It can be tough to plan the wedding of your dreams while sticking with a budget. The good news, though is that there are ways to cut costs without losing style points. These are some money saving tips for wedding food and drinks that every couple should know.
The alcohol budget at a wedding can be huge! Many couples fear that the only way to cut costs on the bar bill is to have the dreaded open bar. Don t do it! It is a sure fire way to irritate your guests and to make your reception tacky. Instead look for ways to trim costs without being obvious.
One of the most surefire ways to trim the budget for both your food and drink is to choose the date and time of your reception carefully. To spend less on food, think early or late. Brunch will always be a less costly option than dinner, so if you are a morning person, have a 10am ceremony followed by a brunch reception. A bonus is that people will not drink nearly as much at brunch as at dinner. A full bar is by no means a necessity for a brunch reception, either. You can pretty much get by with Bloody Marys, mimosas, and a nice selection of soda and fresh squeezed fruit juices.
A late night reception can be another possible way to cut back on your menu costs, but you will still have a big bar tab to pick up at a cocktail style reception. One idea is to offer a limited menu of beer and wine, along with several signature cocktail. This drastically reduces the variety of bottles you will need to have in your bar. If you are serving a cocktail with a fairly strong flavor, you can also plan to get by with a medium priced vodka or rum, as opposed to the top notch brands. If you wish, have a few bottles of the better liquor brands on hand for the bartender to use for rocks drinks or those which are mixed only with tonic or soda. This is a sneaky way to save a bit, and your guests will never know the difference.
The day of the week that you choose for your wedding can be a great money saver. If you change your wedding from a Saturday night to a Sunday, for instance, the chances are that people will drink less, especially the locals who plan to go to work the next morning. If you move your wedding to a Thursday night, not only might the bar tab go down, but you may also be able to negotiate lower prices with many of your vendors, including the caterer. This is fantastic, as it can be a way to fit the celebration that you want into your budget without sacrificing anything.
Many weddings have themes, and there are options that will allow you to play up your theme while cutting back on expenses at the same time, especially if you choose your theme wisely. For instance, let s say that you are having a beach theme wedding. Start off by choosing a beachy wedding gown and handmade wedding jewelry. (Wedding jewelry with tropical motifs like shells or starfish would be ideal.) Then go with a food and drink menu that reinforces your motif. Instead of a full bar, plan just a couple of fun tropical drinks and go to town with the presentation. Chunks of fresh fruit, paper umbrellas, and the like will put your guest in the island spirit without making a dent in your budget. Casual food is great by the beach, so skip the surf and turf in favor of island favorites like jerk chicken. Festive and affordable!
The great news is that there are many ways in which a couple can cut back on their food and drink expenses without having a wedding that looks cheap or chintzy. With a little creativity and careful planning, you can have a reception that feels welcoming and abundant, while still having money left over at the end of the day.
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