People are often surprised at the cost of catering an event, an d according to The Knot, the average price of wedding catering in 2022 is $75 per person. With food prices rising and supply chain issues further increasing prices, it can become a daunting task to find a way to serve delicious cuisine to you guests. We’ve got a couple of ideas that can help you keep the cost down if your budget is tight.
Choose buffet style service. A buffet is usually much more cost effective because it requires much fewer servers than a full plated meal. If you are having a reception or cocktail hour before the meal, a stationed appetizer area will be less expensive than having your hors d’heuvres passed by servers.
Platter style appetizers are usually less expensive than finger food styles, for example, a Mediterranean Platter with homemade hummus, naan, and veggies versus a much higher cost, more labor intensive, single bit appetizer.
Choose compostable plates, flatware, and napkins. Though not nearly as elegant, compostable plates are environmentally friendly and save in a number of ways, most of all, but reducing the cost of your rentals.
Reduce your guest list. I know, I know, you’ve already whittled it down as far as you can but if you can get it down to the number that your venue can host without further rentals, you will greatly reduce your final catering costs.
Have a small, display wedding cake, and have your caterer serve a matching sheet cake instead of splurging for a big showy cake. The wedding cake is one of the biggest expenses of the food, and if you reduce it to something small, elegant and sophisticated, you’ll save a great deal of money. While you and your new husband are doing the traditional cake cutting serving, the catering staff can be cutting and plating the sheet cake behind the scenes. To make it even more cost effective, serve the precut cake in a buffet style to reduce service cost.
Serve at least 2-3 non-alcoholic beverages. This may seem a bit counter-intuitive, but many people will choose a non alcoholic beverage if it’s available, and it reduces the consumption of alcohol. Be sure there are full pitchers of water on the tables as well.
Serve only 2 entrée choices, rather than 3. It’s not possible to please absolutely everyone on your guest list, so make some delicious choices and let folks enjoy it as they will.
Choose less expensive ingredients. Although many folks like to serve luxury ingredients at their wedding, it can quickly jack up the price of your catering bill. The difference between a salmon dish and a chicken dish can be substantial, so consider sticking with ingredients that are easier to source and not as expensive.