Category Archive

self-catered

DIY wedding catering ideas, tips, checklists, menus, and recipes! We’ve got all the advice you need for for how to do it well, plus ideas from real couples who’ve catered their own weddings.

A soon-to-be mama & her handsome groom elope in the mountains of Glacier National Park

How I’m throwing a $3k wedding: 7 tips for saving money

My partner and I are have a $3,000 wedding budget for our wedding this fall. Throughout the planning, we’re managing to actually stick closely to our budget. Here’s how we’re doing it.

Can we have guests grill their own meat at the reception?

Can we have guests grill their own meat at the reception?

We are going super laid-back, backyard wedding on a Friday evening. Our thought was to have a long grill set up and have each guest pick a pork chop or chicken and grill their own. We will have meat thermometers available. Our thought was that we didn’t want people to show up get food, sit with whom they normally socialize, eat, and leave.

Any advice?

How can we make our gluten-free cake alternative look fancier?

How can we make our gluten-free cake alternative look fancier?

My fiancé and I are both gluten-free and decided on a fall apple crisp instead of a cake. How do we dress it up for the wedding? I searched the internet far and wide and all I see are towers of cupcakes, donuts, and pies. I can’t figure out how to make a big tray of apple crisp look like a special dessert. We don’t need one hundred tiny glass jars and a throwaway option isn’t our style. Any ideas on making our gluten-free cake alternative look fancier?

We found the best place to find awesomely cheap wedding DIY supplies

There’s a REALLY good place to find awesomely cheap wedding DIY supplies

Reader Gina recently clued us in to a great way to snag cheap wedding DIY supplies: your local restaurant and janitorial supply store! If you have one in your area (pro tip: Google “restaurant and janitorial supply store + your city”), you’ll find great deals on bulk DIY supplies like table coverings, candy buffet supplies, and serving tools.

Reception coffee bar ideas from @offbeatbride #wedding #coffee #reception

5 ways to rock a super delish reception coffee bar

What do we want? Coffee! When do we want it? At our wedding reception! Wedding reception coffee bars are easier than you might think. You can certainly ask your caterer to whip you up a fancy coffee bar for beaucoup bucks, but DIYing it can be just as easy, especially if you use a few shortcuts. With the right coffee maker setup, the most delish of flavorings and goodies, and even coffee mug favors, your coffee bar can easily outshine the rest of the food. Let’s get our bean faces on and DIY the crap out of a rad reception coffee bar.

15131939510 36d1171571 c alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Don’t give your guests botulism: the secrets of a self-catered wedding

We didn’t mean to self-cater. But we went for it. Our venue included a “caterers kitchen” (two huge wood-fired stoves, a ton of charcoal grills, and a spigot with running water), so how hard could it be? Here are the things I failed to anticipate, in hopes that if you decide to go down this ridiculous path, you can avoid surprises…