Potluck wedding reception

Katy, may I ask where you are from? I'm from a small town in the middle of Vermont, and my sister had a smaller wedding in the middle of a field, and at her bridal shower we put out a potluck list, and asked our closer relatives like our mom, aunts, and grandmas if they could make something, and it was amazing!!! but I wouldn't have just anyone bring something! ask the people that are involved with your wedding to help out!

Holly - no. Nobody, especially not close family members, should have to work on your wedding day. Close family members are VIPs and should be treated as such.

@Holly - asking moms and aunties to bring dishes to a potluck bridal shower is MUCH different than having a potluck wedding. In terms of the quantity of food that is needed, the formality of the event and the purpose of the event. A wedding reception is how the couple thanks their guests for attending the ceremony and should be properly hosted.

A potluck essentially makes your guests pay for your party. You might as well take people out to a restaurant and have everyone pay for their own plate. At least that allows people to eat food that is safe and edible, not Aunt Jackys mystery casserole. Even food that looks tasty may be cooked in gross conditions. In grad school I had a classmate who was an amazing baker and would frequently bring in baked goods. Then one day I over heard her laughing at and calling another peer a germaphobe because she always washed her hand after using the bathroom. I quote "I use enough toilet paper, so I never actually touch anything. So I dont see the point in washing my hands."

Please don't. I know catering can be expensive, but it's better to be safe than sorry as PP have said. If you want to cut costs, look at the other expenses and trim what you can from there.

ETA: missing words

Holly that is terrible advice.

Just gonna throw this out there, Olive Garden will do a create your own pasta bar for $11 p/p. You get 3 noodles, 3 sauces, 3 meats, salad and breadsticks. For 50 people it is 550.00 before tax and fees.

This is what you can afford, and please don't say you can't.

Let me say minimum wage where I live is one of the lowest in the country at 8.25 p/hr. If you work a full time job and get paid bi-weekly that would be $1056 per month after taxes (give or take). I am not suggesting this but even if you pay your bills for the month of your wedding the month ahead of time you can use your paychecks to pay for PROFESSIONALLY CATERED FOOD!

You are a year away from your date, If you start saving now $200 from each paycheck you will have $5400.00 by the time of your wedding (give or take). This will not be an adequate amount to host the wedding of your dreams but it will provide your guests with PROFESSIONALLY CATERED FOOD!

Just some thoughts, it is possible OP.

I'd rather eat Pizza Hut or Domino's than potluck crap. And I'm saying this living in the heart of red-sauce Italian Brooklyn, where there is a quality locally owned pizzeria on every other corner.

Me too @Olivia, me too.

No

Please don't do this. It is incredibly rude for all the above reasons and its tacky as hell! Cut the guest list if you need to cut costs.

This is just a no. Not only is this incredibly rude, but people can be gross. I don't eat anything unless I know who made it or it's from a pro. Someone posted on one of the many potluck threads about someone putting the potluck pudding or coleslaw or whatever the F it was in a Cat Litter bucket. So yeah, just nope the potluck idea all together and save your money to host properly.

Sorry Celia, I do not see how Olive Garden is any worse than $10pp BBQ or drop off Italian restaurant food which are recommended here ALL the time as affordable catering options. There is no requirement for wedding food to be 5-star, high end or gourmet. Especially if the tone of the wedding is casual. The requirement is that you feed your guests enough food and that the food is appropriate for the time of day, well balanced and tasty, with options for people with dietary restrictions.

I have been to enough banquet hall weddings that served a dry, flavorless grilled chicken breast along with 3 carrots and 4 roasted potatoes in a mystery sauce to know that the food isn't always good even when professionally catered. In fact, compared to the dry chicken meal, I would far rather have pasta and breadsticks from Olive Garden.

I trust Kate has her answer on this? I hope?

*stopped working to read all these comments lol

I just have yet to understand how this is even considered a real thing...you need to read the ww guidelines if you want to save yourself from a ton of harsh criticism.

@danielle ... Im from the Caribbean side of Brooklyn ... There are too many local restaurants that can cater for you event. Even if you just have Chicken, Rice and Salad... thats affordable... please dont risk someone getting sick ...Just do drop off catering .... Im doing the same .. just make sure you keep the food at the correct temperature

Please don't confuse FutureMrsWhite with me. I'm not self catering. It's not a good idea

I second @OliviaP come back!

@OliviaP, the only way to bring OP back is by saying her name three times fast while looking in the bathroom mirror with the lights off.