Catering Tips for Wedding Receptions for 300 People

When you are planning a large wedding costs are always a concern. Fortunately, there are ways to simplify your planning and to reduce your costs. Below you will find five catering tips for reducing your stress and costs when planning a wedding reception for 300 people.

Tip #1 - Save Money with a Brunch Wedding Reception

A good way to save money on your wedding reception for 300 people is to have a brunch wedding reception as opposed to a dinner wedding reception. Brunch wedding receptions offer less expensive foods that can be prepared to order. This will cut down on your costs and will give your guests more control over what they are offered to eat. For example, you can set up a waffle bar or a breakfast buffet.

Tip #2 - Select a Wedding Package That Includes Catering

If you are planning a destination wedding then try to find a wedding package that includes catering costs. This can save you a lot of money as the package will often discount services that are provided by the hotel or the venue. However, this is not always the case. Make sure you understand what you are being charged and try to determine a per head cost for your catering to compare to the cost of bringing in a third party vendor.

Tip #3 - Use Wedding Cupcakes Instead of a Wedding Cake

A simple way to cut your catering costs for a large wedding reception is to replace the traditional wedding cake with wedding cupcakes. Wedding cupcakes can be arranged in a pretty design and they are generally a lot cheaper and easier to move around than a large wedding cake. This option also gives your guests a choice between a variety of cakes and frostings.

Tip #4 - Fast Food Fun

If you are planning an outdoor or a casual wedding reception then consider buying food from a fast food restaurant or pizzeria. Instead of spending $50+ a head on catering you can reduce your cost to $5 to $10 a head. This will significantly reduce your catering costs. You can even buy food from a variety of fast food restaurants to give your guests more options.

Tip #5 - Self-Cater and Save 20 Percent

If cost is a big concern then consider catering your wedding reception yourself. This will save you the catering fee, which is based on the total cost of the food and supplies and sometime even an hourly rate. Self-catering doesn't mean that you have to cook the food yourself, you an purchase the food from a restaurant or a food vendor. Self-catering just means that you are in charge of the planning and logistics of the food for your wedding reception.