Weddingbee Blog

I’m in LOVE with my bridal party. They’re all just as gung-ho as I am about the wedding planning! Two of my girls are already married, and a third will be married by the time my wedding rolls around. This means I get to learn from their experiences for free! Who needs a wedding planner?!?

Anyways, I’ve already told them that I want the theme of our wedding to be “Romantic Southern Charm”. In keeping with that theme, we’d like a sort of upscale take on Southern comfort food, but without the upscale price.

Well, my soon to be sister-in-law, Leslie, called a while back to let me know she did some searching of local caterers (she lives in my host city, Savannah). She found out that Paula Deen’s (you may know her from the Food Network) restaurant The Lady & Sons is actually very affordable. We can get the Southern Buffet delivered to my site for $18.99 a head plus tax. We pick from 3 meats and 4 sides (including mac and cheese, my fave). We would also get cheese biscuits, one choice of 3 dessert options, and tea (sweet & unsweetened). We can also get fancy chafing dishes and hire their servers if we wish.

I think this is an amazing price, considering The Knot.com has our suggested per-person food cost at nearly $60 a head. The only thing missing is seafood. Mr. Lab loves seafood, and because our wedding will be on the coast, it’s only appropriate to have some. So Leslie even sent them an email and asked how much more it would be to add items like crab cakes and the shrimp and grits.

I hope this works out. Leslie, who just had a wedding in December of 2007, said that catering prices don’t get much better than that.

Without further ado, our “Southern Comfort Food” wedding menu:

Hors D’oeuvres for the Cocktail Hour:
(Made by my lovely mother to save money)

• Veggie Platter
• Fruit Platter
• Cheese & Crackers Platter
• Pigs in a Blanket w/ Dipping Sauce

Dinner:
(served buffet style)

Entrees:

• Baked Chicken
• BBQ Pork
• Country Steak in Gravy
• Crab Cakes
• Scallops wrapped in Applewood Smoked Bacon

Side Items:

• Mac n Cheese
• Creamed Potatoes
• Corn on the Cob
• Green Beans

Dessert:
(besides bride & groom’s cake)

• Peach Cobbler
• Candy Buffet Table (DIY by yours truly)

Beverages:
(first 3 also served during ceremony)

• Sweet AND unsweetened tea
• Lemonade (another DIY)
• Bottled Coca Cola (possibility)
• Alcohol (full open bar)
• Water

Although we haven’t finalized the final guest list count, we’re doing our preliminary head count at 75 people ATTENDING. We’ll probably send out close to 110 invites, but we already know about 20 family members who will not be able to make the trip (from California & NY). So with 75 people, our total for the catering will be $1959, or $26 a person. This total includes fees for chafing dishes, an action chef, place settings (stainless flatware, dinner, salad plates, water, red & white wine glasses, and champagne flutes), and of course, taxes. Because The Lady & Sons are a preferred caterer of Savannah Station, we won’t have to worry about paying $500 to let an outside caterer feed our guests. And the Station provides tables and chairs included in the cost of renting the facility. Of course, we’re overestimating costs so we’re not caught off guard if more people RSVP than we expect to.

Even though we’re doing a buffet for dinner, I still want to have a seating chart. I think it’s important that I use this once in a lifetime event as a way to let everyone meet each other. Without a chart, people tend to sit next to friends and don’t mingle much. I will think the chart out very carefully to match people with similar interests and personalities who’ve never met (but I won’t separate couples). I just know that all these people will never gather in the same place again, and it would be a shame for people to miss out on the opportunity to get to know someone Mr. Lab and I love.

Were you surprised by the cost of your catering?