Reception Food & Catering

I'm in LOVE with my bridal party. They're all just as gung-ho as I am about the wedding planning! Two of my girls are already married and a third will be married by the time my wedding rolls around. This means I get to learn from their experiences for free! Who needs a wedding planner?!?

Anyways, I've already told them that I want the theme of my wedding to be "Romantic Southern Charm". In keeping with that theme, I want a sort of upscale take on southern comfort food but without the upscale price.

Well, my soon to be sister-in-law, Leslie, called today to let me know she did some searching of local caterers (she lives in my host city, Savannah). She found out that Paula Deen's (you may know her from the Food Network) restaurant The Lady & Sons is actually very affordable. I can get the Southern Buffet delivered to my site for $18.99 a head plus tax. I pick from 3 meats and 4 sides (including mac and cheese, my fave). I would also get cheese biscuits, one choice of 3 dessert options, and tea (sweet & unsweetened). I can also get fancy chafing dishes and hire their servers if I wish.

I think this is an amazing price considering The Knot.com has my suggested per person food cost at nearly $60 a head. The only thing missing is seafood. Chris loves seafood and because our wedding will be on the coast, it's only appropriate to have some. So Leslie even sent them an email and asked how much more it would be to add items like crab cakes and the shrimp and grits. She hasn't heard back yet, but I thanked her big time for taking the initiative!

I hope this works out. Leslie, who just had a wedding in December of 2007, said that catering prices don't get much better than that.