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Affordable caterers?

lindsey.moorelindsey.moore
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in New York-New York City
I'm frustrated with caterer-shopping -- I don't want to spend $16,000 to feed only 75 guests! I think that because we're getting married in an expensive-ish venue the caterers are upcharging me, but I don't know for sure. My family is Southern and the fiance's is Midwestern, and they're pretty meat-and-potatoes, so we want something pretty simple/rustic. Can anyone recommend a caterer who does simple, nice, affordable food?Thanks guys!
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Re: Affordable caterers?

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    bresitabresita
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    edited December 2011
    We had a GREAT one for our RD.  it was not a sit down dinner though but she made heavy apps for our guests. . I think we had about 30 people but everything was delicious and really well made. . her email is alimezfood@aol.com  her name is alison. . she was great at working with us on menu, amount etc. . happy to answer more qs if you want. .I do know she does weddings too. . and she was very affordable I thought for what she did. . compared to others who I looked for for the same thing it was well worth it . .
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    CaitrusCaitrus
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    edited December 2011
    Where are you getting married? What do you want for food and what do you want to spend per person?Is the caterer that is quoting you 16k providing rentals?
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    lindsey.moorelindsey.moore
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Yep, that includes rentals. Without them, I'm getting around $13-14K for a 75-person wedding. Maybe this is normal? It's just so frustrating, because with that kind of cost we're definitely going to blow our budget. So I guess we start thinking about cocktail reception options, which isn't so bad!I'm getting married at the Foundry next July. :)
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    lindsey.moorelindsey.moore
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Oh, and we wanted a sit-down dinner without dessert, and passed hors doeuvres. But rethinking might need to happen. Are buffets a lot cheaper?I'd love to pay $100/person including alcohol (beer, wine, and signature cocktail, no champagne), but I'm just not sure anyone will do that.
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    CaitrusCaitrus
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Who gave you the quote for 16k?I would say 100 per person is tough.Take a look at Sterling Affair, ask for Ari or look Smart Catering and speak with Ben.  They both have great prices.I don't think that caterers are upcharging you, in fact I think you are doing fairly well if the cost includes rentals.  Is there tax and gratuity in there as well?Buffets can be cheaper because you cut down on the staffing costs however, the money you save there can be spent on equipment and serving dishes for the buffet. Talk to the caterer that you got the original quote from and say, what can I do to bring this down?  Or say, this is what I want to spend per person, maybe you can't get it down that far but this is my budget - what can you do for me?  Be honest about your budget and what you want to spend.  It is easier to put that up front and not let them blow your budget out of the water.
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    mayflowerbridemayflowerbride
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I used Sterling Affair (worked with Peter on the pricing, who owns the company, and negotiated the price a little since we wanted three courses instead of four, and a dessert instead of wedding cake), and it was way, way less than the quotes you seem to be getting.  The food was excellent and the service was fantastic.  I highly recommend them. Other decently priced options I looked into were A Moveable Feast, Food Matters (one of the most inexpensive), and Seasons Catering.  Since then I've heard people raving about Real Food Catering as very inexpensive and very good.Keep looking!  You can *definitely* do much better than $16,000!  That's more than $200 a person.  My advice is to be very upfront about your per person budget when you first call the caterers and ask about their pricing.  Pitch your number a little under what you are willing to pay, and then negotiate options, including you buying the liquor yourself wholesale (on their recommendation) for them to serve.  Good luck!
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    hollylfkhollylfk member
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    edited December 2011
    We used Real Food Catering and everything was perfect. Yen was great to work with through the whole process. We had a 3 course seated dinner for 63 guests with passed horsdourves (sp?) during cocktail hour and i think the cost of the food was around $100 a guest. She also organized our rentals and helped with the alcohol(although we ended up ordering it but that literally took two phone calls and it was set). I know she has done alot of weddings at the Foundry as well.
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    lindsey.moorelindsey.moore
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    These are so helpful, thank you guys so much. I have faith that we will be able to do passed hors doeuvres, 2 courses (then wedding cake, not included), and beer/wine/signature ccktail  for 10-12K -- wish me luck!
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