Looking for advice sugestions etc
Things to note
People at least 200 large family!
I own my own restaurant which is bout 400 meters from my venue so access to profsonial kitchen and all the trimmings that come with it
Cooking equipment
Cold room
Space for the volumes etc
Staff if needed
We are renting out local hall i want a back yard style feel to it.A marquee is not an option as the weather is too unpridictable... i want that laid back vibe tho
I want to do a self serve buffet style food
Have desert table
A 2 piece local band
Plenty of free booze flowing or in iced large buckets dotted around the hall
Games
Guest book
Dont really want formal sit down meal with speachs my fiance is super shy and the idea of propper formal wedding makes him want to run and hide!!!
looking for food that hold well so that people can eat, drink and dance as they please... super casual! I hope.
Also my nagging perfectionist side comes into play... should i opt for paper plates plastic forks?.. save the clean up? ...but using ware is also soooo much better to eat off of and nicer!
Ive million ideas but firstly i wanna know is it worth all the effort ....for my wedding i think it is , but i also have never been married and i donno if it will affect me and my abilities as a chef. i also know that i am able to work great under stress/ pressure with ease and confidance ....i just dont know will i be as confident on my wedding day! So much going on!
I will hire a chef the day of wedding and some serving staff maybe 5
Long winded thread i know but would live feed back its all very early stages yet ...any advice will be great
Welcome to Cheftalk. This topic is covered in previous threads. As I remember the general consensus is Nooooooo! Spend your wedding day getting married and be in the food business the other 364 days of the year.
Only you know if you can cater it and still enjoy your wedding. If you were the groom I would say yes, but with you being the bride it may be a bit more involved. I say this because most guys just need to get dressed and their ready. A gal likes to cherish the moment. IMHO, if your set on doing it then hire the Chef to come in the day before the function so it takes pressure off of you. This way if something comes up you can drop everything and not miss a trick. I think the plates will depend on the menu. If your service includes cutting a main meat item then I would say to use a better plate. If the menu is cold meat and cheese and veggie platters then paper may be fine. In other words if you have you heart set on catering it then hire people to take the pressure off you. Enjoy the day........Chef Bill
Last time we gave input on this type of question the groom was very angry that everyone advised him not to do it. I thought it was a bad idea and his wedding was only 20 people so with 200 people it should be evident where I stand on this one.
Congratulations on your wedding. In the days leading up to my wedding there were so many details I had to attend to, some of them were very niggly details like paperwork at the church, meeting with the caterers for the rehearsal dinner, welcoming friends and family from out of town and making sure they were situated, wrapping up things at work, writing out placecards, getting programs printed, finalizing flower details, decorating the hall, picking up the marriage license, delivering booze, finalizing music lineup, dealing with irritated bridesmaids, picking up my dress... .the list is endless. And that's not including the so-called "fun" things that were happening that week like mani-pedis, facials, cocktails with the wedding party, rehearsal dinner, meeting with family etc.
Do you really want to add "peel 100lbs of potatoes" to your list? It's a fair question.
It sounds like you have the right attitude about trying to cater your own wedding; low key, simple, and, at least, hiring a chef the day of, but even then I would strongly recommend not doing it yourself. There is just too much going on and too much that you should be a part of, rather than stuck in the kitchen getting things ready.
If you really want to have a hand in it then hire out most of it and do a few small things. I originally wanted to cater my own wedding but luckily the bride to be talked me out of it and I spent the weekend enjoying family and friends rather than being stuck in my kitchen. But we did do a lot of things to make it ours. We hand painted Christmas ornaments (our wedding was on 12/30) and made chocolate truffles as gifts. I made a giant gingerbread Church as the centerpiece for the gift table and we did a number of other things to make it more "personal" but I am so glad I didn't actually cater it.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to give me advise! Im catering a bbq for the afters of a wedding and so maybe i just have wedding brain at the moment! Im just thinking of myself and my own weddng as im prepping and im thinking yeah i could so do this for myself, without thinking it through propperly maybe when wedding season is over i will re visit my thoughts and see if im still in the same head space! I didnt realise there is quite a few threads already up on this toppic I'll have a read through them too to help with me decide!
I also forgot to mention that im thinking of having 2 seperate days. 1 day for the church cermony with imeadiate family approx 40 people thinking of going to nice restaurant tuesday. Its the party/ reception on the following sat a couple days later is what im thinking of catering. Does that make sense? Or is two day totally unrealistic...
I also forgot to mention that im thinking of having 2 seperate days. 1 day for the church cermony with imeadiate family approx 40 people thinking of going to nice restaurant tuesday. Its the party/ reception on the following sat a couple days later is what im thinking of catering. Does that make sense? Or is two day totally unrealistic...
No rules on the books that tie you to a Saturday wedding.
It really is the reception that most folks can only attend on the weekend and by that time everything will have calmed down and it is just a big party NBD.
Again, I would advise to have someone else do it so that you can enjoy, but this new information does make a difference and I'd say that if you are set on doing it then go ahead and do it yourself. Doing the reception a few days after the wedding does make a huge difference and it will allow you to enjoy your wedding day. I would still consider a compromise where you do some of it and have someone else handle the rest. Maybe do all the preparation but then hire a few cooks, a "chef" and a few servers to handle the service so that you can enjoy the time, without too much worry.
The only problem I'm having with this thread is the OP owns her own restaurant. I think anyone who owns their own restaurant would rather cater to their guests from their own. The word cater, provide, care for, caring about, want to cater too, I love these people and want to give them the best. What better time to get all the family and friends together for food, fun and beverage. I say do it but, do it smart. Don't get yourself to involved in the whole thing. Make the menu, buy the goods and have that Chef work cooking it the way you want it done. It will be a proud day in your life. Catering it from your restaurant will be the cream on the wedding cake.........
The only problem I'm having with this thread is the OP owns her own restaurant. I think anyone who owns their own restaurant would rather cater to their guests from their own. The word cater, provide, care for, caring about, want to cater too, I love these people and want to give them the best. What better time to get all the family and friends together for food, fun and beverage. I say do it but, do it smart. Don't get yourself to involved in the whole thing. Make the menu, buy the goods and have that Chef work cooking it the way you want it done. It will be a proud day in your life. Catering it from your restaurant will be the cream on the wedding cake.........
Yeah owning my own restaurant is defo swaying me towards doing it!I am also extreamely lucky i have great team both front of house and in the kitchen with me! I love being a chef .....oddly enough i get such joy feeding people (im a feeder i love to fill people up!!!) when they love my food and you can see it on their face ....ahhh Its such a satisfaction and high from it!
Im just after doing a function for 80 people just a bbq catering gig for an afters of a wedding and everything ran like clock work thankfully!! ( it was my first time off site) so that has got thinking of branching out and we may start catering parties!!
Ha ha you never know I could be a pro by the time my own wedding comes round
Has any caterer catered their own wedding? Or anyone who owns their own restaurant cater themselves? I would Love to hear about it
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