Eating your money - Making the most of your event catering bill

Believe me, as an event planner I have seen that it is EASY to blow through $20,000+ by feeding (and giving alcohol to) 185+ people. For privileged couples this type of budget allowance is available. But, for those unable or unwilling to shell out that much money, may I suggest the following tips:

• Understand the correlation between the cost of catering and the number of mouths that you feed. Although the ‘quality’ of food that you serve your guests will increase or decrease the cost of catering for your event, you must first understand that the number one factor for enormous food bills is number of mouths that you are feeding.  If you are planning on inviting 100 guests to your reception then you need to plan to feed those 100 people.

If after doing the numbers with your caterer you do not have the funds to feed everyone on your invitees list, then it is time to re-evaluate your guest list. When it comes down to it, if you don’t have the money you don’t have the money. There is nothing to be ashamed about. However, you will need to modify your list to include only the most important persons.

"But we HAVE to invite everyone on our list to the reception!" Not true. Consider throwing a party where hors d’oeuvres and drinks can be served. When it comes down to it, a big reason that hurt feelings happen may be because people want to have an opportunity to share in your moment and in your joy. Creating a moment for those that you cannot afford to have at the reception is perfectly acceptable.

• Go heavy on the hors d’oeuvres . Although you may be serving a meal at the reception, consider adding a one-hour long cocktail party to allow guests to quench their post-ceremony hunger. Guests that eat before dinner will eat smaller portions and are less likely to go back for second portions. Go "fancy" and have butlered hors d’oeuvres passed to the guests, alongside "do it yourself" hors d’oeuvres stations.
• Filler, filler, Filler. Filler foods are foods that fill stomachs fast and for little money.  Have you ever eaten at a restaurant that first serves bread? Bread is an excellent filler. As for class, try using an exotic pasta, bruschetta + toppings, and other such foods that will take-up room in a guest’s stomach. Another helpful tip is to have the filler foods waiting at guest tables for the guests, so that they can get started with their eating before the food line opens or wait staff begins their service.
• Control your guests’ portions. Even (and especially) if you are offering a buffet, ask your caterer (or volunteers) to stand behind the foods to dole-out portions. Portion control is an easy way for you to save big dollars on large amounts of food that would otherwise not be consumed because most guests would not eat so much unless it were free.
• Post-dinner pickins. Especially when serving guests alcohol you may wish to consider erecting a few small hors d’oeuvres stations posted throughout the ceremony space. Guests that are dancing and drinking are likely to search the venue for a few crackers and cheeses, fruits, or sweets to munch on. As a bonus, giving guests reason to munch will allow for [slightly] less alcohol consumption. Keep in mind that for convenience sake you may not want to serve foods that require refrigeration or constant heating. (Food poisoning guests = icky.)
• Plan for the staff gratuity. In many situations the gratuity for the wait staff, bartenders, and food captains will be directly added to the food bill that you endorse from the caterer or venue. However, some companies will allow you to add-in your own gratuity based upon your experience. In either case make a decision that you are going to plan for the staff gratuity instead of being shocked or put-off by it. After all, the staff gratuity helps the people behind the wait staff uniforms to feed their own families.

Happy eating!

Best,
Alisha Forrester Scott, Owner
La Ruche. event design studio.

You can e-mail AFS at: studio@enterlaruche.com

Share This

Winter Wonderland

Only recently has “winter” officially begun. While I do prefer cooler weather - icy roads are no fun! Regardless, with the crisp air and falling snow comes some wonderful wedding inspiration. Here is a wedding from Brides that I ADORE and it reminds me of a perfect winter wonderland (yet it’s definitely warm and inviting at the same time). And best part about this beautiful event? It doesn’t have to be chilly outside for a wedding to have similar elements! Whites, creams, and golds can easily be used in a wedding of any season!

This article, Crystal Ball from Brides was photographed by Jeff McNamara. Isn’t it fabulous?!

Merry Christmas (Eve)!

Share This

Come on baby light my … reception space!

Special lighting techniques can really add a lot to your reception (or wedding) space. They can help hide ugly walls or accentuate pretty ones. They can make a space more elegant, romantic, crazy or fun! They can truly transform an ordinary space into an extraordinary one.

So, if you’re looking into having some special lighting brighten your big day, here are a few basic lighting techniques you might like to know about!

PIN SPOT Think of this as a spot light … but a very tiny one. It shoots a beam of light at one particular object, lighting up only that object. These work perfectly for cakes and centerpieces.

This great shot is from Pacific Weddings.

LED These great little numbers are fabulous for weddings. They come in a number of colors, emit less heat and use less electricity than regular light bulbs, and can easily be used for light color changes. Sometimes, wireless LED lights can be used, meaning they can be placed almost anywhere. If you’re looking to spice up a room with some color or just accent a particular area, look into LED lights.

Below is an example of a LED color change, from blue to pink, to help give the area a different ambiance during different parts of the evening.

These images are from Our Wedding Plus.

COLOR WASH A color wash is basically a technique that fills the room with a particular color, transforming a white room, perhaps, into a green, purple, or pink room. This is perfect for a lounging area near the dance floor or another space where people aren’t really trying to see what they are eating (at least in my opinion).

GOBOS These stencils can be custom made to fit your specific needs (monogram, special designs, etc.). They can withstand extreme heat, which is fabulous considering they are placed over light that project their image onto a wall, dance floor, or some other service. Check out this video with a bunch of great examples of what gobos and do.

Here is one last picture from Bridalwave using a combination of lighting techniques - very visually stimulating! See how much it transforms the space? On its own, the space looks like an elegant area, but with the lights we get something that looks more like a club. Love it!

Share This

10 Worst Wedding Songs

Too funny. You must check out the 10 Worst Wedding Songs post over at GroomStand. They make some pretty valid points.

And just a random picture of a lovely couple. I love these dancing and wedding pieces from Lladro!!

Share This

Cigar Bar

I’m not much one for smoking…anything, really. But I do, as much as I may not wish to admit it, like the idea of a cigar bar for a wedding reception.

So what exactly IS a cigar bar? Well, you can kind of fit “it” to your needs. Bring in a cigar roller and have him (or her) work throughout the reception making cigars for your guests (usually the males…). Or, bring in a few boxes of different cigars and set them out, almost like you would a dessert table, and allow guests to brows. If you want to go all out, have an attendant there to assist guests in selecting and preparing the cigars.

Here is an image from Our Wedding Plus showing a roller in action:

And here is a great example of a cigar bar…except these happen to be cookies…made to look like cigars! Fabulous (as cookies OR cigars)! The image is from The Flirty Guide, a fun and flirty wedding and lifestyle guide. The cigar cookie bar idea actually comes from Lea McIntosh.

Share This

Favorite Things : Candles

CANDLES! I love them! No, they don’t cover every inch of my living space (Hello! What a hazard!), but when it comes to weddings and events, especially those romantic ones, candles are the perfect ambiance setters. You can use them in all sorts of places - during the ceremony, as aisle liners, reception decor, work them into your tablescape, the list goes on and on. Let me share with you some fabulous candle inspiration! (Side Note: While it seems unique lighting has come into the spotlight {tehe}, there is just something about the delicate flicker candles have to offer that any kind of pin or spot lighting just can’t replace!)

Here is one of my favorite pictures/tables from Brides.com (saw it in a magazine first). I absolutely adore how the candle sticks blend in with the rest of the table. But, I am positive that as the sun goes down and the lights are dimmed, they would provide just the right amount of light. Photo from Mark Lund.

Share This

Crazy Kransekake

In honor of last weeks post on the ever-so-fabulous French wedding cake, I thought I’d post on something a little closer to “home”. I’m mainly Norwegian and Germain… pretty awesome, I know. So imagine my giddy, school-girl excitement when I discovered this FABULOUS traditional Norwegian wedding cake!

From What Possessed Me

And if you want to get a little more patriotic:

From hfb

This almond-y treat is made up of 18 rings stacked on top of each other and drizzled with a sweet frosting. Its consistency is more like that of a cookie than a cake. If it tastes anything like krumkake, sign me up!

Share This

La Croquembouche

Any cream puff lovers out there? I’m a fan. In fact, I had some today after lunch. So, I thought I’d share with you something fabulously related. Behold, the croquembouche!

Image from DKImages

This French cake is quite unique if you’ve been looking at those traditional white wedding towers all day long. Profiteroles filled with pastry cream (a la “Cream Puff”) stacked together and held in place by drizzled caramel. What could possibly be more delicious?

A few more examples:

Image from Susana

Image from The Flower Pot

Image from Martha Stewart

Share This

DIY Cake Topper

One of my favorite little crafty things? Mod Podge. That’s why I love these paper and Mod Podge wooden letters. And of course they can be used for something fabulous like cake toppers!

Here is a great post from Going Domestic: My Date With Decoupage (her picture is the one above).

With these little beauties and a touch of creativity, you could match your wedding style to the T. Fabulous! Check out My Date With Decoupage for great instructions!

Happy crafting ~

Share This

Chris Botti

Are you a fan of the jazzy, romantic music at wedding receptions? I sure am! This is why I adore the sexy sounds of Chris Botti.

Trying to write about his music wouldn’t do it justice, so have a listen below! You will fall in love. For sure.

Share This

Next Page »