out of the portable cooler (which I already own), take the lid off. My mom used to teach food safety (and run commercial kitchens), so she's a bit controlling when it comes to food. She'd be yelling at a caterer about their food practices I'm sure, so it's actually more relaxing for her if she has full control over the food, because then she's not upset about someone else's handling of it.

I read this post and I was going to do the same thing! Only thing stopping me is that I was scared someone wouldn't come through for me. I think you should stick to maybe one or two dishes. Example, lasagna, breadsticks, and a mixed salad. Vegetable lasgna is really good too! Also, you might want to check into getting your food from a wholesale club since it will cut down costs to buy in bulk. I know a friend who did this for her wedding, the only thing is she had family serving. I would hire a wait staff to serve so that everyone can enjoy the special day with you.

There is also a legal aspect to preparing food for large numbers of people. In some cases, you might be required to hold a license or have some kind of insurance. In any case, you want to be sure you understand and follow strict health code guidelines to ensure your guests received fully cooked and properly prepared foods.