My fiance and I paid for our wedding. Knowing that we were on a tight budget made it difficult to find a caterer that would work with us and our wedding size (around 150 people). Upon the advice of my mother and the reception hall, I contacte...d The Market Basket. They put me in contact with their wedding/party consultant, Trish, and she worked very hard with us to make our Renaissance wedding reception a reality.
Since Trish knew money was so tight, she tried to help us cut costs as much as possible. She suggested we select one of their regular catering menus as opposed to one of the Market Basket's wedding packages. Also, she helped us order the correct amount of food based upon our guest numbers since it was being served buffet-style. Trish also helped us select the appropriate amount of extra tables (we needed more than the hall provided), table linens, china, flatware, and glassware. During the cocktail hour and dessert, disposable items were used. Also, upon the suggestion of Trish, we purchased the alcohol that was going to be served at the reception because it was cheaper that way.
On the day of the wedding, the caterers showed up a bit later than expected, but the patio for the ceremony, room for the cocktail hour, and reception hall tables were still setup on time. Trish was the manager of the crew which included several wait staff, bussers, and a bartender. Everyone had plenty of delicious food (and my family had leftovers to take home). Trish made sure everything was taken care of, including making plates for my husband and I when we had a moment to eat, making sure we had drinks at our sweetheart table, and setting up our tiered ice cream wedding cake 20 minutes before it was to be cut.
In terms of cost, the catering was a much greater cost than we had hoped, but it was much cheaper than other places we priced. A large portion of the cost was due to the number of staff members and the number of hours they worked. Luckily, the balance for our catering bill was not due until a month after the wedding, so we were able to take some of our gift money (I know, sad) to pay the cost.