Food

No. Don’t. Hire a caterer.

Your post is going to blow up with people telling you what a bad idea this is. And they are right.

This is a bad idea

1. You will be stressed out enough the days before your wedding without the added stress of cooking in the days and hours leading up to your ceremony

2. whoever helps cook the food will miss your ceremony because they will b ecooking and prepping all the food to be ready for cocktail hour and the reception

3. Food safety is a real thing, and most home cooks aren't as up to speed on it as they want to be. Foods need to be kept at certain temperatures

4/ Most venues don't allow self catering for liability reasons

5/ Venues that do allow you to bring in outside food usually require that whoever provides the food bring in their own laibility insurance so that if someone should get sick and end up hospitalized they are not held liable and don't have to pay. Liability insurance is expensive, and if you do not have to provide it you run the risk of someone getting sick and you having to pay for their hospital bills out of pocket should they sue you.

It's a bad idea, it causes more issues that its worth. Please hire a professional

Don't. Catering is a hard job and should be left to professionals.

I wouldn't tell you to worry about food safety because enough people will do that.

My fiance and I regularly host large parties and self cater them. Our last party had 250 guests. Guess what? We work ALL day long. The last one we worked 8:30am to 6:30am the following day, with setup, cooking, and teardown.

You don't want to spend your wedding day like that, or ask family members to do that. It's worth the money.

What would you do differently? Hire a caterer!

Like pps have mentioned there is a high risk of foodborne illness if you attempt to self-cater. Not only that, but, the time it will take, the stress, and missing out on your important day since you are too busy cooking isn't worth it.

There are lots of affordable catering options available. BBQ and Italian tend to be amongst the cheapest. If you let people know where you are located, what your budget is, and how many people you are inviting we can help you find a decent caterer.

Don't do it. Hire a caterer. So many reasons why NOT to do this!

If you are having a small wedding its defintely doable. Just depends on how much help youll have. I went to a potluck wedding that honestly had the best food out of them all. No one got sick there were about 70 guests. So to ezch its own. If you have a family member that is a grest cook and willing to take on that responsibly cool. If not than have it catered. You can use actually resturant chains if you are worried about cost. Often time their catering menu is much cheaper. Order snd just hsve people help with set up and take down. Either way no big deal, do what works for you and have your bases covered.

My husband and i own a restaurant,he is the chef and has been for 17yrs now,we are having a small wedding,(family only)about 50 people and the only thing he has to do that day is put on his suit,he says he will do the cooking the morning of,and have some one plate them and if course waiters serving them,we are doing fajitas wich can be made in advance and stay in food warmers,rice and of course some beans wich can also stay im food warmers,also some chicken mole again it can stay in food warmer,ajd some chicken in white sauce......he is a pro,and is really confident everything will be okay

I would look into local restaurants that cater. Have you looked into Olive garden or even a food truck?

Please dont. Let your guest be guest, let you be the bride and relax and enjoy your day. So many things could go wrong with this, the stress alone is not worth it.

My mother grandmother and I are all serv-safe certified. I am the store manager of a food establishment, and both my mother and grandmother went to culinary school. We are having an outiside party come in to cook, pull and serve our pork and chicken but we plan on doing all of the side dishes. All of the side dishes we picked can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator so we plan on doing sides the 2 days before the wedding. The biggest thing is being extremly cautious about food safety. If you dont have anyone trained in food safety i would say your best bet would be catering. If someone gets sick and dies you will be held responsible so make sure you research research research and cover your own ass. You are going to get a lot of negetive feedback on here about self catering so be prepared. Trust me.

I've worked for a catering company. You have absolutely no idea how much work cooking for a large group can be. I also would guess you don't have the necessary equipment.

Hire a caterer or restaurant to provide the food.

Whats your plan if someone gets food poisoning and sues you?

Do not make your own food not only for the stress but in case anyone gets sick. I went to a Quinceñera a few years ago and everyone at the party got sick and some even went to the hospital.

No, My wedding was at a restaurant. So many people throw parties/get togethers, and cook the foods themselves, and nothing happens, BUT I think for a wedding it's too much to handle. Let this one day be where all are pampered and treated well. Hire a caterer.

No, that's a terrible idea. Professional caterers only.

I have one question for the people who are saying they are "pros" and are making things in advance and keeping them warm/cold for a few days --

Are you really okay with serving your nearest and dearest old food????

Anytime I throw a party, host a holiday, etc., I make sure all of the food is made FRESH that day. I can't stomach the thought of keeping cooked food for more than 20 minutes before it is served.

And to think a chef/owner of a restaurant is saying this is ok! I would never, ever eat at that restaurant knowing the chef is okay with keeping COOKED food for a long period of time before it is served.

Goodness gracious.

@OP - hire a caterer or have your wedding at a restaurant. Do you really want your loved ones working for you on your wedding day?

Too bad the wedding reception isn't about YOU it's about thanking YOUR GUESTS for taking time out of their day, money out of their pockets, etc. to celebrate something you are choosing to do. When people come over for my house for dinner I always make sure I serve things that THEY like, because THEY are my guests.

I didn't realize it was okay to endanger your loved ones. People have died from potlucks and self-catering. Even if they won't sue you, why would you want to do that to people?

Do you know how to make sure things are done right? By hiring people that went to school to learn how to do those things.

Actually the reception isn't about you - its a thank you to your guests for attending your wedding (which is your ceremony BTW not the party you throw after).

Edited - Because I realized it wasn't the OP oops!