Cheap Wedding Friday Tip #15: The Food

Whenever I tell friends I've been to a wedding recently, they want to know about two things: the bride's dress, and the food. Amazing wedding food can make your event, but it can also break your budget. Here's my tips on how to have your friends exclaiming, "The food was amazing!"

• Opt for smaller portions of better food. I've been to far too many weddings with huge buffets piled sky high with terrible food.


• Have your wedding at your favorite restaurant. It sounds like an expensive proposition to rent out an entire restaurant, and in some cases it is. But it's always worth asking. When it works well, you've guaranteed the restaurant a full house for the evening, while you've saved yourself the additional cost of venue rental. And, they'll already have the plates, tables, and glassware, so you'll save on those rental costs as well. Plus, since it's your favorite restaurant, you already know that the food is good!


• Change up the meal. You don't HAVE to do a full cocktail buffet and a seated dinner with dessert and wedding cake. Brunch is far cheaper than dinner so you can add some lavish touches. Or, just put on your invitation, "Following the ceremony, please join us to celebrate the sweetness of our wedding day with desserts and champagne." Sometimes quality is far better than quantity.