Wedding Catering: Buffet Or Service

Another conundrum for soon-to-be married couples is the dilemma of having servers versus having a buffet for the reception. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, so let’s look at both sides before you make your decision.

At the buffet table

The first and most obvious upshot of having a buffet style dinner at the wedding is the opportunity for all of the guests to choose what they want to eat. This way everyone is happy and they can have as much or as little as they want. There can be multiple things for various dietary restrictions as well as a multitude of side dishes for the vegetarian that hates getting pasta at every wedding.

But the downside of the buffet table is that things that are popular will run out. If you do not plan ahead for shortages, then you may have guests that didn’t get what they really wanted to eat. In terms of movement, the buffet table can be tricky. The bride may have troubles moving up there and might be afraid to spill anything on her dress, as other may be as well. Trying to find ways to serve items without having a large opportunity for spillage will help to avoid any dry cleaning bills.

The service is excellent

Having servers for the reception is a classy and easy way to keep everyone happy during the reception. Not only will no one have to move until the dance, but the servers can also attend to any problems without the couple even knowing about them. Drinks can also be served, which is wonderful for everyone—no more needing to get up and down during dinner.

On the other hand, this excellent service does come with a price tag. It will be costlier to have staff waiting on the guests, especially with more guests. You will also take the chance of the staff being nice to the head table and not to the rest of the guests. The best advice is to interview each staff member as well before the reception.

Both buffets and service are great options for reception dinners. If you’re looking for something a little more casual, then the buffet will be great, but for the more formal occasion, service is best. You may want to stop and consider your guests at this point. If they’re older and don’t move around well, service is a great way to keep them comfortable.

About The Author Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams, and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course "Your Special Day from Start to Finish" now at at http://www.weddingdata.com. weddingsmarriage@yahoo.co.uk

Simple Steps to Create a Wedding Budget

When you start writing your wedding budget, you might feel a little overwhelmed at first. There are so many things to spend money on that you may not even know where to begin writing budget items. You can, however, write and stick with a successful budget if you follow these easy steps. Where to begin Before you even start crunching numbers, write down the things that are essential for your wedding.

Talk to your fiancé because he might have different ideas from you, and you'll want to figure out the best way to merge your styles before writing a budget. Talk to your fiancé about what your perfect wedding would be like, and listen to him talk about his perfect wedding. If you're coming from opposite ends of the spectrum, figure out how to meet in the middle and agree on a theme or look you'll both love. Next, how much can you spend? This is a pretty important step, of course. The best place to start is usually with your parents. They may want to contribute a lump sum to your wedding plans, or they may have a few particular things in mind that they'll pay for. Any money your parents contribute plus any wedding money you have saved can be set aside for your wedding budget. Don't use credit or loans to up the ante for your wedding budget. Even if you only have a little to work with, adding debt will only stress you and your husband-to-be out, especially at the start of your marriage. You may want to open a bank account or a credit card specifically for your wedding because it will help you track each payment. Each month leading up to the big day, you can look over an account ledger to find out just how much you've spent. (If you decide to go the credit card route, find one with a 0% introductory interest rate, and pay it off every month. You don't want interest rolled into your wedding budget!) Use all your resources If you know people who would make excellent photographers, chauffeurs, invitation-makers, dress makers, or anything else you'll need on your wedding day, make a list. Your friends and family members will most likely be elated to help out on your wedding day. Plus, using the talents of people you know will make your wedding day both more special and more affordable. Make a guest list Create a rough list of how many guests you'll invite. It's really easy for your parents and his parents to add extended family members and out-of-town friends to this list, so be careful here. You really shouldn't invite people to your wedding if you don't want them there or know them well, so here are a few ideas to help you pare down the list don't invite people you just work with; only friends only include relatives up to first cousins have an adults-only wedding Paring down the guest list is difficult but necessary, and you'll need to include your fiancé and his family as well as your family, as they may want to add people you hadn't thought of. Total up the big costs Having an approximate number of guests will help you figure out some of your big costs such as catering, venues, and drinks, and you can include these in your budget plan now. You can start getting more specific by calling vendors you like. See if they're available first of all, and then get estimated costs for the number of guests you'll have. It will be easy to see whether or not the vendors fit into your budget, so you can move on quickly and ask for more specific quotes from the most affordable vendors. Add up smaller costs too Start filling up a spreadsheet with the smaller costs of decorations and favours. Keep the sheet updated as you figure out exact costs for everything. Over budget? If the rough budget you've written out now is much too high, you'll have to consider your priorities. Maybe you need a smaller cake, or a DJ instead of a live band. Decide how you and your fiancé want to splurge and how you can afford to save. You could make your own invitations so that you have extra money for a designer dress. It's really important that you prioritize and stay on budget, as going over budget will be very stressful. If you simply don't have enough money saved to create the wedding day you want, you could consider moving your date back a few months giving you time to save that extra cash. The little things When it comes to your wedding budget, it won't be the costly items that throw your budget off but the small ones. It can be simple to save money on big ticket items, but the little things can really start adding to your budget. So watch yourself when it comes to little things, and keep all your receipts so you can update your wedding budget all the time.
About The Author
Nicola Ray is the editor of Cheap Wedding Success, a website dedicated to planning and creating the perfect cheap wedding. Read more about budgeting for a wedding here.

8 Tips For Doing Your Own Wedding Catering

DIY wedding catering is a great way to feed a lot of hungry people. Although it isn't easy, it can be done if you plan carefully and look at all your options. Before you begin planning, though, look at the following ideas to create the perfect catered wedding reception.

1. Make it simple As you decide what to serve at your reception, take into account your talents and the time that will be available to you, and make the menu as simple as you can. Find items for your menu that you can make ahead of time and store until the day of your wedding, and don't use complex, difficult recipes that will only stress you out.

2. Ask for help You probably have friends and relatives who love to cook, so ask around to see if people can help with side dishes, salads, and even breads. Those who help might even take care of the cost of the dish they make too, helping you save a little more.

3. Think about health regulations It's essential when preparing your own food to follow health regulations just like a professional caterer would. Wash your hands often, and keep your work spaces clean. Avoid cross-contamination, especially when working with meats, and be sure that items are both cooked and stored correctly. If you're having a summer wedding, be sure you have plenty of fridge space to keep all the food cold. You should have more than enough space, even if you have to beg fridges from relatives or rent them from specialty stores.

4. Remember the utensils Don't forget to count how you will eat the foot and what utensils will be needed. Plates, bowls, spoons, knives, and forks will all probably be necessary, and you'll also need napkins and tablecloths to complete the ensemble. You can probably rent these items from a specialty shop, and the shop may even clean them up afterwards for a little extra money, which will be well worth it.

5. Find Free Service Help Even if you cook the whole meal, you obviously won't be the one serving the food and drinks, so get people to volunteer for these jobs, or hire a few local teenagers for a small fee. Before they serve, though, you or someone you put in charge needs to be sure they know what they're doing.

6. Think About Little Things Professional caterers have been doing this for years, but you might easily forget about salt and pepper, sugar, butter, storage containers, bottle openers, ice buckets, ash trays, and such. Make a complete list of everything you need, and double check it a few days before the wedding.

7. Find Good Deals You can look for deals on storable essentials like flour, sugar, and even butter in the months leading up to your wedding. Having these things on hand will be helpful later on, and you'll save lots of money if you shop around for them. 8. Shop Locally Local shops will have the best quality meats and produce, and they'll probably even deliver the food to your door for free, which makes for one less pre-wedding errand to run! Hopefully these tips will help you understand what goes into catering your own wedding, but you'll still need to think carefully about what to serve and how. Good luck!

*Nicola Ray

How to Choose Great Wedding Invitations

Before you know it the wedding season will be upon us and with the joy of getting married comes all of the preparations we must deal with. Deciding on your invitation and getting the save the date card is something you can not leave to the last minute. Once you have mailed the save the date card, your friends and family know there will be a wedding and now plus plan to set the date aside. It is official you are getting married.

First you must shop around and decide what type of invitation you want, formal or casual. Whether you will have them professionally printed or you will do it at home on your personal PC. There are many options to the bride today. Set a budget and try to stay within the budget. When figuring the cost, don't forget the postage. If you are sending out a large number of invitations it can quickly add up.

Next, you must choose the save a date card that usually has a similar look to your invitation. These can be sent out as early as one year in advance, but 6 months is usually the norm. It is important to send these so your guests can start making plans. Such as plane and hotel reservations. Usually the earlier they plan the better rate they will receive.

Continuing with your choices, it is time to select the actual invitation. Keep in mind invitations can be very expensive or quite reasonable depending on what you select. The type of paper, the type of print, how many sheets of paper are included in the invitation. How the paper is folded and if there is a RSVP card enclosed with an envelope all adds to the price of the invitation. By the time you order your invitations the two of you should have decided with your parents what type of invitation you want to send out. Today with the aid of the internet you can get a vast amount of information without too much foot work.

Lastly, keep in mind the theme of your invitation reflects the theme of the wedding. The colors of your invitation could very well be the colors of your whole wedding theme. The bridesmaid dresses, flowers, tablecloths, and all wedding decorations. So when choosing your invitation put a lot of thought in your invitation as this will set the tone for all things to come. This will be the first of many decisions.

*by: Bryan Burbank

Wedding Planning Services

Wedding planning services - can you find a company or an individual proprietor that would help you plan your wedding? In fact, there are numerous companies and individuals offering their wedding planning services. The question is - how to find a good one?

First, when you are looking for a service that would help you plan your wedding; you should try to find out as much as you can about their background. It's not only important to compare the prices and services of various planners, but it's also vital to find real feedback from the users. Some of the companies have forums and chat rooms where their users can share their thoughts and ask questions. Other companies will provide you with real references of the couples which they have serviced in the past, allowing you to read the feedback from real people or even contact them if you have any questions.

Furthermore, think about if you would prefer a local wedding planner, whom you could visit when you have questions. Local planners are the preferred option of many couples, since the close proximity of the planner allows you to promptly receive assistance.

Next are the costs. It's obvious that if you turn to a large established company, you will most likely have to pay for. The costs rise due to the larger number of staff, renting more expensive offices, and so on. If you turn to a smaller company or someone new to wedding planning, you may get much better prices simply because of the need of these proprietors to establish a larger clientele and collect new references. The pitfall of newer planners is that they are not as skilled as the ones that have been in business for years. Thus, you will have to make your own choice - a reputable and more expensive company or a newly established and cheaper one.

In the end, it's all about the feedback, and the real issue here is the credibility of the feedback, because there is almost no way to tell if the company is providing you with an assortment of feedbacks or only with the ones from their most satisfied customers. What could be a way around this issue? The best way to check the validity of feedback is through online forums and chats. Simply search for the feedback on the planner of your interest in the wedding forums and chats, and you will get the real information. Additionally, here you will be able to find other wedding planners that people recommend to use or not to use.

Wedding planning services will help you organize a wedding with ease. However, try to do thorough research in order to obtain the optimal result.

-Adam Gaines

How to Decorate a Church For a Wedding

Decorating a church for a wedding may not seem like such a difficult feat. However, there is some work involved. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you use up all of the decorations you have to only find that you need more. That can result in a disaster, especially if you can't find anything that is the same color or the same thing that you're out of.

You need to make sure that you can go to the church and assess the sanctuary before you even order your decorations. You need to know how many pews there are, how many windows, the width of the windows, details about the altar area, and so much more.

So when you are decorating a church for a wedding, ask yourself these three questions:

- What decorations can I use? This is an important question because some churches will not allow certain decorations. They have a rather traditional view of decorations. So make sure you consult with the church first. Tell them what you want to do and make sure that it is allowed. You don't want to buy decorations and then find out that you can't use what you have bought.

- Are the decorations necessary? Many churches are already very ornate, which means they may not need much in the way of decorations. So you have to evaluate how much you actually need based on the natural décor of the sanctuary. This can save you a lot of money on the decorations.

- What decorations are suitable? Again, you have to evaluate the sanctuary so that you know what decorations are suitable. If you don't want to have an extremely formal event, some flowers here and there are great. You don't have to overdo it. Although many flowers are nice, church sanctuaries have a natural beauty to them. And the bride is the focus of the wedding anyway. People pay closer attention to her dress.

Some tips

There are simple tips that you can use to make the ceremony look great. You may even be able to borrow some decorations from the church, especially if past wedding parties have left some of their things behind. Sometimes churches will store those things that have been left behind in case they can be used again.

Churches may also have candelabras that you can use. Most churches already have them and they will not have a problem letting you borrow them. In the meantime, you can use flowers in the windows, on the altar, and use flowers at the end of the pews so that the aisle is lined with flowers. Sometimes the simplest of decorations can be the most beautiful. Also, having flowers at the ends of the pews go great with the petals that are sprinkled along the aisle by the flower girl.

And when it comes to your flower arrangements, it is better to opt for larger arrangements than a series of smaller arrangements.

Research

So make sure you do the proper research. If you don't, then you may find that you have too many decorations or not enough. Consult with anyone in the church who can help you with this so that you know what is appropriate and what isn't appropriate. You might be amazed at how much time, effort, and money you save by doing the proper assessment before the wedding. In the end, you'll be able to have a beautiful wedding that is charming and a lot of fun for everyone. It is the most important day of your life, so it is important that it is perfect.

Decorate a Church for a Wedding is now considered a necessity for a wedding requirement, along side all the other wedding requirements, things like wedding invitations, a wedding cake, wedding flowers arrangements, Wedding limos, a wedding photographer and wedding videographer to name a few.

**Amy Nutt

Think Outside the Invitation With Pocket Wedding Invitations

Are you ready to give your wedding invitation a little
something extra? Set your invite apart from the pack with the absolutely
fabulous and incredibly functional pocket wedding invitations. These unique
pieces of stationery are designed to carry all the information your guests will
need for your special day in one fashionable piece. Available in a range of
colors and designs and offered at a price point that won't ruin your budget,
these invitations truly set the mood for the happiest day of your
life.

Pocket wedding invitations are designed to include the invitation, the
RSVP card, directions to the ceremony and reception, and also reception
preferences in one piece of stationery. To make these invitations, a stiff piece
of high grade paper is used as a matte foundation on which the traditional
wedding invitation is fixed. On the back of this piece of stiff paper is a small
envelope pocket that is secure enough to hold the three additional parts of the
wedding invitation. The additional elements are arranged in an aesthetically
pleasing order from smallest to largest from the front of the envelope pocket,
with the RSVP card at the front, followed by the reception preferences card,
followed by the largest piece of paper with the directions to the ceremony
tucked into the back. The effect of this multifaceted and functional piece of
stationery is truly striking.

The best part about pocket wedding invitations
is the fact that they are customizable down to a T. You can select not only what
color and font scheme you would like to use, but you can also choose the type
and grade of paper for all four elements. And of course the wording of all four
pieces is entirely in your control. Each of the four elements can be customized
in whatever unique way that you'd like. For example, the RSVP card can be made
into a postcard or come with its own small pre-stamped envelope. The ways in
which you can make these unique invitations personal to you are almost
endless.

Not only are these invitations incredibly chic and functional, but
they are also affordable for brides regardless of the size of their wedding.
Like all items bought in bulk, the more you buy the cheaper the individual unit
is. These fun, fresh, and feminine pieces of stationery won't make you choose
between having a super cute invitation and inviting those cousins that you
really don't know to your wedding.

The truth is, while some people may notice
the flowers or the way that the flower girl's dress matches the special hue used
strategically in your bouquet, there are few other details of your wedding that
will make an impact on your guests more than your invitations. The invitation is
an announcement of a celebration. It is the first moment when you will be
letting most of the world know that you have found your life partner and you are
over the moon with happiness. Your invitation needs to convey your joy, your
excitement, and also your expressed hope that each guest you invite will be able
to share this moment with you. Through their beautiful designs, pocket wedding
invitations share the depth of your emotion with your guests. However, it is the
thoughtful functionality, keeping everything the guests need in one place, which
shows how much their attendance will mean to you. So start your wedding off the
right way with these absolute gems, and get ready for a truly magical
wedding!

by Andy West