When it comes to cutting costs for your wedding but still throwing a killer reception, you really do want to splurge a little. That doesn’t mean breaking the bank. To do this, think holiday or Sunday roast! You know, those simple comfort foods that go a long way when it comes to feeding your entire dysfunctional family.
Choose Your Roast
If your family is anything like mine you’ve got one person who hates ham, but loves turkey. One person who won’t eat turkey but will eat the ham. Three people who hate chicken, because it’s the cheapest–and one person who swears by red meat only. It’s okay to go with one, and maybe serve a veggie style casserole as a main. Or pick two by consensus of guest, or tell the picky people to shut it and do what you want.
Not Your Average Roast Ideas
- Jamaican Rubbed Turkey Or Lamb
- Lamb with Mint Sauce
- Roast Beef with Au Jus
- Beer Butt Chicken
- Pork Belly
- Crispy Roast Duck
- Bacon Wrapped Roast Pork Loin
- Roast Goose or Quail
- Traditional Stuffed Turkey
- Beef Brisket
Setting Up Your Carving Station
Be super-savvy when it comes to set up. You’re gonna need an actual carving station with a heat lamp. I did some minimal research and found Encore Events offers one for rental with a cutting board, heat lamp, and drip pan for $45. If you have a very nice cutting board at home, you can set up your own drip pan (the best way is to rest the cutting board inside a cookie sheet and place both on top of a nonslip mat) along with a heat lamp for $88 from Amazon then simply sell it on Ebay or Ruffled as gently used to get most of your money back.
You’ll also need:
- Knife
- Hand towel
- Gloves
- Warm bowl of water; for wiping the knife off when it gets difficult to cut through the meat due to debris.
Nail the DIY Bit
If your reception is quite small there is no reason not to just put out menu cards, place a knife on the cutting board and let the adults serve themselves. When it comes to parties of 50 or more, you might want to think about hiring someone for dinner service only. TaskRabbit or Thumbtack is a great place to find someone to simply do some carving for an hour or two, and just ask them to carve the leftover meat before taking off so guests can serve themselves.
Your DIY carving station can be set up with little posh canapes, traditional family style sides, and a biscuit bar! Get creative, have fun, and know you didn’t break the bank with one sweet carving station that will have your guests thinking you went all out.
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