Catering Your Own Wedding Reception

I have a large family. Let me rephrase. I have a large involved family. My family has never let a wedding shower, baby shower, or wedding go without its direct attention. Therefore, not many things in my family are completed by those who are not members of my family. My family likes to take charge and take over.

We have decorated many chapels and catered many receptions. Over the years of cousins and other relatives getting married, my family has it down to an art.

You can save a lot of money by catering your own wedding reception. Although you are saving money, your reception doe not have to look cheap. There are many things that you can do that look complicated but are actually very simple. You can also use some of the tips listed below to make the reception look very elegant and expensive.

Call on your friends and family and divide the work up. Do not try to do all of this by yourself. Much cannot be done until the day of your wedding. You do not want to be tired and stressed out due to working on the reception.

To create more space on tables and create a three dimensional layer look, place different size boxes on the table. Lay a cloth tablecloth over the boxes. You may want to secure the boxes to the table with packaging tape. Place taller boxes in the back and shorter boxes near the front. Place some serving dishes on boxes and some at table height. You can also use the boxes to pace candles or other decorations on the table.

Create an elegant looking fruit basket by carving a watermelon. Use a sharp knife to cut two sections out the melon. Use zigzag cutting back and forth making triangles in the watermelon. Cut out a section in each side of the top of the watermelon. Leave a section in the middle. This will give the appearance of a basket and the middle section as a handle. Scoop out the inside of the melon. Use a fruit baler and add watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, kiwi, and other fruits to the inside of the watermelon.

Make others think that you spent a lot of money on a creative cater by making squash swans. Use a summer squash. Create a beak out of two carrot slices. Add the slices to the end of the crook of the squash. Add raisins or other food to the crook to make eyes. Secure the squash to a plate or cardboard. Use ivy around the base to hide the plate.

Make a neat shrimp ball. Use a toothpick to secure shrimp on a cabbage head. Cover the whole head and it creates a shrimp ball. Guest can then pull the shrimp off by the toothpick.

Decorate the guest tables by placing floating candles in glass bowls of water. Use a small amount of food coloring in the bowls. The water should not be dark with color but highlighted.