Should You Prepare Your Own Wedding Food?

When planning a wedding, it can be quite a costly expense to hire a caterer and choose a banquet hall for the reception. In uncertain economic times, many couples who are getting married are now looking to do things on their own and to reduce the typical wedding expenses budget down as much as possible. One of the common beliefs is that you can save money by preparing your own food. While this can be true, one must carefully consider how much work will be involved and whether that work will be well worth it or if it could potentially cause more grief.

The best thing about hiring a caterer is other than talking with him or her about discussing your party size and food choices, there is very little planning or preparation you will need to do as far as food is concerned. The caterer will handle everything, from purchasing the ingredients needed, cooking the foods, and even serving them either in a buffet style line or at the individual tables. This can be a quite costly expense, but the convenience of not needing to worry about anything can be a huge lifesaver on an already hectic wedding planning schedule.

If you decide to make your own wedding appetizers and desserts, then you will likely need to do a lot of planning and this can be time consuming. You will need to ensure that you not only have the right amount of food, but that you also have the right amount of time in order to prepare it. It can take several hours of cooking to make enough food to feed a large group of people, especially if your invite list is over one hundred people or more. If you will making the food yourself, you will want to make sure that you have enough time allotted. You can account for about 2-3 hours of shopping time and at least 5-6 hours of preparation and cooking time.

Another consideration is how your guests will be served. Obviously on your wedding day you will not want to be sitting there serving out mashed potatoes and slicing roast beef. You will need to decide if you will hire someone to do these things or if there will be someone who can volunteer and take care of serving the food.

Lastly, don't forget clean up. Someone will need to clear up all of those plates, dishes, napkins, glasses, and more. This again can take several hours to do. If you will be doing this yourself, be sure you have enlisted the help of family and friends.

Deciding to make your own foods or to hire a caterer is a personal choice. When you carefully are prepared to make your own, it can be an excellent way to save several thousands of dollars on your wedding expenses.

By: M. Stein

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M. Stein combines her love for cooking and writing by writing articles on entertaining and food. You may also enjoy her collection of Appetizer Recipes.