Catering Your Own Wedding - Appetizers

Catering your wedding is a great way to save some money. For all the details including lists of items you'll need to borrow, rent or buy looking for that in a separate article. It also gives suggestions on "hiring" people (not your family or close friends) to handle your event. That article offers menu suggestions and other ideas that might work for your wedding reception.

For your cold appetizers, I would use a couple of popular spreads with a variety of crackers. A nice touch for crackers is Lahvosh Cracker Bread - it's available locally where I live but there is a large Armenian community here. Not sure it's available everywhere. Then you break it up into fairly small pieces, placed in lined baskets (Hint: this can be used instead of bread on the dinner tables but make the pieces much larger) and set it next to your various spreads. My most popular spread is the shrimp spread (Think cream cheese, frozen or canned shrimp mixed together with spices, topped with cocktail sauce) Spread this in a variety of shapes - a heart perhaps - on a tray, surround with crackers just prior to serving. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so to "hold" the shape design. Another fave is salmon and cream cheese - canned salmon with cream cheese and spices including some dill. (Hint: You might shape this into a wedding bell). You might serve ceviche - this is quite popular and easy to serve with the little round tortilla chips. There are many various recipes for this popular Mexican dish. Round out the cold appetizers with an array of fresh veggies - carrots, radishes, grape tomatoes, grapes (for a different twist), mushrooms, slices of bell peppers (Hint: Use red and yellow peppers to add contract to the platter) You might also add platters of cold cuts and cheese. (Hint: the cold cuts will look nice rolled up) And, if your guests include children, they'll enjoy a bowl of potato chips.

For hot appetizers, you might make meatballs and keep them warm in a crockpot. I make a spicy tomato sauce to add to the meatballs prior to serving. You might also serve mini sausages - for this I reserve some of the tomato sauce and also make a mustard sauce. I put the mini sausages in a corning wre "pot" and place two small bowls with the two sauces nearby. I keep the mini sausages hot by placing the pot on top of a heat tray. (Hint: be sure to have plenty of toothpicks and small plates or napkins on hand.) Place this on a table with your cold appetizers or get a rolling cart and have someone wheel this around your reception area. (Hint: this will be difficult in an outdoor area that has only lawn or an uneven surface.)

What amounts do you need to serve? A rule of thumb I read about years ago has served me very well. (Hint: with appetizers, it's ok to run out - you have your full meal to follow.) That "rule" is 5-6 hot and cold appetizer servings plus chips or veggies. So, for a group of 50, you'll need about 250 "pieces" of appetizers. For the menu I outlined above, figure about 100 meatballs, 100 mini sausages and the two spreads with crackers. I'd guess three boxes of crackers would work with the two spreads. For each spread 1-2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese with enough salmon or shrimp to make it tasty. For the veggies, a total of about 50-75 pieces should suffice.

Look for another article giving you main dish and side dishes.