By Dee Power

Are you getting married in the near future? Are you trying to cut costs in certain areas? Want to have a champagne wedding and you don”t even have a beer budget? If you are concerned about the cost of food for your wedding reception, consider the following tips on how to save money on food at your wedding reception.

Keep in mind that the majority of your guests are not coming to your reception to eat. They are coming to help you celebrate your joyous occasion. (The ones who are coming just to eat probably should not have been invited.)

Don”t put yourself in further debt, just to impress a few guests with an extravagant menu. It really isn”t worth it in the long run. Prioritize what’’s important to you and spend your budget accordingly. You do have a budget right? If a beautifully decorated tiered wedding cake is what you have your heart set on spend the majority of money on the cake. Save money by serving a wine punch rather than champagne. White sangria would be lovely and is simple to make. For every 4 bottles of wine, that’’s 3 liters, add 2 liters of lemon lime soda. Add sliced lemons, oranges and strawberries and gently stir. Surround the punch bowl with flowers and no one will even miss the bubbly.

Tip number one. Ask close friends and family members to prepare a dish to bring. You will probably find that they are more than willing to help you out… especially if they know you are trying to save money.

You can still plan the menu. Simply give each person the choice of making whatever they prefer from your master list. When planning the menu think of dishes that can be served at room temperature. That way you don”t have to worry about keeping hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold. This works very well for a buffet. If you want to add something substantial to the menu, order a sliced spiral cut ham or turkey.

Tip number two. Instead of a traditional wedding cake opt for a ”cupcake cake”. These are becoming increasingly popular, even for more extravagant weddings. They can be as fancy as you want them to be. An added perk is the fact that you can use several flavors of cupcakes, as opposed to just one or two. Your guests will appreciate the variety. Have the bakery decorate the different flavors differently. For example chocolate cupcakes could have a pink frosting rose, while lemon has a yellow rose, and spice has a white rose.

Tip number three. Think small. Order mini sandwiches from the deli at your grocers. Compliment with a tray of baby vegetables and dip and one of cheeses. Add a basket of fresh strawberries. Serve mini green salads in small 3 or 4 ounce glasses or clear plastic cups. Top with a tablespoon of vinaigrette dressing. The salads will add color to the table and take up quite a bit of space making the table look bountiful.

You can save money on your wedding reception food and still serve your guests a feast.

About The Author

Free report Weddings on A Shoestring Budget Free report on Party ideas for kids Dee Power is the co-author of several nonfiction books Visit her Cheap Wedding Tips