Everything You Need to Know About Wedding Catering on a Budget
There are few things in life that bring people together like celebrations and good food. So as a wedding planner, feeding your guests is no joking matter to me! Not only is catering a significant spending category in the wedding budget - let’s be honest, we don’t want hangry guests.
The best approach to catering considers both your budget and your guests’ experience. There are several types of catering that range in cost, timing, food options, staffing, and overall vibe. These are 6 Types of Wedding Catering and how each compare: Plated Meals, Buffet, Family-Style, Stations, Food Trucks, and Cake/Apps.
6 Types of Wedding Catering
Plated Meal
Similar to a restaurant, the cook prepares the food and servers deliver it. Guests RSVP with their meal choice, which makes ordering more accurate but less flexible.
🕚 Timely, guests don’t leave their tables
🍽️ Limited options for each guest
💲 Less likely to over-order, Higher cost for staffing and services
✨. Feels fancy!
Buffets
Buffets can be cafeteria-style (with staffed servers) or self-serve. Guests are typically dismissed by table group to get their food.
🕚 Delays occur if buffet lines back up
🍽️ A variety of food options for everyone
💲 Save with a lighter staff load, More likely to over-order
✨ Guests can get up and move around!
Family Style
Similar to plated meals, prepared food is served to guests. However, meals are served to the entire table for guests to share, rather than individually.
🕚 Timely, guests don’t leave their tables
🍽️ A variety of food options for everyone
💲 Budget some extra servings, but save on a smaller serving staff
✨ A great way to get table-mates hanging out!
Food Stations
If you have enough space in your reception area, setting up dinner service at various stations can be a great way to have guests mingling all through the reception.
🕚 Dispersed stations keep lines shorter
🍽️ A variety of food options for everyone
💲 Budget some extra servings, Flexible options for staffing
✨ Unique and lively!
Food Trucks
Food trucks are a fan favorite! Especially if you have more than one food truck, you can keep lines short and offer more options.
🕚 Depends! Use food trucks with prior wedding experience to avoid delays
🍽️ A variety of food options for everyone
💲 Budget some extra servings, but no additional serving staff
✨ Incredibly fun!!
Cake & Apps Only
This is a less common choice, but can be very inexpensive and fun! Remind your guests in advance that a full meal will not be provided.
🕚. Easy to keep service quick
🍽️ Very limited
💲 Your most cost effective option, but prepare to spend more on drinks
✨. A more casual setting! Give guests a heads up so they can plan accordingly
For budget-conscious couples, we have some strategies to help decide which type of catering works best for your wedding and ways to save.
A small guest list: Wedding catering is generally priced per head - that’s why it adds up quickly! Let’s do some fast math - if catering is $100 per guest and you shrink your guest list by 20 guests, that’s immediately $2000 in savings! While this is a simple way to save, trimming the guest list might not be feasible or desirable for you, so here are other options.
Less staffing, More saving: The cost of catering is not only for the wedding food, you’re also paying for the service. Any type of catering that requires servers (i.e. plated dinners, staffed buffet, passed h’oure d'oeuvres) is going to cost more than self-served options.
Outside food and beverage: Restaurant catering is more cost efficient than wedding catering. If your venue allows, consider catering from your local factorite. Make sure to discuss the delivery, serving, and clean up logistics with the restaurant and your day-of wedding coordinator.
Be mindful of F&B minimums: Read your venue contract carefully! If your venue has a spend minimum on food and beverage, make sure it’s a number at or below your catering budget. You’ll be required to pay that minimum amount even if you don’t order that much food.
Make tradeoffs: Don’t be afraid to splurge on what’s important to you! Just make sure you’re cutting back somewhere else. For example, at a wedding in Washington, our couple wanted to serve fresh oysters farmed from a local island, so they splurged on oysters as appetizers and opted for an inexpensive sheet cake for dessert.
Keep it simple: Remember, everything you add, multiply the cost by your headcount. More complicated, multi-course meals will cost you more than keeping limited options. You can absolutely have a delicious, filling meal without breaking the bank.
I highly encourage getting creative with your wedding food ideas and working with your wedding planner to see how you can add a fun spin to traditional wedding catering! The experiences we create by sharing meals with loved ones can become lifelong memories. So have fun with it, and Bon Appetite!
