Self Catered Wedding

View Quoted Comment Are you willing to stand up in court as an expert witness if something goes awry at this bride's wedding? Be careful with your words.

The reason PP's are so anti self cater goes deeper than just food saftey. First off, who protects you if you are supplied tainted products and you serve it to guests? Who protects you if someone burns themselves? What if a crockpot goes faulty and no one notices? If you are in any sort of public building serving food without any sort of license and liability, you still may be in violation of county and state laws.

Food serving laws are strict and regulated, especially in the US. In a courtroom a person could even argue that a wedding is considered a business transaction since the guest "gifted" you with money or a present. Which is just a whole 'nother amount of legal trouble.

Is this worth it?

We're thinking about it. I think it's a great idea. It will definitely help save money.

I am all for saving money but that would be a lot of work. If you want to enjoy your wedding and let your family enjoy your wedding why not find a cheap alternative. I know when I have parties at my house I have to start cooking and preparing stuff the day before and usually half way through the party is when I can finally leave the kitchen. Do you have a tijuana flats in your area? they cater and will deliver, set it up and serve it.

On your wedding day you are not going to have time to cook or transport food. Even if you cook in advance, how will you safely store it for the large amount of guests you'll have? Who will serve it? This is a horrible idea. Even if you cook for all your family parties, a wedding should be held to a higher and better standard. You want to look back at memories of your wedding fondly and know that you hosted your guests well and they enjoyed themselves. You won't get to this if you self cater because you won't have hosted well and your guests who worked on your wedding day would not have enjoyed themselves. They'll probably tell you it's ok because they love you but your reception will not be remembered as one of the fun ones.

Omg so gross - I would be so turned off if I got to a wedding and found out it was self catered.

Crock pots and weddings should never be together, ever ever. 100% agree with PPs. If you can't afford to host a wedding, lower your guest count or wait until you have saved more money. No one is entitled to a party.

Thanks for all the the input guys! I have been thinking and I really should just hire a professional. I mean it’s one day and it has to be special right? I really appreciate all of the info!

Venues typically like catering companies because maintaining the safe temperatures and quality of the food is tough! They are also typically licensed and insured. On top of that, they serve the alcohol and maintain the venue (make sure it is left clean and whatnot).

If you're able to find a more lenient venue, look into having a drop off. See if any of the venues will let the food be dropped off by the caterer. One of the biggest costs is staffing, so drop offs are much cheaper.

Good decision, Natalie. There are so many restaurants that cater. Start looking around and you'll be surprised. Mexican, Italian, BBQ, Asian, brunch, gourmet wood fired pizza. I'm sure you'll find one that is perfect for you. If you are in an area with food trucks, you might also look at them. Just make sure you have enough food trucks to efficiently serve your guests.

The best way to save money is to cut the guest list and to do a early wedding to avoid am expensive dinner. You can serve fancy sandwiches and finger food that can be ordered from Sam's or Wal-Mart. You can also look into halls to rent or club houses. Even though self catering sounds like a food idea but it's so much work. It's just better to trim other areas and properly host your guests off what you can afford.

Hunny do you. If you have experience in cooking for groups of 50 or more I say go for it. My family has cooked for festivals for over 20 yrs and have catered out of my parents kitchen for even longer. My mom used to own a restaurant and cook for another with my grandmother and my fiance smokes briskets up to 12 times a year or more for coworkers and family. If you live that life you live that life!

With that said, we will be cooking for our wedding. We will rent a professional kitchen that has liability insurance and keep it moving. I say do what works for you and be careful. People can get sick from a vendor too.

Well were doing our cooking and we found a few people here to help serve our guest And Before Yall Jumping Saying anything Neg. About it were doing a los countrt boil and having a open bar for Drinks Since were Not feeding a Army just 10 people

If you're looking to have an experiential wedding with your family working together to cook and enjoy the meal as one, if it is a small enough group in particular which reduces the stress all around, I would recommend that you check out local state parks and city/county-owned parks because ones with camp grounds often have cooking facilities, including those rented by big groups like church groups and scouts groups for activities. They are more lenient for these types of things given the groups they typically cater to. Another idea is to rent an Air BnB house if you choose the filter option for those that allow special events and notify the host of your plans. That can be a bonding experience with a family that loves to cook together and enjoy the process.