Mistake #1: Not having hearty enough food at cocktail hour.

There’s a reason cocktail hour is called “cocktail hour.” The drinks are flowing, so you’d better feed people appropriately or else the situation could devolve into a enibriated mess. 

 

Mistake #2: Planning a menu for yourself and not your guests.

Your wedding is your special day, absolutely, but it’s generally a bad look to invite all those nearest and dearest to you without considering their needs.

 

“If you’ve got a bunch of people from the Midwest coming, you may not want to serve a bunch of California-style food.” “Don’t do a meat and a cheese station if half the guests are lactose-intolerant and vegetarian,”

 

Mistake #3: Going too generic with the menu.

There’s no need to default to meat-and-potatoes. With the right caterer, it’s possible to tailor a menu to reflect the bride and groom without alienating anyone’s taste buds. It’s all about finding a balance.

 

 

Mistake #4: Driving up your budget with pricey ingredients.

There’s no getting around the fact that luxurious main courses like lobster, crab, duck, and so on are going to cost you. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t serve them, just be smart about it.

 

“You might say, ‘Well, I know we always go out to dinner and love eating duck! Let’s serve duck!’ But it’s like, no. Don’t serve duck to 150 people.” Unless You want to! Not only will it cost you a fortune, but high-end ingredients tend to be more polarizing than standard fare like chicken and pasta, and there’s nothing worse than watching thousands of dollars-worth of jumbo prawns get scraped into the trash. Instead,  “serve a duck hors d'oeuvres,” like a mini Peking duck roll or a duck slider. Limited quantities of each passed canape, are better for your budget and picky eaters with limited palates.

 

Mistake #5: Ruling out the buffet.

Choosing a sit-down, family-style, or buffet dinner often comes down to personal preference, but don’t nix the buffet option without a second thought.

 

“Buffets in general, the way they’re done now, with high-styled [props, including] vintage crates and impressive service wear, are great,” 

 

Granted, there are both pros and cons to a buffet. “It’s the easiest as far as staffing goes”—it requires fewer serving staff, which could save you a few hundred dollars—but “people are always going to grab more than they can eat,” meaning your food costs may go up. All that said, buffets are best for high-energy parties, since they have people up and mingling.

 

The most important advice to brides and grooms is also one you’ve heard before: Don’t forget to eat. Your evening will go much more smoothly if you remember to eat.  Even better if it’s something delicious!