Catering VS Catering your own wedding reception?

Well there are really two BIG differences of each Caterering you are really paying for it. Doing it yourself it takes a lot of time. So you have to think about it. Are you having a small 30-60 guest wedding? Do you have parents and in-laws that will help you? If you answered yes to both of those questions then I would say do it yourself because catereing can cost you a couple grand why not spend this on your honeymoon. But if you are having a smaller wedding but you would be doing all of the work yourself you might still want to consider hiring a caterer: you could have the wedding at about 1:00 the reception would be about 3:00 and people wouldn't expect a big meal at 3:00 in the afternoon so you could just have some fruit and veggies and some appitizers to keep the cost down. But if you are having a larger wedding I would consider hiring a caterer because you are going to be busy with other arrangements and not have time to feed 100+ people. We had 250 guests and paid 4,000 for our caterering. The food was good though. Even though we didn't really have time to eat. Good luck and congrats.

We're catering our wedding with guest list of 150. You can definitely do it, you just have to plan it well. We're hiring a serving staff to man the buffet, and going to order kabobs from a local greek restaurant. We have a few foods for each main food type, like appetizers, veggies/sides, and meats.

For example, we're having a cheese tray, a chocolate fountain with fruit, and crostinis with dips (they're awesome, you should try them). a soup, Caesar salad (already dressed), and rolls. For meats we're having chicken kebabs, steak kebabs, and shrimp alfredo. For veggies we have squash/veggie casserole, stuffed red potatoes and green beans.

To gracefully pull off cooking for your wedding, you really need to limit your menu, and have as many foods as possible that can be made ahead or served cold. Renting chafing dishes can get expensive, and you will have to find a reception spot that allows not only outside caterers, but unlicensed caterers (I had some difficulty finding somewhere that didn't require proof of an insurance policy from the caterer). You'll also need a crack team of moms, aunts, bridesmaids, grandmas, sisters, or kitchen-friendly men to help you.

You can definately do it. You just have to plan. Think about being able to keep hot foods hot during the reception and cooking space/heating everything up (My reception spot has a commercial kitchen, which I need with 150 people).

I think it's much more personal to make the food for your party (because that's what the reception is!). It's great that you're having stuff you know your family likes, instead of being "impressive" with exorbitantly expensive catered food.

Hi. Holy "meat-a-holics" LOL

You have:

Ham

BBQ Chicken

Baked Chicken

Fried Chicken

BBQ Ribs

Pot Roast

Sliced Turkey

You only need 2 or maybe 3 of these. Why all the types of chicken?

I would suggest:

~ Ham

~ Baked Chicken

~ BBQ Ribs OR the pot roast

That is enought meat!!

In any case, everything else looks good, but I would definitely hire a caterer at least for the meats. If you want to do all the side dishes, that is "doable." I had 55 people for my son's rehearsal dinner and I did all the side dishes. But, again, I would cut down on all the meat. It will be much cheaper with 2-3 meat choices.

The lasagna really doesn't match the rest of the food. Most people do two meat options - you have 6 - 7 listed. I'd stick with two, and make them different - such as chicken or beef. Also with the meat, someone will need to prepare them before the reception, which could mean an aunt or two missing the ceremony.

Most self-catered weddings I've gone to (including mine) do things like cold-cuts, fruit trays, cheese and veggie trays, croissants, etc. This kind of food is inexpensive, can be bought already prepared, and doesn't take much time at all to set up.

So if you're going for a full meal, you might want to stick with a caterer.

Hire a caterer to do it all. It's an easy menu, and it will eliminate a lot of stress on your part to let a professional do it. It will be so worth it. Your menu sounds great, and very inexpensive to cater professionally. That way you can focus on the other aspects of your wedding and not be bothered with this. The caterer can do your cake, too. They'll provide all the servers, the dishes, cutlery, etc.

This is a big event, do it up right and trust a professional catering company to do the food and drinks. Relax and enjoy your wedding, Congrats!

Hire a caterer! If you hire good professionals, they will take care of you and it will be one less thing for you to worry about. You should be enjoying your day, not worried about serving platters, the temperature of the food, or worrying about what a mess it will be to clean up. You also don't want your family/friends/whoever is responsible for the food to take on that stress (even if they volunteer). Trust me. You'll all enjoy the day much more if you can just have fun, let someone show up with the food and clear it all away.

Hire a caterer. Hiring a professional to do this will up the level of your event but it will also make it a lot easier and enjoyable for you and your family. You want to be able to enjoy yourself and there are plenty of things to do the day of your wedding that you and your family don't need to worry about the food.

Ham- For sanwiches or like slices of ham... like something you would have at Christmas... honestly... I think it would be too much of a hassle.

rice and peas- Ew

bbq chicken'- This sounds like it could be good. You could PROBABLY do it your self... just plan on designating someone to start cooking it all REALLY early on in the day.

baked chicken- You would need sides like mashed potatoes or something... you would also need a good seasoning

bbq ribs- yummy but expensive. I would DEFINITELY suggest having someone else do these... they taste soooo much better if they are cooked in a smoker.

Crin on the cob- Corn on the cob you mean? Ehhh... to back yard picnicish....... no bueno

tuna macaroni salad- Once again... too back yard picnicish

macaroni & cheese- as a side this could be good I guess

pot roast or sliced turkey with gravy- This would be my pick :) But I think it would be too much work to do on your own.

fried chicken- Too messy

collard greens - a VERY good side

string beans - another good side

cabbage- a lot of people don't like it

yellow rice- depends on your main dish

baked zit or lasagna- this could be very yummy and easy to make your self :)

potato salad- once again... too picnicish

drinks,cake, fruit and veggie trays- drinks, cake, fruit, and vegies you could do on your own EASY! Cake... I would highly suggest having it made by a professional... unless you know someone who does it as a hobby etc :)

Have you thought about getting menus from catering places and maybe making your own version of it at home?

It depends on how much time and effort you're willing to commit to the process. Consider the ups and downs of both:

DIY:

-More personal

-Costs less

-Requires immense amounts of time and effort

-If you get someone skilled enough to do it, it'll be delicious

-If you don't, it's gonna fail.

Caterer:

-See the last two points. You're going to want someone who can understand your menu and accommodations.

-Is extremely expensive compared to doing it yourself

-Less effort

Like others said before you, you only need two or perhaps three meat options. And at least one vegetarian option.

And the answer to keeping all your foods at the appropriate temperature, should you decide to do it yourself?

Rent chafing dishes. They don't have to be fancy ones, they just have to be chafing dishes. I CANNOT stress this enough, should you decide to self-cater.

i too am getting married in june of 2010 and we decided that we will cater it ourselves. for one thing it is WAAAAAY cheaper. of course there are some things that we won't do...i want a nice cake so i will order that but the groom's cake, i have friends who decorate cakes so i can use their services! i want fried chicken and my mom works at a grocery store so i can order from her deli dept. all the other stuff on your list you can do the night before or even the morning of if you have people willing to help. in this economy i'm sure people will understand!