Catering

skinnybearlyndsay

So my fiance and I are having disagreements over what we want for catering. He wants something cheap while I think we need something a little nicer, especially if we have it at the really nice place we hope to look at this weekend. I think the words he used were "I don't want something pretentious.". :grumble:

Anyone having similar issues? Any ideas how to resolve this? There is no way in hell we are getting 1.) BBQ; 2.) having a potluck; or 3.) having a high English tea and providing nothing but finger sandwiches and scones. That's not how a wedding reception works in my book.

I foresee lots more disagreements like these in the future.:indifferent:

KMRose1788

Marriage is about compromise, but people want to eat at weddings. Period. If a wedding has crappy food everyone remembers! We are trying to get it under $30 per person. Just tell him you are feeding people and that is how it is. BBQ is not food for a lady in a white dress.

LizL217

I tend to agree, people want a good meal when they come to a wedding. But it's going to have to be based on your shared priorities and your budget.

My fiance and I wound up agreeing that good food & drink (and lots of it) was a high priority and that things like exotic flowers, a string quartet, fancy party favors etc. were lower priority.

If you've discussed your budget ad nauseum and still can't find a way to pay for nice food, maybe shorten the guest list a bit. Don't be afraid to negotiate with caterers either.

Whatever you do, please do not charge people for food and/or drink. I've been to weddings that were cash bar and I was not a fan, and even worse was when I went to a wedding that was cash FOOD. Yes, guests had to pay for their meal. It may have been the tackiest thing I've ever seen. Your guests are giving you gifts and some will be traveling, so you need to give them a decent meal.

Aedrah

I agree with you too - you don't want to completely cheap out. But you probably also don't want to serve a 7 course meal (unless your budget can afford it, and you like that kind of thing!)

We're having a destination wedding and we've decided on hiring the local soft-taco stand to cater our wedding (in addition to apps from a local mid-fancy restaurant and an open bar). We're going to "fancy it up" in how it's presented and served - with the main points being that the food is excellent, reliable, local and of course cost-effective. This was the caterer that my maid of honour used when she was married and we've eaten there multiple times, so we know we can trust them.

Point being - as a compromise you could find a good but cost-effective caterer that you both agree on and then maybe serve buffet or family style to cut down on costs, or look at other similar options. All the best to you!

@Liz - ewww. They made people pay for food?!?! I've never even heard of that happening - that's a tad ridiculous! Cash bar I can sometimes understand (depending on who is attending), but not cash food!

sundinsgurl

Our families arent italian or portugese or anything but we wanted to make sure our guests were happy since they are traveling from out of town and stayin in a hotel for the night. So we thought food and booze is a priority.

Our package we went with is all inclusive... so Open Bar, it also included the DJ, Center peices, chair covers, and all food. Food is: soup or salad and buns(I am choosing ceaser salad as its my fav), than a pasta (I think I will be choosing a red pasta, than guests get to choose their main entree (between: chicken, beef, or salmon), than it comes with potatoes and two seasonal veggies. FOllowed by wedding cake.. THan there is a midnight buffet which has pizza and other desserts.

It is expensive but its near the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) which is pricey, its defineteyly more than $30 per person, but it includes lots of other stuff.

skinnybearlyndsay

Thanks! Yeah, we talked more about it last night...and will continue to talk about it until we start signing contracts. We're (actually, I'm) going to pare the guest list down, and we're going to see what options a caterer can offer. Once we finalize the location of the reception, we can start checking out caterers. I think my fiance is more excited about tasting the foods. :laugh: