Deciding the menu is a pretty simple affair. Once you’ve chosen your menu items, you can move on to organizing the wedding menu. By organizing I mean planning how people will sit, what your tables will look like, types of glasses. All the fine details.

Now don’t let this stress you out - it actually can be a lot of fun! Here’s some tips to get you on the right track. These tips assume you are not having your meal catered and are doing all your own planning.

Decide what time you are going to have your meal at. This will tie to the time of your wedding to some degree. If you are getting married in the morning are you having lunch, brunch, or a mid afternoon meal. Afternoon wedding, are you having a super time meal, a later evening meal.

Are you going to rent your dishes? Borrow from family? Use disposable plates? Same goes for glassware and flatware. If you are having a smaller wedding you can often get good pricing on sets at discount department stores.

If you are purchasing your dishes, what is your theme? Color? Style?

What type of glasses are you going to use? Wine glasses for certain, what about coffee cups, water glasses. Again either borrow or visit a discount department store.

I recommend renting your dishes, flatware, and glasses from a catering company. The prices is usually very nominal. Everything matches, they deliver the clean dishes, after your meal you simply put the dirty dishes in the containers supplied, they pick them up and take care of cleaning them.

If you supply your own dishes, then somebody has to be prepared to do clean up. Renting dishes is simple, affordable, and lets your guests focus on enjoying your wedding.

You will also need to decide what the theme for your tables will be, what type of flowers you will use and whether you will get locally grown flowers or purchase from a florist. If you choose flowers in season in your local area you can make beautiful flower arrangements for a fraction of the cost.

What about your tables and chairs? Does the hall or facility you’ve rented provide them? If yes what do the charge. If they do not then you’ll need to contact someone who does rent these items. If your wedding reception is small you may be able to borrow enough chairs and tables to accommodate your guests.

Tablecloths and table coverings - you’ll need to decide color and style. As well you’ll have to decide what type of decorating your going to do. Your decorating and colors will have a lot to do with your general wedding theme. Fun, romantic, tropical?

The quickest way to get organized is to grab some paper and a pencil. Draw a rough diagram of the room layout, then begin sketching in your tables, how you will seat people, where you want your flowers and decorations. Once you’ve have a visual the rest will fall into place.

As some friends to give you a hand with decorating. Most halls will let you into the day before to complete your decorating and set up. In fact, before you rent the hall make this a pre-requisite.

Most important! Enjoy the planning - this is your wedding, one of the biggest events of your life. There is no right or wrong, there is only what makes you happy. When your happy, your guests will relax and enjoy themselves whether they are seated at formal dining tables or around…

Sher from Estate Jewelry International has been serving customers for over 20 years, providing fashion, jewelry, and wedding help. So stop by and visit us at http://www.estatejewelryinternational.com/
We’ll help you make your fashion statement! Remember looking good doesn’t have to cost a fortune!

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Maybe you’ve got the details of the actual wedding ceremony worked out, but what about the reception? One of the major costs of the wedding reception will definitely be the food, so you’ll want to make sure you’ll have enough food for everyone without spending too much money. Here are some top ways to cut on your catering bill that will ensure that your guests enjoy your receptionand you save money.

Don’t order more food than you need.

Most couples want to order an extra tray or two of hors d’oeuvres in case extra guests show up. This is fine (and usually a smart idea), but you should still make sure that you’re not order more appetizers than you actually need; use your discretion based on the guest list. For instance, if you know a number of your guests are vegetarian, you may not need to order as many appetizers with meat. Also, ordering two or three types of hors d’oeuvres will help to reduce your catering bill. If you buy more of the same dish, you can usually save money with most catering companiesdifferent kinds of foods will increase the bill, so it’s important to keep it classy but simple at the weddingeven when it comes to food.

Caterers will also try to encourage you to spend more than you may need to on the actual meal as well. You may not need a five course meal if you’ve already purchased three types of appetizers and a salad, or three extra desserts if you already have a pretty large wedding cake. The time of day that you hold your wedding will give you a good indication of how much food to serve; if you’re having the ceremony in the afternoon or early evening, you may want to serve more food.

Pay attention to the types of foods you order.

There are some foods that are always going to be expensive, even if you only order small amounts. So, since you have to order a considerable amount of food, ordering dishes that aren’t so costly will help you to keep your catering bill reasonable. Certain seafood, like shrimp, lobster and salmon will definitely make your catering bill higher, so if you have to have them, try to use them as only one of the course choices for dinner, or purchase these foods as appetizers to save on costs.

Have food stations.

Food stations are a unique way to serve a variety of foods at your wedding reception, and you can be sure that everyone will find something they like to eat. This way, you won’t have to worry about people changing their minds about their meal choices once they arrive at the reception. A food station with different types of pasta is usually a hit with most guests, and can be very economical. You can also include food stations with other types of the ethnic foods, such as Mexican or Indian fare, to celebrate the cultures of the people who will be attending your wedding, or to acknowledge your backgrounds.

You may also be able to cut your catering bill by not requesting an elaborate setup for your food stations and tables. Using a single color for tablecloths, usually white, will cut down on labor costs. To add more color to your reception decorations, you may want to add elaborate centerpieces, so that you can spend as much as you need to on the meals for the reception. To get menu ideas and more pricing information, log on to sites like www.weddingsutra.com and www.foreverwed.com.

About The Author
Michelle Ferrell is the author of “How To Plan Your Dream Wedding On A Limited Budget” - Discover other creative ways you can save thousands on your wedding at www.bridebargains.com.

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