Wedding 101

6 Unnecessary Things You Can Totally Cut from Your Catering Bill

Collect, manage, and organize your wedding guest information for each event and track their preferences.
As you get into the thick of wedding planning—and realize that the total cost of your big day is rising, and fast!—you might be looking for ways you can ease your bottom line. A great place to look for savings is your catering and food service estimate, which is likely filled with little charges here and there that aren’t necessary to your wedding's overall culinary experience. Here are six you should look out for and evaluate if you really, truly need these things for your wedding day meal.

1. The coffee station. 

Yes, coffee and dessert are a sweet pair. But if you're having a summer wedding, as many couples do, you can nix the hot beverages. Chances are, people will be dancing (and sweating), which means they'll likely want water, not coffee or tea. 

2. The Champagne toast. 

Unless you can't imagine your wedding without it, skip having your caterer pour everyone a glass of bubbly. First, bottles of Champagne are easily $40 each on the low end (and even sparking wines like Cava can be around $10-15). Second, the cost of renting flutes can be around $2-10 each, depending on the style. Typically, people will only take a sip when toasting you, then discard the drink to enjoy whatever beverage they got from the bar anyway. So let guests raise whatever glass they in their hands. 

3. The salt and pepper shakers.

 If you're not having your reception at a restaurant or hotel, chances are you'll need to actually rent salt and pepper shakers—in fact, your caterer may even just include them on your rental bill as a given. But, think about it: If you go with a quality food service provider, will every table really need to re-season their food during the meal? (Hopefully not!) Instead of renting one for every table, rent one or two pairs to have in the kitchen. If someone happens to ask for salt or pepper, you'll have it on hand. 

4. The bread basket. 

This is another item that you may have to "rent" along with your other dinner items. If you have a lot of tables, this cost can add up. Instead, opt to place a mini-baguette at each place setting or ask your caterer if a server can dispense rolls to your guests from one large tray, which is a bit fancier anyway. (Also, bread baskets can clutter that beautiful tablescape you worked so hard on!) 

5. The pre-dinner appetizer feast. 

Okay, so your cocktail hour isn't a small charge, by any means, but this is for sure an area that can be cut down—and save you a bunch of money as a result. You may have been to weddings with incredible pre-reception meal offerings, from stations to passed appetizers, cheese displays to seafood bars. Surely you enjoyed them and ate your fill (as you should!). But is essentially having a meal before your meal necessary or even expected? Not in the least. If you're having a real cocktail hour—as in, it's only going to be an hour— a few passed apps or a robust cheese, fruit, and bread station will more than hold your guests over until dinner.

 6. The cake-cutting fee. 

Typically, a cake-cutting fee can run anywhere from $1 to a couple bucks a slice. If you'd like to avoid this additional charge, order a token wedding cake for you two to cut, and then opt for cupcakes for your guests. Doing this can also help you cut down on plate and silverware rentals—if you serve cupcakes, guests can just grab 'em by hand from a dessert table or you can serve them with compostable plates. 
Perfection!
Natasha Burton
About The Author
Writer living in Santa Barbara, CA.
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