Catering problems! Are there Caterer's that do $10 a head?

Laura i dont think thats high, i wish i had $40 pp. mines $60.

I have no idea where you can get $10pp catering. McDonalds?

I think you need to save, reevaluate in a year. And if you still cant afford, cut your list. If you still cant afford, wait another year till you can.

I got super creative with my venue choice, and I'm supplying my own alcohol, and I'm still pretty proud of our $60ish pp for a Saturday in NJ.

$10 is going to be tight. Can you bump to $20 at least and save up? I really think a BBQ-type option might be a good compromise for you, but I think you'll need about $20 pp for that. And, plan on spending at least another $10pp on alcohol if you can supply your own (beer and wine only), WAY more than that if it's supplied by your venue.

$40 a head is a freaking steal here, too. Our venue does $35/head minus alcohol and I thought I won the effing lottery. I had a hell of a time finding anywhere that could do under $90/head with an open bar.

@emmy I feel really lucky that I got that deal The food was delicious too! And included baby red potatoes, green beans, pea salad, and a dinner roll.

Ok if that includes alcohol that is LOW.

ETA - our plates are $25-30 each plus another $16-22 for bar (depending on what type of liquor). we decided to bring our own liquor to cut costs. And this is just food costs FYI, not rentals/china/etc.

You have over 2 years to plan & save. We did everything we could to save & our wedding for 200 people will be around 8500. We are "self catering". We are getting meat from the meat market (they will shred it and season it for us), and all of our side are coming from a deli. It will cold sides, but it goes with our food & us. We're basic people.

If that includes alcohol, DO IT. DO IT NOW.

$40/head is actually quite low for most places. I looked in both Nebraska and Michigan and most places were much higher, not even including alcohol.

Mexican, BBQ, or Italian restaurants all might cater for around your budget. But remember places like this are drop off catering, so you won't have anyone there to help serve, clear dishes, or clean up after. And you will need to find a venue that let's you bring in outside catering. It may also mean you will have to purchase or rent more things like silverware and plates (depending on the package). So do all your research before determining whether this actually saves you money.

Use the vendor section on here to research vendors, and contact them for pricing and quotes. If you need more of an alternative caterer, think of something like Chipotle or a local BBQ or sandwich place.

I'm in Tulsa - ours is $16/pp and that includes buffet and apps and drinks. And our caterer was as low as $12/pp depending on meal selection.

Or, just have your wedding at a non-mealtime and do apps and cake only.

Mine is $10/person (buffet) with 4 entrees, 2 sides, salad, and rolls. It includes set up, plates, napkins, forks, and packing up leftovers for us to take home. WE ARE LUCKY!!

$26 a head puts you at $1,800 without tip/deposit.

You have two years to save... You should be able to handle that.

Dickey's BBQ is where we got our RD dinner. It came out to 10.95 a person.

I live in Georgia so $40 per head for just a meal is high here. Most places I went to that charged that much included alcohol. Food only range from $15 to $30 per person. With the $30 per person being in areas like the City of Atlanta. I know in places like NYC it's higher and $40 is steal.

@Mimi if it includes alcohol jump on it. That is a great price. Even if it's only beer and wine.

It depends on where you are located.... I am trying to fund my dinner around 12 a person and found plenty of options so far. And even caterers... not only bbq joints.

First of all, Mimi, you have to adjust your expectations. You said that you don't believe you should have to do without and just go to the courthouse. You may wish you didn't have to do without if you can't pay for it, but that's what's going to happen. Big weddings, like luxury cars, are not entitlements -- they're available for purchase. There are lots of brides on WW who have had to make major adjustments to their visions because their budgets only go so far.

As the others have said, $40 PP is a great price. If it includes alcohol, then it's a steal. Most people can't get a nice restaurant dinner with a couple of glasses of wine for less than $40. Yes, you can try to find venues that let you bring in your own food (I think community centers and public parks might be avenues to explore on that front -- but I'm not sure what the rules in your area are about serving alcohol in those types of venues). If you can bring in your own caterer, look at places like Italian restaurants (usually budget friendly trays of pastas that are filling), local diners (we have several diners in our area that have "We Cater" signs posted), or some of the casual chain restaurants the ladies mentioned. You could also consider a late Sunday morning wedding and a brunch reception (brunch food costs less than dinner food). You could think about getting married on a Thursday night (or other week night) -- that would be cheaper in terms of venue. You could have a shorter reception between meal times and spend your $800 food budget on lots of trays from the grocery store deli and soft drinks.

You could always cut your guest list to 20 - 25 people. You'd have enough in your budget to have a smaller wedding with a reception in the private room of a restaurant. You'd have full table-side service in a nice environment. You can still wear you gown, carry your flowers, and have your cake. That would solve everything (and smaller weddings, in my opinion, are great). Those are some options. The other is that you do what lots of WW brides do. You go over your household budget with a fine tooth comb. You create an austerity budget that cuts 90% of your discretionary spending and/or you get a second job to help fund your wedding. With two years in front of you, you can get quite a bit of money together if you are motivated and committed.

There is a new poster who recently shared her plan for hosting 475 guests for $15K. She swears it's possible without self-catering. She is using friends and family for help, but the bulk of the costs are being spent on real vendors. I'm taking a wait and see approach on that one (because it just doesn't seem possible without a lot of freebies), but maybe she'll weigh in with some ideas.

I was going to agree with some of the posts here that $40/head isn't high.

We live in NC and are paying $38pp for a plated meal. We haven't chosen our official plated meals yet - but our main entree can include: duck, bison, fish, chicken, or another type of beef (they get that plus a salad, rolls, two vegetables, and one or two starches (starches depends on the entree), AP or unsweetened tea, water) (there will also be a vegetarian/vegan option). No alcohol at the price tho (we have a BYOB venue, provided by bride/groom not guests). However, for the same plated meal in CT (our homestate) we would be looking at at least $80pp. So, location plays a big part.

To get it at maybe $10, my suggestion would be the same as everyone else - a buffet style with maybe Chipotle, Moes, Boston Market, etc...

Mine is $40 pp and he just raised his prices to $47pp, that's just the caterer so i am looking at $4500 for food. i think that the $40pp is a fair price and will get you good food. i am not sure that $10 is realistic if you want a plated meal that isn't BBQ or from a place like chipotle

I live in Kansas City and expect 40-50 guests. We are paying $20 a person for 2 appetizers and then a buffet that includes carved beef, chicken piccata, 2 pastas, salad, green beans, and rolls. This is for one of the top caterers in KC. Research some caterers! STL can't be that much higher than KC.

Also Hyvee will cater for about $10 a person. I think it was chicken, 2 sides, and bread. A local BBQ place here will also cater for $10 a person. There are definitely options out there!

Wow... $40/pp I wish I was getting married in some of these areas. My cost per head is over $100++.

No, in NJ, that's one glass of wine. Or two hamburgers and a coke. Without tableware, without service.

Time to go back to the drawing board; you can't even go to a fast food joint for 10 bucks. This isn't a catering problem, it's a planning problem.

If you want to keep it under 5000, invite 20 people, have a nice lunch and enjoy their company.