Overview for Hosting Cost Effective Weddings & Events
Updated: Apr 27, 2020
Options for saving money & having the perfect event!
Overview
As someone who went through the wedding process prior to entering catering, I have a real appreciation for how amazingly complex, expensive and stressful planning a wedding can be. After rings, receptions, DJ’s, honeymoon, flowers, dresses …… we had spent tens of thousands of dollars. The average wedding in the Seattle area costs $31,000 and has between 130-145 people. Wedding venues that require the customer to use their catering service are typically much more expensive. According to the “2017 Real Wedding Study” the average catering charge per guest was $70 vs. $48 for couples that can chose to hire their own caterer.
This paper is a guide to help couples with finding savings with their wedding reception while still having the wedding of their dreams. After going through these options with multiple clients I decided to write them down and use this as a starting place for discussions and as a way to provide further value to my customers.
This guide will focus on the reception as this is the area where costs can begin to skyrocket. The cost areas I will address are:
Food
Service
Alcohol
Table Linens
Tableware Rentals
Centerpieces
Our recommendation is you start with finding a venue. These fill up very quickly and will be a very large expense that influences your catering cost if they require you to use their house caterer. Next, find the caterer as we also book weddings 6-12 months out.
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