Casual Catering
by Annette Egea

In the beginning, you planned a small, intimate wedding, with no more than 75 of your favorite people. Now that list has swelled to over 200 folks! You originally planned a sit-down, formal reception dinner, but that’s not affordable anymore. In fact, you’re not even sure you can swing a buffet for this many people.

A Creatively Classy Solution

Forget the sit-down dinner. What your guests will recall about your reception in years to come is the total ambience of the event. Opt for casual catering, where all the foods served are finger foods, hors d’oeuvres or canapés, with cocktails or beverages of your choice. Not only can this type of catering cost you much less, but it has many other advantages as well:

Easier on your budget. Depending upon what you choose, a casually catered event will cost you almost half of a formal event. Bear in mind that much depends upon the foods you choose. For example, serving seafood or other luxury items can add substantially to the cost. Select your menu carefully.

Portability. Casual catering allows your reception to flow without the awkward stops that come with a more formal sit-down dinner. People are able to begin eating right away and can move about freely to socialize, not to mention that you and the groom can do the same.

Easy clean-up. If the reception location charges for clean up, this is something that can be removed from your budget. Clean up for a casually catered event is a lot easier than a
formal event or a buffet.

Service. When casually catering, you can allow people to choose the foods from various trays strategically located throughout the room which can be replenished as needed. Or you can have them served to your guests by the catering attendants. Remember, less personal service will mean less cost.

Children. If children are invited, you can have a tray or two designed especially for them. This means less waste and more fun for the kids.

Be advised that most wedding reception invitees will be expecting to indulge in a meal of some form. So it’s best to clue your guests in beforehand. Simply stating on your invitation that "a light reception" will follow the wedding, should do the trick. Otherwise, friends and family may come prepared for more than shrimp rolls or hors d’oeuvres and they won’t be happy.

Also, plan to have kosher and vegetarian options. Many catered finger foods offer various seafood and pork derivatives. Make sure your guests can identify what they are eating by finding a creative way to label the trays or employ knowledgeable servers. And of course, plan ahead for friends and family who have kosher, vegetarian or special diets.

The bottom line, if you’re on a budget, and the volume of your guests exceeds what you can afford, consider casual catering. It’s a great dining alternative that could satisfy both your guests and your budget.