Weddings - these are the facts. Or are they?
We enjoy catering for weddings, bringing our locally sourced food to these special occasions. We have done quite a few at PJ taste, and many more in previous careers. What strikes us is that in our experience the wedding events we are involved with do not seem to follow the pattern described by national statistics. Here are some facts from Condé Nast’s latest survey:
The average overall cost of getting married is £22,858 (up from £21,901 in 2007)
Couples in London and the South East spend on average £23,932
Couples in Wales and the South West spend on average – £18,991
53% of couples pay for most of the wedding cost
Phew it seems like a lot of money and the majority of couples we have worked with have provided a fantastic day for much less (see some client feedback).
In our view the best way to beat the national budget statistic is to move from traditional hotel based venues to choosing a venue which allows you to do what you wish with it. There are some great alternative venues in and around Sheffield a few of the ones we have catered at arehere. By doing this you are on the way to personalising your event on your own terms and controlling the budget.
It can seem daunting to be faced with planning everything yourself but there is help. For example, at PJ taste we meet couples to listen to what they would like and then make suggestions based on our experience. We can create a menu and schedule for the day allowing time for each element and often suggest less food is required than perhaps thought – its almost as bad to over cater as it is to under provide! Using a professional wedding planner can also be extremely helpful and overall help save money and achieve your budget. We can recommendWedding Daze a Sheffield based couple who are dedicated to their clients needs.
So what are the biggest trends we have seen? Undoubtedly the “booze cruise” culture has meant that many people opt to supply their own drinks. This is fine and we will then provide facilities to chill, supply glasses and manage the service. Another feature has been mixing up the traditional order of events from having speeches at the beginning of the meal or even before, to introducing various garden activities to provide entertainment between the more formal parts of the day. A bucking bronco was one of the more unusual additions with of course the proviso that it is customary for the bride and groom to have the first buck! At the other end of the meal it’s fashionable to serve tea and cake in vintage crockery, often sourced by the wedding couple themselves.
As they say there are “lies, damned lies, and statistics” and our experience certainly supports this with wedding budgets. But in the final analysis the most important thing is that a wedding day gives fabulous memories to all concerned wherever and however its conducted.
