Cost cutting with menu design

But there is one cost-cutting measure I find is not satisfactorily covered: food. I am not talking about the bazillions of "luxe or less" articles about food. I am talking about food as a design element on par with venue and flowers. Most of us know that venue choice will go far in determining the look, feel, and theme of your wedding. Are you renting a big hotel ballroom, a VFW hall, using your back yard, or perhaps a museum or library? Are you getting married in a cathedral, a city park, or on the beach? Is your ceremony  and reception venues the same? Each venue calls for a different level of formality and a different theme. You may want to rethink that the combination of a cheap BBQ dinner and a fancy ballroom. Or, perhaps not. The trick is to think of your food as another design element, and be sure to think of your food in conjunction with your venue.

Menu Design: The European Breakfast

For my own weddings. I approached the theme, venue and food as an integrated design triad. For the first wedding, we went with a European Ski Wedding Theme. The invitations, food and guests activities all tied into our theme. This allowed us to serve an inexpensive "European Breakfast Buffet" without looking hopelessly cheap. The ceremony took place at 9:30 in the morning at the Mammoth Ski Museum in Mammoth Lakes, CA. After our early morning ceremony, we mingled with our 20 guests noshing on breads and pastries from a local bakery and meats and cheese from Trader Joe's. Rather than having a sit-down meal, we treated the wedding more like an exhibit opening at a museum. People nibbled on finger food while wandering around viewing the exhibits and visiting with friends. The museum reception lasted around two hours. Afterward, we changed into our ski gear and headed to the mountain for an afternoon of "Apres Wedding" skiing. We offered our guests boxed lunches to bring with them to the chalet.We spend $200 on food and alcohol for 20 people (or about $10 per person for two meals.) This included a two tier chocolate wedding cake, mimosas and screw drivers, croissants and pasties, fresh fruits, Nutella and jams, and an assortment of nice cheeses and meats. After a short reception, we spent the rest of the day skiing. Hubby and I provided our skiing guests "boxed lunches," which consisted of a deli sandwich from a local deli, chips, fruit, European chocolate, and dark beer. We made sure that each food choice, from the dark beer and chocolate in the boxed lunches to the hard salami and cheeses on the buffet table fit with our European Ski Wedding theme, but it also fit our budget.

(Photo by Kendra Knight at Blue Bird Imaging)

Menu Design: The Southern BBQ

For the second wedding, we went with a "backyard," Southern Appalachian, woodland theme. Again, we got married at a museum/ historic house, The Zachary-Tolbert House (I am a historian who has worked in museums for the past five years, so the venue was another way to personalize our weddings). We did a lot of DIY projects that had the look and feel of Appalachian crafts: paper flowers, fabric pendants made from quilters' fat quarters, pinwheels lined the aisle instead of flower pedals, and moonshine instead of champagne. With such a theme, a traditional BBQ meal fit seamlessly into the rest of the wedding. Afterall, what else would one serve at a Southern Appalachian wedding. Our food total for 75 people was $636.23. Our liquor total for wine and beer was $310, but we had a ton left over. $150 would have done nicely.