Weddingbee Blog

As you may know, our wedding will be self-catered. We’re anticipating about 125 guests, and this means a great many mouths to feed. How can we possibly expect to pull this off? Planning. Lots of planning. Maybe even over-planning.

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While the success of my planning remains to be seen, I’ve taken a lot of steps that I think will help keep the chaos down.

• Type of Food. Our menu decisions have primarily been based on ease of preparation. We will have three types of mac-and-cheese (spicy, creamy, and basil-pesto). The three sauces can be made ahead of time, and the noodles can all be cooked together. This means we won’t need three separate prep stations for each of these different types of macs. Blackened chicken and grilled shrimp will be served a la carte. Sides will be a mixed green salad with cheese and nut toppings on the side, and cornbread—baked ahead of time. Our appetizers will consist of veggie trays and dips, chips, and pitas—all chopped and prepped the day before. We will set up a buffet using disposable chafing dishes that will keep the contents warm.

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• Divide & Conquer. We will have a small group of willing helpers that will run the “kitchen.” Each volunteer will have a specific duty; one person will man the grill, one will prepare the sauces, one will set out the appetizers and sides, and one will cook the pasta. If each helper has an assigned job, there runs a smaller risk of a major task being neglected, and it keeps them out of one another’s way.

• Trays, Bowls, & Utensils. I rescued many a serving spoon from a garbage can demise at my office. There are often catered meetings hosted in the conference room, and the caterer supplies serving utensils, such as tongs, spoons and ladles. These are made of a hard plastic, not the flimsy plastic of a lot of plastic silverware. The folks at my office keep many of them, but they end up with an overflowing drawer and ultimately throw the rest out. I was happy to wash them off, and they were happy to save them from the landfill. I have also gotten several trays and bowls this way. Eventually, using our menu as my guide, I will label each tray or bowl with the expected contents and attach the appropriate utensil. This way I can ensure we have enough. Of course, I will bring extras—I’m bound to forget something!

• Preparation Checklist. We have recruited a group of folks who will help us with food preparation the day before: chopping veggies, skewering shrimp, making sauces, etc. Our goal is to do as much of the food preparation the day before, so our wedding day chefs will be able to focus on cooking. I’ve created a list with every single thing I can think of, from cooking to cooling, that will need to be done the day before.

• Cost & Quantity Spreadsheet. This is a key part of the planning process and also the part where I will be the least helpful. Mr. Husky created a pretty awesome cost estimate for us, separating each individual item required for our menu, dividing by package size, and creating a CPP estimate. Not only was this critical in our decision whether or not to self-cater, it will also help us to determine exactly how much of what food items we will need once we have a final RSVP count. While I cannot tell you how to make one of your own, I am happy to share ours and answer any questions about it:

(screenshot of our cost estimate)

So there you have it—my main tips for pulling this off. I’m sure as we near the date, there will be more to add to this, so stay tuned for round two. After the wedding, I will be sure to post a “Lessons Learned” to help any other self-caterers from making the same rookie mistakes as we’re sure to make.

What preparations are you making for your reception or rehearsal meals? Are there any potential pitfalls that haven’t occurred to me yet?