Catering Cost

Hi Ansley! You could check out local catering companies that do cheap buffet offerings like BBQ or Italian food!

You could also consider hosting your reception during a non-mealtime, so you could do cake & cocktails or just hors d'oeuvres instead of serving a full meal!

Here are some more tips to check out: 6 Ways to Save Money on Wedding Catering.

Provide your own plates/cutlery/glasses. Ours went down significantly when we mentioned the venue would be providing that for us so we didn't need theirs. Buffet style is cheaper than plated too. Also, I'm sure you know this but less people = less money. Maybe look at your guest list and adjust.

This is probably not an option for most people but we do DIY.

My FH has catered weddings before (for friends), so he will do the calculations and the shopping (with a friend who has a membership for restaurant depot) and he will prepare a few things that can be prepared in advance. Then we have two families who are our friends who will cook, other friends serve and my FH knows a guy who owns a foodtruck and we hire him to do the meat (but since we know him we get a special price).

Our food will not be the most elegant but it will be super duper delicious. It's from my FH's cultural background - so it wasn't a question for us that this is the way we want to do it. And it definitely helps a lot with the cost (though it adds work and stress) which is great because we are working with a 7k budget and everything is sooooo expensive.