(Yes I know I'm posting this on Thursday, but I didn't have the info I needed to make this post until late last night.)
Anyways, I'm using the interwebs to help me decide which vendor I'm going with for the food for my wedding and what to feed my guests because I can't seem to make this decision on my own.
A bit of background story: I asked around my already married friends and got a recommendation for Jack's Gourmet Restaurant in Columbia, Missouri. My friend said that they had a really great experience with Jack's and I remember the food to be pretty good. I emailed Jack's at the end of October / beginning of November and didn't get a response for weeks. I finally emailed them again and I was told they had been extremely busy preparing turkeys for Thanksgiving. They emailed me their catering menu and some prices. I responded the same day asking how much x, y and z are and didn't hear back from them for weeks again. I figured they were busy with Christmas so Keegan called them in January. I was told that the lady I have been working with thought that she had sent me an email and was waiting on me to respond. She gave me the run down of prices and we did the math. We had a few more questions so I emailed her back on February 18 and I still haven't heard back from her. The severe lack of communication from Jack's made me worry. How do I know that they can show up on my wedding date prepared if they can't sit down for 10 minutes and send me an email?
So with the bad taste from Jack's in my mouth, I started searching for another caterer. I was told by another friend that Hy-vee, a grocery store with multiple locations in Columbia had been her caterer and she recommended them. Since their hours are only 9-5, Monday-Friday and both Keegan and I work during that time, I had my parents run over and see what their catering was like. My dad went on a Sunday and left a note with the catering chef. We didn't hear from them until yesterday (a week and a half later) which made me nervous. I was hoping I wouldn't go through another Jack's experience. Hy-Vee has similar food options as Jack's but at a significantly lower price. I thought that my search was done, but Hy-Vee through a kink into my plans. Originally, we were going to do 4 or 5 appetizers with Jacks which we can also do with Hy-Vee; however, for the same price as 4 appetizers, we can also do a full sit down dinner. Honestly the only reason that we had gone with appetizers in the first place was the price of a sit down dinner, but now I don't know what to do.
So come with me while I basically think out loud on the internet and try to figure this out. Any comments/opinions are much appreciated.
Jack's will be in green
Hy-vee will be in pink.
We're also doing these calculations assuming 110 people will come, we don't have a head count though.
Food
Jack's appetizers: fruit tray ($1.75/person), silver dollar rolls ($2.20/person), cheese dip ($1.95/person), buffalo wings ($2.70/person) and a cheese tray ($1.50/person) x 110 people = $1111
Hy-vee's appetizers: boneless chicken wings, finger/cocktail sandwiches, crudités with dip, spinach dip with assorted breads (4 appetizers for $8/person) x 110 = $880
or
Hy-vee's pasta bar: fettuccine & penne, Alfredo & marinara sauce, grilled chicken, caeser salad & breadstick for $8/person x 110 people = $880
or
Hy-vee's entree option: three cheese encrusted chicken, oven roasted red potatoes, catalina (mixed) veggies and a caeser salad for $8/person x 110 people = $880
Linens
Jack's: 12 round table linens ($3) x 12 tables = $36
8" x 5' tables linens ($3) x 4 tables = $12
30" x 5' tables linens ($3) x 7 tables = $21
Total linen cost: $69
Hy-vee: 17 table linens x $15/linen = $225
Plates/silverware
Jacks: dinner plates: $.30 x 220 = $66
dessert plates: $.30 x 110 = $66
Total: $132
Hy-vee plates: Full service setup for $200 includes:
- plates and silverware (nicer plastic)
- linens for buffet tables
- chafing dishes
- color coordinating decorations for buffet table (not sure if we'd use these)
- staff for buffet (2 hours max)
Total: $200
Bar/drinks
Jacks: Bartender (4 hours x $15/hour) = $60
"Setups" (glasses and ice) $1 x 110 people = $110
Keg: 1/2 barrel of Boulevard Wheat = $275
Wine: 10 bottles x $20/bottle = $200
Tea/lemonade: 7 gallons x $15/gallon = $105
Total: $750
Hy-vee: Bartender: $0 (they said we could have someone serve non-alcoholic drinks, but I'm pretty sure people can pour their own tea/lemonade)
Tea/lemonade/water: $1/person (includes cups and ice) x 110 people = $110
$150 refundable deposit for keg
$160 for Keg (guesstamation)
$108 for wine (guesstamation)
Total: $528 ($150 of which will be refunded)
Delivery Charge
Jack's: $30
Hy-Vee: $0 (as long as we buy more than $100 worth of food which I can't see being a problem)
Gratuity
Jack's: 20%
Hy-Vee: $0 (they're actually not allowed to take a tip)
Quick Rundown:
Food Jacks: $1111 Hy-vee: $880
Linens Jacks: $60 Hy-vee: $225
Plates Jacks: $132 Hy-vee: $200
Bar & Drinks Jacks: $750 Hy-vee: $528 ($150 of which is refundable)
Delivery Fee Jacks: $30 Hy-vee: $0
Running Total Jacks: $2083 Hy-vee: $1683
Gratuity Jacks 20% ($416.6) Hy-vee: $0
Tax (7.35%) Jacks $182.471 Hy-vee: $122.859
Grand Total: Jacks: $2682.071 Hy-vee: $1805.859
So obviously Hy-Vee wins right? I feel like they give us more (like people to actually serve the food) but I guess I just fee weird for having a grocery store provide the food for my wedding. They also responded quickly to our first questions, however, I haven't had any contact with them since. I'm afraid that they're going to be another Jack's experience.
Another thing, if we do decide to serve one of the site down dinners from Hy-Vee, I feel like we're going to have to push the start of the wedding back by at least an hour.
Right now the wedding starts at 6. I'm assuming the ceremony will take 30 minutes or less which means our guests will go to the reception around 6:30 while we take a few pictures. If we get into the reception around 7 and start the food, we have until 10 to eat, dance and all that jazz (we have to be entirely out of the reception hall by 11 so clean up will start at 10.) I felt like 3 hours was enough to eat and dance if we were doing appetizers. People could graze, talk and dance on their own.
However, if we do a sit down dinner, I feel like we need an extra hour for people to eat. We would start the ceremony at 5, finish by 5:30, finish pictures by 6, have the sit down dinner from 6-7, and then do cake, mingling and dancing from 7-10.
Does this make sense or am I just crazy? Will people take an hour to eat? Do people enjoy sit down dinners or would they rather have appetizers so they can mingle and talk? Should I push back the wedding by an hour no matter what we decide? (By the way, the start time of the wedding hasn't been made public except on our wedding website which I don't think people have really looked at. I feel like we could change the start time without confusing too many people.)
HELP!
(really, any thoughts, concerns, input would be greatly appreciated.)
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