I want to basically cater my own wedding.?

The wedding will be held outdoors in a public rose garden w/ no electricity available. I'm thinking about doing quiche, fruit salad, muffins, and scones. How do I keep everything warm? And the fruit and beverages cool?



I think it would be fun to have individual tea pots at each table.

Do you think it'd be fun to have tea posts and finger foods at each and every table? You know, the kind of thing that tea houses serve. Who should I ask to serve? Or should I hire servers?

I want to basically cater my own wedding.?
you can use gas appliances! [ie camping stoves, etc.] easily done.

i love your idea of a garden wedding - and your menu thus far sounds absolutely perfect!

tea pots at each table - just make sure you have tea cosies, to keep them hot!

use coolers and/or tubs of ice to keep the cold drinks cold!

i would go to the local high school, talk with the home economics [cooking] teacher and explain the situation. ask her if she would suggest her most reliable students for you to approach and offer a day's work!

i would keep the menu fairly simple but elegant, ie: tea sandwiches, petite fours, as well as your salads. make your muffins mini muffins, or just muffin tops,[you can buy a bake tin for muffin tops], and make your scones mini scones.

have pretty paper napkins with floral designs on them, and you can not beat chinet brand paper plates. costco has very good quality disposable tablecloths - they are thick and luxurious looking and reasonably priced.

if you are good at organizing and enjoy doing your own parties then don't let anyone dissuade you from doing your own. its a bit of work, but with the help of good friends, family and your attendants you can have a beautiful garden wedding at a fraction of a cost that the caterers would charge!

i'm looking forward to your future questions.

happy wedding sweetie!
Reply:What a great idea! Well, to keep food warm, you should rent some chafing dishes from a local rental store. If you don't know, chafing dishes are those silver trays with a little flame lit under them, like they use at buffets. That will keep your food warm and make it look professionally catered.



To keep beverages and fruit cool, transport them in big Coleman coolers with ice packs (NOT ice cubes) lining them. When you get to your reception venue, place the fruit salad in a big bowl on top of several flat ice packs covered by a thin napkin to make it look pretty. For the beverages, you may keep them in a tub of ice cubes, but make sure you wipe the cans down as you serve them, so they don't get your guests all wet and drippy.



However, I have to tell you- if you're looking into hiring servers and chafing dishes and serving utensils and whatnot, it's probably going to run you at least as much, if not more, than just hiring a catering company to do it for you. Really, I think you should consider getting it catered. If you stuck with the same menu you just mentioned, it wouldn't cost too much.
Reply:sounds like you will be

so busy catering you will

not have time for fun!!



Cater food in: Chick-fil-a

has an awesome catering menue!
Reply:sorry you are a glutton for pain.



scheduling a wedding (outside of JP marriage) is a hassle and u want to 'cater' your own wedding.



you will not enjoy the day.



hire professionals or semi pros.
Reply:I'm not sure what to suggest for keeping things warm except maybe those warming candles under the dishes but it would probably take a whole lot of them.



Keeping things cool is much easier. Keep them on ice. I would check with a place that rents "industrial" party supplies for something like large cake pans. Fill those with a mixture of water and ice and put the dishes on top. For the drinks, it's even easier: tubs or coolers with the same mixture of water and ice in them and your good to go.



I would try and design the menu with more cool things than warm dishes as it seems the cooling will be easier to do. Also, if possible, keep the table of cool dishes in the shade and the tables of warm dishes in the sun.



And buffet style will be cheaper. No need to hire servers...



Good luck and have fun with your wedding.
Reply:Call your local rental place - they might be able to offer you some propane solution to keep your food warm/cold. Even to cook if you wanted.



I'd hire someone to serve - you don't want to have your guests serve - they won't be able to enjoy themselves!



Good luck, and Congratulations!
Reply:I love an outdoor wedding...be sure to have back up just in case it rains...you don't want wet %26amp; soggy guest.

I would defitinely hire someone...you want to relax on your day instead of worrying about food etc...having family members and friends do it can be a hassle too...because you want them to enjoy the wedding right? Let professionals worry about that...I do like the menu ideas and the teapot ideas...What I envison for a theme is "Breakfast at Tiffanys" have the teapots, streams of pearls %26amp; swarqkosy crystals, small frames with your and your honey's pic in them, a very inexpensive flower vase with assorted flowers..

it doesn't have to be tiffany blue %26amp; chocolate...but I do like the combination...you can do soft pink %26amp; creams.
Reply:WooooHooo, well I wanted to do the same thing for my wedding and cook everything of course with the help from my family but now its getting down to the wire and everyone is correct that I will be so stressed out the whole weekend trying to get everything prepared and done and also get myself situated and ready. I suggest to find a caterer and have them do it but in the event that you still want to cook you can buy buffet chafing dishes I believe that is what they are called.

http://www.haciendarentals.com/images/th...

or http://artwork.net/ks/ahrents/images/cha...

These are the buffet set ups that we were going to get for our wedding. At the bottom are the sternos also called the warmers to keep them warm. Just a thought for you, hope this helps some.