Despite food being an important component of a wedding, it can create a dent in your pocket. The catering bill is the second most expensive wedding expense (the venue being the most expensive). 

As you can guess, the expense increases if you hold a wedding with an even larger guest list. 

Although the food prices during a wedding can be high, these prices are not set in stone. You can make certain efforts to significantly minimize the overall cost of the food. Some of the things you can do include: 

Find a venue that allows outside catering.

While some venues are open to outside food, others insist on using their on-site services alone. In most cases, the on-site services tend to be expensive. 

If you haven’t chosen a venue, find one that permits you to bring in your caterer. This way, you can easily customize the food and work on reducing the cost as much as possible. 

Cater to the wedding yourself.

If the budget isn’t large enough to hire a caterer, you can always consider catering to the wedding yourself. 

This is highly viable if you and your family members are talented cooks. 

While this can be a significant task (especially if you have a large guest list), it can significantly reduce expenses. 

If you prepare the wedding dinner yourself, keep in mind the food expenses, the time required to prepare, and the supplies from caterers and equipment rentals needed to keep everything warm and fresh.

 Limit the food options.

As said, the more food options you offer, the more it will cost. This means that for you to save money, you should offer limited food options.

You should choose your catering supplies wisely for a more cost-effective experience. Ensure that what’s on the menu stays within budget and that guests are impressed.

A main course of lobster, oysters, or filet mignon will set you back, so stick to cheaper selections like chicken, turkey, or pork. 

Keeping the preparation and presentation basic will also assist you in spending less money.

Allow the natural aromas of your roasted potatoes or sautéed mushrooms to stand out instead of enhancing them with lavish sauces and unnoticed garnishes.

If you insist on a plated dinner, you also don’t have to blow your budget—restrict the number of dishes you serve. 

A complete meal consisting of a starter salad, an entrée, and various sides, followed by a wedding cake, is more than enough. 

Cut the costs by providing one fewer course. For example, offer only two courses versus three. Also, consider going for a singular entrée rather than a duo.

Go with local or in-season ingredients.

If you want to serve a watermelon salad at your winter wedding, you’ll spend more money than you intended. 

To save money, infuse your meals with seasonal ingredients and goods grown locally. This way you won’t have to pay for transportation. 

A local and seasonal meal will be more flavorful as it will be fresh, which is a bonus. 

Choose vegan menu

The cost of meat can significantly raise the cost of your catered dish. To reduce the costs, find out if your catering provider has a vegetarian or vegan menu. 

The costs will significantly be reduced, and the lunch will be able to accommodate more visitors with dietary constraints. As you prepare vegan food, ensure the cuisine is hearty enough to keep everyone going all night.

Order delivery

Many restaurants provide catering menus that you can order for delivery directly or through apps.

If you want to save money on meals, this is a far less expensive choice than having a catering company come to your wedding site. 

While the expenses are lower, you should be prepared to serve the food as soon as it arrives, maintain it fresh, and plate each meal if you aren’t conducting a buffet. 

To avoid inconvenience and ensure that the restaurant can accommodate your large order, contact the restaurant ahead of time and place your order. 

Ordering delivery from your favorite fast-food restaurant as a late-night treat at an after-party might also be a great idea.

Offer buffet

Plated dinners are a popular wedding menu option. Unfortunately, they are one of the most expensive. 

By holding a formal sit-down dinner at your reception, you pay for the food and personnel to portion each plate, deliver the dinner, and clean up afterward. 

Buffet-style meals are less expensive since they require less preparation and visitors serve themselves. 

Buffets save money using fewer wait and kitchen staff, so go for them. 

Bring a food truck.

A food truck is an inexpensive and enjoyable alternative to a sit-down lunch. Your price will appear much more inexpensive if you pay a flat rental fee and order portioned items from the menu. 

Furthermore, your visitors will enjoy ordering their dishes and be impressed by the immersive dining experience.

While you must pay for the truck rental, the overall cost per head might be far lower than that of a regular caterer. 

To avoid hiccups, organize any permissions that may be required with the wedding party rentals Rockland and determine if any infrastructure is needed at the venue to accommodate the truck’s kitchen.

Parting shot

Food is a significant part of any wedding, but it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and leg as there are many cheaper options you can go with. 

You can prepare the food yourself, hire outside catering, or hire a food truck. 

Regardless of how you go about it, ensure you don’t compromise on the quality. There is one thing to try to cut costs, but an entire ballgame to ruin the quality. 

Work with the relevant people and ensure you retain the quality despite lowering costs.