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Wow guys thanks for all the ideas!

We will probably have about 80 people at the reception, I am almost crossing my fingers for less... We are going with the cupcake idea for sure, much cheaper and my favorite dessert!

I was thinking if I didn't make the hor d'oeuvers myself I might try getting yummy things from the Whole Foods pre-made section. Do you think with the right presentation it would still look pretty?

Keep the ideas coming!

Thanks,

Amanda in San Francisco

No potluck weddings!

Believe me, if you need more ideas about planning a cheap wedding. I'm your girl!

My head still whirls when I think about the small wedding my husband and I planned in our apartment. I handmade my invites and thank you cards (art degree in action! lol), did our flower arrangements, made tons of sangria 2 days before the event (even had to make another batch during the recpetion). All and all we had a wedding for less than $1000. All I can say is pick your battles. Do you really want to be the one prepping food the night before the wedding? Price the cost of food and headaches for catering vs. making it yourself. Believe me friends and family are easily recruited. Be forwarned of your stress level to easily hurt feelings. All and all we ended up catering jamaican food after planning to make the wedding cake and food ourselves. My rant wasn't helpful, but making finger food is very easy for a even a huge wedding. Large cheese, fruit, veggie trays are your friends. For years I used to help my mom plan weddings. Now I know why the brides go crazy. OK rant over. Congrats!

my friends had a potluck wedding last summer. it was great! they had a lot of guests, though, so it was definitely chaotic--i think it would work much better if you only had a crowd of 50 or so.

readymade magazine this month is completely dedicated to DIY weddings (and lovely dovey things like that). That's probably a good read.

Picking your battles is good advice. You could also order some of the dishes while making others yourself. Warehouse stores like Costco have great appetizers you can just put in the oven. And if you want to save on a wedding cake I say get/make lots of cupcakes and put them on tiers. You can decorate them with flowers or, if its in keeping with your theme, those small cocktail umbrellas. That can also be your giveaway.

When my grandmother got married they couldn't afford very much (and it was WWII) and so had a coffee reception in the afternoon with just coffee, cake and sandwiches. It still is a quaint idea to me.

Last summer my cousin got married and her and her mom made petit fours as well as other little desserts for a reception the night before the wedding. I think what they did was really smart in that they made up the bulk of all of it about a month in advance and froze them, ie tiny tart shells, cookies, cream puffs and then on the day of the party my aunt enlisted the help of her sister's and anyone else to put them all together. All in all I think it only took about two hours to get all set up. You could do the same thing with finger foods, but I would definitely talk to your friends and see if it would be something they would want to take responsibility for on your big day as you will be busy enough.
Good luck:)

I know it'll certainly be stressful, but I've found a fantastic book that I reference everytime I plan a large gathering. Its simply called Hors D'oeuvres (revised) from beautifully photographed DK. Its includes a wealth of simple but elegant (and complicated-looking) recipes I know its easily found in a bookstore or online for cheap. (You can even look inside on Amazon. )

I also agree with the use of baguettes, a selection of cheeses and crudite.

I help run a couple company events every year, and this year I ended up making all the food for lunches and snacks, too. I asked for recipe suggestions over at Chocolate & Zucchini and got some good ideas. You can see the thread here: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=560

There are many things you can make ahead and freeze. Even better, you can make dough balls or other individually prepped food, freeze, then bake or warm fresh. Best of both worlds. Catering my own wedding is a dream of my own - I'd love to know how it goes for you! Good luck!

Of course you can make the food yourself. However, I would advise you to do food that can be made several days in advance. Never underestimate the good will of your friends and family. They are probably dying to help you and probably have a fantastic dish that they would gladly prepare. La Mediterranee restaurants have yummy hor d'oeuvres plates: hummus, tabbuleh, dolmathes, etc. that are very reasonable. Whole Foods also has some really excellent party menus. Andronico's will roast and slice a turkey. Cupcakes are a good idea but I would still have a wedding cake even if it is a small one. Katrina Rozelle makes out of this world cakes and a small tiered cake w/a sheet cake is also a good idea. If you have any teens in your life, they can often be recruited to serve or set up or bus. My experience in this regard was wonderful. We hosted a wedding in our back yard for two friends and I recruited several high school girls: not only did they do an outstanding job, but they added so much just by their youth and good will. They were paid for their time, but perhaps if you have nieces or nephews this could be their "gift" to you. Just keep the two or three days before the wedding as easy as you can make it.

I remember something in an old, no longer in print magazine. This couple had their reception in their apartment too. What they did as far as presentation of the food is that they had it all laid out on banana leaves. That'll be an easy find in SF. The platters, etc. were white. Really simple and elegant.

I catered a wedding for a dear friend about 10 years ago; 75 people, sit down dinner. It was great, although I could have used more help in cleaning. I did it on a budget of about $600. I had 2 tricks: first, each table would have family service (large platters to be passed around and shared, rather than served by waiters) and I only did foods that could be prepped ahead and served at room temperature.
If I recall the menu, we had smoked beef filet, sliced with a sourcream/horseradish/green apple sauce; lemon/sherry chicken (made with the frozen tenderloins they sell at Costco or Trader Joes) with a tarragon? creme fraiche (you can make your own with heavy cream and a little sour cream, let sit at room temp for a day and it thickens up); asparagus (steamed or roasted, I can't remember, but served up pretty plain), roasted onions and garlic (the only failure; not good cool) and I can't remember the rest. Must have been a salad and some bread...I think I did something with sweet potatoes -- maybe oven fries, served at room temp with a curry mayo or something. I might have also thrown some steamed fiddleheadd ferns in with the aspargus. OH: I also made a delicious orzo salad with wild rice and some other things (pine nuts, dried cherries? mandarin oranges, scallions, tarragon) with a vinagrette. Dressed with a little oil to keep it moist a day before, then tossed with vinaigrette at the table. That can be done by server or guests. This really was a great menu now that I think of it...
I also made rosemary bread sticks (or at least had someone else make them and they screwed up and made them with lavender instead...smelled weird but it was a romantic idea).

Find similar dishes that can be made 2 days ahead and refirgerated, brought to room temp or thereabouts and served. AVOID elaborate finger food -- but you could get a Vietnamese restaurant to make you a couple hundred summer rolls and peanut sauce and get some sushi.
You need to think about room in the fridge; proper sized tupperware; serving platters (3 or 4 for each table); place settings (you can rent these). Definitely do the food yourself but hire a crew to transport the foood and wine, serve and clean up (teenagers are great, but make sure they dont have the prom the same night. That was our problem). You do NOT want to be messing with clean up. Cupcakes are a great idea -- my best friend Meg got them for her DC wedding from an AMish bakery in Pennsylvania (we know a guy) and they were amazingly delicious. Displaying them is a challenge; she tried a tier but they take up a lot more room than you think. Ultimately she wrapped boxes to look like large wedding gifts and used them as ledges on which to display the cupcakes. You can get them plain and just before the reception have your crew sprinkle organic nasturtium or rose petals all over them (Whole Foods or Dean and DeLuca) or make white or dark chocolate curls in advance (easy, but messy and takes time) and put them on top, or top with chocolate truffles or similar. Mmmmm. Serve with strawberies, whole but washed and dried. If you want to go to the trouble, you can make the cupcakes the place cards -- let people know wht table they are sitting at, and then they go find the seat with the cupcake that has their initials on it, or is crowned with a toothpick with their name stuck to it.
I agree having a small cake is nice, if you dig tradition and the ceremony of cutting the cake.

I don't like a buffet for a homemade wedding. They get denuded pretty quickly -- people at the end of the line face slim pickings (so you have to make a lot, too much, to keep it full) and it gets kind of messy (and the lines are too long and everyone is passing out from hunger), and sitting down to a table laden with food for you and the 7 other guests is such a fun luxury, and passing around gets you talking.
Make sure you have enough seats for people. I've been to weddings where they figured some people would be standing and dancing, but no one does that the whole time, and no one wants to take someone else's seat, so suck it up and get enough tables and chairs (also can be rented).
Put one of your friends in charge of flowers; get large mason jars if you like a casual look as the vase, and just have them fill with single blossom bouquets (all tulips or daisies or hydrangea or something, maybe all greens...). Throw some lemons or limes or cranberries if it's the season in the bottom to add a little fullness to the look (if using daisies). Put out a few tea lights on the table in small cheap glass votives from Ikea or similar. If you're artsy and moderne, you can put a single eggplant or pear in the middle of each table and go very minimalist, but it takes a certain personality to carry this off .
To recap: definitely do the food; serve family style, room temp meals; get a crew to set up and clean up. If you are gonna do finger food, buy it. It's too fussy and detailed to make yourself.
You can find tons of cheap white platters at thrift stores, Marshalls etc. Start collecting them; when the wedding is done, back to the thrift store. Rental place might have some as well. Dont forget serving spoons etc, linens...
And think about a treat for guests BEFORE the wedding (maybe this is the passed hors doerve time?). Everyone is always famished. It's nice to have unusual non alcoholic drinks -- rosemary ginger lemonade or similar -- to keep blood sugar levels high. As for alcohol: self service galvanized tubs of white wine (opened, but with the cork in) and beer; red wine nearby. Have more on the tables (at least 2 bottles per 8 people). Hard alcohol and mixers will run you a lot of cash. Have a great wedding, and email me if you need hand holding or specifics. I LOVE a party.

When I was planning my wedding, I came across a few recipes in a Martha Stewart magazine that had appetizers that could be made 95% of the way, then frozen and just warmed up right before they were needed. That might be a help if you can manage making that much food ahead of time. :o)

PS- I don't think there is anything wrong with a potluck wedding. In my personal experience, those that turned their nose up at the idea (I considered it for my wedding) were just a little too stuck up for their own good. I think it would be a great idea if it fit the number of people who would be attending (as someone mentioned, perhaps 50 or less). Probably not what you might do, having 80+ people, but I just get tired of people poo-pooing the idea just because they consider it trashy. That is all. :o)

All of this is SO insightful!

Thanks guys!

Amanda in San Francisco

since you have the bounty of SF available . . .

how about pre-made vietnamese spring and summer rolls.
bought at your favorite viet spot of course. Spring rolls reheat on the oven really well, and the summer rolls of course are served cold/roomtemp.

Also in the category of cheap and delicious,
LOVE the big bags of frozen dumplings available from chinese grocery/dumpling makers. At my NYC local, they are 30 for $5. Those require more stovetop work to steam or fry, but if you have willing volunteers . . .

Faith,
thanks for the chocolate and zucchini linkage - that's a great site, and I wind up doing lots of parties...

Check out www.appetizerstogo.com. Even if you don't order from them, they have some great ideas about appetizers that can be prepared in advance and frozen.

This may be off the topic of appetizers exactly, but this was an awesome idea from my friend's wedding. She and her husband made homemade jam and put it into cute little jars, and attached the placecards to them. Then everyone had yummy jam to take home. It was simple, personal, and wonderful!

Wedding cakes - on a side DIY note - cost a fortune, but are nothing but a few layer cakes of different sizes. The stands that they use to separate the tiers are plastic, ridiculously easy to use, and available at any baking supply shop. I wholly regret that we spent so much money on one that tasted average at best, and would have prefferred to order many layer cakes from a favorite bakery and put it together ourselves. Total cost couldn't be over $200. Just a thought.

Amanda:

Would it be possible to talk to you about your wedding plans?

I really have a lot to go on from this post.

my email adress is amandawrites@gmail.com if anybody thinks of anything else.

I love the Kitchen!

Amanda in San Francisco

Hi everyone! I am actually writing what I like to call a "casual ebook". It's not formatted like an ebook, but it's a great reference for cheap weddings. It's called Wedding Planning on a Budget, and it's really close to being finished, only editing left to do. If anyones interested, I'm selling it for 5 bucks a copy, and theres no waiting, since I just email it to you. I know it's awful for me to be soliciting on this site, but since you are all looking for ideas, I got em! Email me at amie_handcock@hotmail.com, and we'll work something out! Good luck with your weddings, I know they will all turn out beautifully, as you all have some wonderful ideas, (a few that are already in my book as well!) Congratulations to you all!

This is not exactly appetizers but it will help for a nice and cheap wedding! I did my entire wedding. Its amazing what you can do yourself with a little time to shop around. The food is not to hard. Just keep it simple. Instead of doing a lot of different things just do a lot of a few thing. Choose like 4 different appetizers (veggie tray, cheese/cracker tray, olive/pickle tray and one kind of wrap) and make a lot of each one. They dont need a huge variety. As far as dinner, if you have access to or can buy some heating trays (chaffing tables?) a buffet works great. Just dont put everything out at once. Keep half in the kitchen and refill the buffet tables. That way every body gets food. I did mexican food at my wedding. EASY AND CHEAP!! Beans, rice and tortillas cost almost nothing. Then I did two meats, mole and chicken with cream. Both are cheap too if you get chicken breasts on sale. I made the food the night before and had friends deal with the buffet that day. Punch is great everybody likes it its cheap and looks great in a nice punch bowl(also cheap). Decorations no problem too. It sounds crazy but the dollar store is the way to go. Crepe paper, ballons, candles, doilies. they also have a lot of wedding stuff. You just have to be creative. I got those tall big candles in clear glass jars and painted siver and purple flowers on them. Then put them in the middle of the tables surrounded by this purple metalic stuff I found. It looks really neat when the lights were down. We rented a building thats the only thing that cost a lot but not too bad. For everything we only paid about $1,ooo. We started early and just bought a few things each payday. The food is the only thing you cant buy early and stick in a box. So why do it all at the last minute! I almost forgot!! The invitations!! Almost any store has blank invitations that you can do at home on your computer! They look exactly like proffesional ones. They have foil, ribbons or whatever you want. Already made you just stick them in your printer to put your info inside. Let me also say, ITS NOT BAD TO DELEGATE WILLING HELP!! Close family and friends can help and are almost always willing. Assign one appetizer to each sister or something. Bringing one or two trays of cheese and crackers is not to much to ask of someone. But if you dont have any help its not to bad to do yourself. We had about 75 people and it went fine. Just relax and remember people wont remember what kind of appetizers or what color center peices you had anyway. That all for you so try to just have fun. I hope this helps somebody.
-Rachel

My wedding is going to be outside, so we're saving money on that part. But the wedding reception is at 7 in the evening, at a hotel banquet room. Is it okay to serve heavy hor d'oeuvers instead of a full course meal? Please email me at Azure_c23@hotmail.com with any ideas.

Crystal

I am planning a wedding coming up here in August, all this info on here has helped me some. I myself am on a tight budget and trying to do almost everything myself I put together my own wedding bouquet, bridesmaid's bouquet, boutineirs, corsages, and flower girl head piece. and I am doing my own invitations, decorations, wedding favors, buring cd's for reception music instead of doing a dj. I am going to try to do my own foods for the reception I am wanting to do finger foods, cheese, relish tray, fruit, vegetable, meat and bread. wish me luck

Oh, you people are so lovely! This was all extremely helpful. I'm doing pretty much my entire wedding myself, so I appreciate any help I can get. Here's an idea that I'm going to try; my future hubby and I LOVE this little casual Italian place in town, but since we're poor and can't afford to do a big dinner, we're all going to go out before the wedding and everyoen is going to pay or themselves. Note, we're pretty young so all of our friends and relatives think this is a pretty good idea to save money. We're still having a reception afterwards. Because neither of us really like your standard cake, we are doing little cheesecakes in cupcake wrappers. It's adorable, cheap, and DELICIOUS!
But, anyway, thanks everyone.

I have found a real cheap way to help in the cake price. Ask your cake lady to frost 2 cake dummies,they are not real, stirofoam, and have her frost those and the cake top is only real and order a sheet cake to serve all your guests. Cut my cost almost in half or better. Any questions please email me.

One great idea for saving on catering is to see if you can get a local culinary arts or hospitality management class from your local university to do your wedding's reception as a class project. We had a student cater our wedding and he gave us a fantastic feast of meats, cheeses, shrimp, caviar, desserts, and more for a mere $500 - if you think there might be more to the story then you're right but it takes a chapter in our book to explain that! Anyway, we think you should really check out these college students looking for a class project that meets the requirements of your wedding.

For all of you struggling to plan your wedding on a tight budget, we have literally written the book on planning weddings on tight budgets and we have backed up our theories by planning our own elegant wedding on a budget of just $2,000. It was really nice too! You can see pics at our websit.

We wish each of you the best!

Tim and Lisa Spooner
Authors of "Wedding Planning on a Budget"
www.weddingplanningonabudget.com

THANKS GUYss

I am 18 years old and I will be married before I graduate from highschool. Most people think that I a crazy. But the person that is crazy, in by future husband's mother (who has had me arrested on false charges just to keep us apart)So, we are gettign married as soon as possible to prevent her from doing anything else. he is the man of my dreams, and already a wonderful father, and someday he will be that for my children too. We're getting married in march, but becuase of he's mom, I have to pretty do all of the planning with out his help, and I can't talk much about it, becuase we don't wanting her finding out until right before or not at all. I have to plan on a budget, meaning, I have to be as freaking cheapand tight with ever cent as possible. So far the most cash I'm gonna be dishing out will be for the chair covers which are 2 bucks a pop to rent. But the matter of food is at hand. I need some ideas for cheap and easy to do foods that feed lost of people and look very classey. I have already got lots of ideas here, and I want to thank everyone for that, even if thier advise wasn't directed towards me. Also, if anyone has anymore advise or idea or anything, please feel more than free to contact me by e-mail at endless_echo_150@yahoo.com. Thanks! bye! -Jessa (aka the future Mrs.Green)

i am doing a wedding in may my daughter is getting marrried and i am doing all the food myself and with some of my friends and we are doing finger foods and need to go cheap as we can. can u help us with this. i am running out of things to fix.
bus

I see there are many great ideas about wedding food and different ways to set it up, for me, I will be doing the potluck idea and lots of large trays of meats, cheeses, fruit, french bread and spreads...For other GREAT cheap ideas and advice that took a lot of stress off me and made me feel better bout our small budget was this great site I found while browsing, here it is: www. cheap-chicweddings. com

Hi,
An evening outdoor wedding looks great with white lights everywhere. I bought a bunch after Christmas for next to nothing from Target. It will save a lot on decorating costs

I plan on catering my own wedding reception with appetizers. My problem is there isn't an oven where the reception is. There is a "proofer" that keeps foods warm, but no oven. I'm wondering when and how I'm going to get some of these appetizers cooked, when my mother, sister and myself will be too busy on my wedding day to do this. I'm getting married in a chapel w/ reception hall and have to be there 2 hours before the wedding to get everything decorated and ready. Could these appetizers be cooked the night before, refrigerated and then heated up when we get there?? Or would that be a really bad idea? Any suggestions??