Food Ideas

Ahh, yes, the last church potluck talked about on WW went over so well.

Food poisoning, botulism, and death? Oh, my!

We didn't cook it ourselves and we had a very heavy cocktail reception as in lots of variety and lots of them ...

we ordered from our favorite restaurants bakeries etc and hired a chef to come and heat up and plate

Then we hired staff to pass apps all night and serve

Honestly I don't think it'll be cheaper than hiring a catering Italian or BBQ place but we really wanted appetizers and a chef and servers , we felt it was more the style of our guest (we all do cocktail parties all the time like that) and more elegant

Also, we only had 50 guests .

I wouldn't dream of doing the same with 100 people

I would hire a cheaper catering company or shorten your guest list .

Oh, Lord! Self-cater, make it a family-affair potluck if you like. I know it might seem passé, but seriously... As long as you and your folks are smart about things the risk for illness isn't really greater than restaurants. Have any of you ever seen even finer dining kitchens?

Use crock-pots for hot foods! Put cold items in an iced tray. It isn't rocket science, nor does it need to be about the industry. It is about you and yours, what you can afford, and what makes the day special for you. If my family member asked me to make something for a wedding, why is that different than a family potluck holiday? Heated portable serving dishes are cheap.

Come on now. And Traci, don't enable her.

A wedding is a totally different animal than Thanksgiving.

You. Cannot. Cater. Your. Own. Wedding. And still be a guest.

Most venues won't even let you because you need liability insurance, health certs and proof of workmans' comp.

If you do it? Your wedding will be disorganized, late, chaotic and possibly dangerous. Your friends and family will have bailed and you'll be cleaning up the hall in your gown.

It's not pretty.

Yes!!! *****Crock pots!!!!!!******

That makes it all okay.

Not.

.

Uh oh .. people dont like this topic here. Do you really want the stress of cooking on your wedding day? I couldn't deal with it

NO, JUST NO.

Just get a caterer! It's makes life so much easier! They get the ingredients, cook the food, plate it, serve it and clean it all, accepting all liability for it. Yes, it will most you a little more than dumping a an of Ragu over some noodles, but if your money can't go towards actually enjoying your wedding day then what the hell are you working for?

If you self cater, please put aside about $10k for the law suit you will ensue from people getting food poisoning.

Yeah I'm with most the girls on this one. You should most definitely get catering. I think cooking for a wedding is tacky. How are you guna have your guests, your mom or FMIL all dressed up serving people at your wedding??? That's a bit selfish even if they offer. .. if you're worried about the price get Italian or BBQ, that's your best bet. But home cooked food from family and friends is tacky af. Especiallyyyy for a wedding.

@delfina... I'm working to put money aside to help buy me and my FH's house that we want. But people have realize just because were planning a wedding doesn't mean all other responsabilites stop in life. And we are also doing a very informal backyard wedding so we don't need all the fancy Things like most weddings were it's very formal per my FH.

Did someone say crockpot?!

At the end of the day it's my wedding I'll do what I want. Everyone is entitled to there opinion. I didn't ask for people to criticize size my decision or tell me the pros and cons I asked if anyone that has done this before could share ideas.Because I know some people have done this instead of having it catered.I didn't ask you guys to make fun of my decision or tell me my wedding was going to be tacky af. If you couldn't help me with the topic you didn't have to respond you could have went on past my question that I asked.

This sounds like a train wreck.

Oh other responsibilities don't stop because you're planning a wedding? No one here was aware of that...!

Self-catering is a NO NO here but I'm doing it at my wedding. Food will be made in a certified (church) kitchen by people who have food managers licensing. Sounds like you have people helping you who have experience with large groups so that is good. Pasta is always cheap (especially if you buy it on sale). I wouldn't know what kind of meat to recommend because I'm vegetarian but I'd recommend keeping your menu simple- two main dishes, a couple sides, salad and dessert/cake. You will be frowned apon here for even mentioning self catering but it does work for some people in some situations. Other times it can be a disaster, but professional caterers can also make mistakes... there's been some pretty bad stories on here. Also don't be to worried about food costs because your already saving so much. Cheapest catering I've seen is $40 per person and that's a very simple meal.

@OP, I self catered my wedding....given I have food service experience so it was easier for me to cook for that many people. But it is really stressful. My aunt and I did pretty much all the cooking. If you have multiple people helping it will be less stressful. Don't save anything to be cooked on the day of. Make sure you have it all done prior. Make sure when you reheat any food that it is at least 165 degrees for 15 seconds before keeping it hot. Make sure that the food stays above 140 degrees at all times and cold foods have to be below 40 degrees. Also don't hold the hot food for longer than 4 hours.My menu was meatballs,pulled pork,French bread pizzas, green beans,mac and cheese ,mashed potatoes,cheese and veggie trays and baked beans. The key is to do foods that aren't dry or need to be crispy. Sauce and liquid are your friend when needed to hold food for long periods of time. Hope this helps .

@soon2bmrsh.. yes the people that will be helping out are retired caters themselves, they use to run a catering business and now they do it for fun not work anymore. Everyone that will be helping has had experience with this stuff before. That is our plan so far 2 main dishes a few sides and salad and cake for dessert

Thank you @ Amanda E... you got married on my bday yay