Deciding on your wedding menu is one of the most fun—but challenging—parts of the planning process. Carla Felicella from Culinary Capers Catering (culinarycapers.com) in Vancouver gave us some great tips on how to ensure that your menu is as budget-friendly as possible but still impressive and delicious.
The Meal
• Full-course dinners can be quite costly. Instead, consider having a brunch, tea or cocktail reception.
• “Skip the passed hors d’oeuvres and set out funky cocktail snacks during cocktail hour,” says Felicella. She suggests serving dishes like popcorn with truffle oil, chai spiced nuts, prosciutto, roasted pear, crisp Asiago chips, and mint and basil marinated shrimp.
• Choose local seafood that is in season. “For example, the West Coast has wild salmon, ling cod and spot prawns from May through early July,” Felicella tells us. Also, you may want to serve free-range chicken instead of beef since beef tends to be pricier.
• To save on staffing costs, you can have a buffet dinner or a family-style lunch with large platters of food at each table.
Dessert
• You can serve desserts like cookies, tarts and chocolates in the place of a wedding cake. This is an especially good option for those of you who have a different favourite dessert or aren’t very fond of cake in the first place. Felicella recommends using beautiful platters and dishes with tiers to showcase your treats. “Presentation is everything,” she says.
• “If having a wedding cake is a must, consider using a small, elegant two-tiered cake made for presentation and keeping a large sheet cake in the kitchen to cut up for dessert,” Felicella advises.
• For those of you who want a cake that is gorgeous and edible, you can cut costs by ordering buttercream frosting with fresh seasonal flowers instead of fondant and sugar blossoms.
• Another way to keep your cake budget-friendly is to choose your favourite wedding cake designs, pick one or two components, and incorporate them into your own cake. This is more cost-effective than going all out for every aspect of your cake!
Bar
• Rather than providing a full bar, choose a fun signature cocktail along with wine and a domestic beer.
• Keep your drinks simple. The more ingredients you have, the more expensive they will be.
Remember that you don’t have to sacrifice what you want to keep your food costs lower. Allow yourself to have one “splurge” item and work it into your budget!
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