It does not matter what event you are planning, be it a wedding, corporate event, or even a charity event, the largest share of your budget will probably be spent on the food. So, what happens if you need to save money, but you don’t want your guests to eat bad food? Well, with the tips we are going to give you below, you will be able to save money and still have delicious food at your specific event. If you would like to know how we can help you with your catering requirements, be it for a wedding, corporate event, or a party, please feel free to get in touch with our experienced team today. We would love to take your call, answer answer any questions that you may have.
A Few Insider Tips
Reconsider The Menu
When you are planning your reception, you should definitely consider moving away from the usual chicken, beef, and fish options; instead, you should choose a food theme that will help to reduce costs while giving your guests a better experience. As an example, you could have an Italian-themed menu instead of a variety of different cuisines. Generally, pasta dishes cost less than other foods and most of your guests won’t mind that meat isn’t the ‘main event’. Add some salad and a few different kinds of bread, and your guests will be both full and happy. If you are planning your wedding reception, why not think about completely skipping dessert options on the menu and just use your wedding cake as dessert? After all, not many people are going to want to eat cake after they have had a dessert with their meal. If you do this, you could save a lot of money on offering different desserts.
Utilise Plated Food Over Buffet-Style
Despite common beliefs, catering for a reception often costs more when you choose buffet-style catering over plated food. Surprisingly (or maybe not so), a lot of guests are not great at portion control, especially those who view buffet food as ‘all you can eat free food’. Others may choose to skip a certain dish and eat double helpings of a specific one, which will completely throw off the food-to-guest ratio. In order to avoid running out of a specific dish, caterers will need to prepare more of every single item than you may actually need.
Yes, you may need to pay a little extra money for the ‘service’ aspect of plated catering, but your chosen catering company will not have to consider self-service portions; with plated catering, you will waste less food and your guests will receive a much more elegant experience.
Schedule Your Reception At An ‘Off-Peak’ Time
This is probably one of the best tips we can offer, and there’s a reason. If you hold your reception at a later hour, your guests will expect (and be hungry enough for) a full and complete meal. If you choose an earlier time, both their hunger level and expectations probably won’t be quite as high.
In the same breath, choosing to hold your event at breakfast, lunch, or brunch hours will also allow you to reduce your catering expenses. If the times do not appeal to you or work for the event you are putting on, holding a ‘cocktail hour’ reception is a great alternative though. Usually, your guests will be less hungry between 4:00 and 6:00, so you should ensure that your menu features finger foods and bitesize options, with ‘grazing stations’ dotted around the room. Grazing stations should include food like gourmet popcorn, fruit, and nuts. This means that you can spend a little bit more money on delicious appetisers and an improved experience for your guests. The less expensive ‘grazing station’ food will make up for those guests who need a little bit of sustenance, without eating a full and complete meal.
How We Can Help
The team here at Hassle Free Weekends love nothing more than providing the very best catering services to our valued clients. We are proud to say that we offer extremely competitive prices on the catering services that we offer, and we constantly go the extra mile for our valued customers. If you would like to know how we can help you with catering your event, you can speak to a member of our professional team on 07941 672296, or email polly@hasslefreeweekends.co.uk.