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Beginner September 2021

Need to save money on catering

Cassandra, on December 6, 2020 at 5:44 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 11

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Hey everyone! We postponed until September 2021 and decided to scale back the guest list. We are trying to save money all around as we are paying for the majority of it. Has anyone used grocery store catering? I'm using Whole Foods for flowers and I'm wondering if they offer wedding catering? I was also thinking of doing appetizers and desserts instead of a sit down meal? I'm not having a traditional wedding but my parents insist I need to feed people lol any feedback would be great! Thanks in advance!

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11 Comments

Latest activity by Caitlyn, on December 8, 2020 at 7:21 PM

VIP April 2022
CountryBride · on December 6, 2020 at 5:51 PM
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Maybe you could try restraunts who cater I know Olive garden does and maybe some local bbq
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Champion December 2022
Michelle · on December 6, 2020 at 5:56 PM
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Any local restaurant will offer catering (most have corporate catering deals) and the food is exactly the same as what you get in the restaurant. You get a ton of food for a fraction of the price of what a wedding caterer will and the food is better quality.
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VIP June 2019
Hanna · on December 6, 2020 at 6:49 PM
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Is your wedding reception during a normal meal time? If so, then I would try to come up with the extra money and do normal catering (you can find some great deals for Italian, Mexican, BBQ, etc.). Many places offer package deals that might even be cheaper than grocery store catering. But if your reception is not during a meal time then you could probably get away with appetizers and desserts
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Expert February 2020
Givemeallthepups · on December 6, 2020 at 6:58 PM
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What time is your weeding? If your reception overlaps with a normal meal time, you should be serving a full meal (whatever that may look like in your budget). I know that Publix does some catering. Mexican, Italian and BBQ tend to be the cheapest restaurant catering options.
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Champion July 2019
Veronica · on December 6, 2020 at 7:09 PM
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I think it depends on what time you are having your reception as to whether you should serve a full meal. If it is during meal time, then yes you should absolutely serve a full meal. It would be okay to just serve apps and dessert if the reception is at a non-meal time.
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VIP December 2021
mrswinteriscoming · on December 6, 2020 at 7:45 PM
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IMHO not feeding people adequate food (particularly for an event that goes for a few hours or more) is a big faux pas and will lead to unhappy guests who will think more about how hungry they are than how beautiful the wedding was.

If you are having a short wedding (i.e. ceremony and reception done and dusted in 3 hours) then appetisers and dessert will suffice, but, I would say any longer than that and you need to ensure there is more food available. Things to consider are; the time of the wedding, duration, how much alcohol will be served etc.
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Master October 2020
Yasmine · on December 6, 2020 at 7:57 PM
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I would try a local restaurant for catering and maybe a grocery store for the cake.
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Master April 2021
Mrs. Spring · on December 7, 2020 at 6:42 AM
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If your entire wedding is short then appetizers and beverages will suffice. It was common in the past to only offer cake and punch.
Whole foods does have party/event platter options. You can go online and see specific options.

Good luck!
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Super February 2020
Kaysey · on December 7, 2020 at 10:44 AM
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If you're trying to save so money on catering, I'd recommend looking into local resultants in your area. Most will do a buffet style (which is extremely cheaper than a formal sit-down dinner), and local restaurant's prices are typically cheaper; at least from my experience. My husband and I went with a local restaurant and saved thousands of dollars on the food for our wedding. We had great food & a crazy amount of leftovers that the restaurant employed working our wedding boxed up for us and let us keep.
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Savvy October 2021
Jessica · on December 7, 2020 at 10:47 AM
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I agree with the timing being a major factor. Also, take into consideration how you would serve the food and if it fits into the COVID restrictions in your area! Store catering might be cheaper upfront, but then you might have to pay for staff to monitor the food (make sure it's at the correct temp, help with servings, etc.).
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Dedicated October 2021
Caitlyn · on December 8, 2020 at 7:21 PM
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Also agreeing with the many comments here. We were also trying to scale down our catering budget and decided to go with Mission BBQ. We're having a rustic fall "picnic" themed wedding in October so BBQ is fitting for us. I honestly think that our bar bill is higher than our food xD There's still going to be plenty of food but I have a lot of family and friends that are big drinkers.
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