BRONZE BUDGET BRIDE

Candy buffets are a very popular wedding trend that guests are loving. You can create them yourself with vases and jars you can find just about anywhere. Buy some candy in bulk and create a sweet display at your wedding reception!

Here's some candy buffet displays that I hope will inspire you!

If you are a small budget bride I am sure that you've already been told to have your reception in the morning to save money by serving breakfast or brunch to your guest which is always cheaper than the dinner menu. However, if you are a bride who is making your own breakfast buffet and need a little help then here's a list of the most common breakfast items: scrambled eggs, omelets, sausages, bacon, frittata or quiche, crepes, waffles, French toast, bagels, rolls, croissants, pastries, pancakes, muffins, bananas, fruit salad, oranges, pineapple, berries and spreads such as cream cheese.

For your drink selection you can serve coffee, tea, hot chocolate,
juice or champagne if it's at brunch. I think pigs in the blanket would be a fun addition and remember you can slice a whole ham thinly to serve for breafast and they are less than $14 for a large one at Walmart.

If you would like to create something new and interesting AllRecipes.com is a great go to site! I always find what I am looking for there with tons of reviews with tips on how they've change it to make it better or even more interesting. So you can have some fun creating your menu but remember don't get too fancy if you want your food budget to stay small, just make sure that everything taste really good!


Photo Credit: SmartChoiceCatering.com

If you pay very close attention to this photo you will notice that some of the serving platters to the front of the table are elevated by vases. These square vases are filled with Clear Luster Gems and they look fantastic.

This is a cheap yet chic table decor idea that you can use yourself. You can find cheap vases from thrift shops, yard sales, flea markets and your local dollar stores in varying heights to add dimensions to your display. Then just add luster gems which can also be found at dollar stores in quite a few different colors, one of which will match your theme. If you don't find them in your area you can always shop online here online at DollarTree.com where a bag of gems is sold for $1.00!


Photo Credit: detailseventrental.com

Curry Meat


Black Beans, White Rice & Bake Chicken


Yellow Rice and Beans


Oxtail Stem



Jerk Chicken Wings


Mini Jamaican Beef, Veggie and Chicken Patties


Steam Vegetables


Spicy Shrimp


Saltfish and Fry Plaintains


Jonny Cakes a.k.a Fry Dumplings

Top Chef which airs on Bravo at 10/9c has been one of my favorite reality shows since it gives season and unseason chefs the chance to prove show talent to the world. What I love most about it though are the recipes, it's watching how the chef's plate the food to serve to the guests and judges. Even if it's something as simple as a piece of fried banana, they add so many visual elements to that plate that even I may not mind paying $30.00 for it.

The reason I am discussing this is because I know there are many brides-to-be who would love to have a sit down dinner but is worried that it will be too expensive. There is a way to compromise. What Top Chef proves if the food is good, no one mind that the portions are smaller. So maybe it's ok to consider making your own food at home, deliver it to the venue buffet style, but have someone plate the food for the guests. That way you would not have to spend as much for food as you would for an open buffet bar, and if it's visually pleasing, your guests won't mind taking those few steps to get their appetizing meal. It's food for thought.

In the deli section of your local supermart you'll find a variety of party trays to choose from usually starting at around $15! Well, if you look closely at what you get for your money, much of the price goes into the prep work that's put in since the items are food that you can pull together yourself to create the same eye-catching, hearty and tasty platter that you can serve either at your Cocktail Hour or at your Wedding Reception.


This beautiful platter is filled with ham and turkey slices that you can pick up at Walmart or a specialty store for under $3.00 for a pack with 25 slices. The Oscar Mayer brand is tasty and still affordable if you are not sure what to hamd and turkey slices to buy and Kraft is a popular choice when it comes to cheese.



The last wedding I attended had these on the menu and they were gone fairly quickly. They are simply made with soft taco shells, filled with slice turkey, ham, salami or roast beef. The green is usually lettuce, spinach or avocado in some cases. To create a vegetarian wrap you can use lettuce, tomato, cucumber, spinach and/or any veggie you think would be a tasty addition, but it easy to roll!

Once you have all you need, it's just a matter of layering, rolling, cutting and stacking till you're done.

1.	Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll both cans of the dough; separate into 16 triangles. Cut each triangle lengthwise into 3 narrow triangles.
2.	Place sausage on shortest side of each triangle. Roll up each, starting at shortest side of triangle and rolling to opposite point; place point side down on 2 ungreased cookie sheets.
3.	Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown, switching position of cookie sheets halfway through baking. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Below is a simple menu of comfort foods that is sure to please any crowd at a buffet, dinner reception.



~Bacon and Herb Roast Turkey Breast~
~Honey Baked Ham~
~Herbed Basmati Rice~
~Oven Roasted Red Potatoes with RoseMary and Garlic~
~Delicious Meatballs and Spaghetti~
~Caesar Salad with Parmesan Cheese~
~Dinner Rolls~

Bacon and Herb Roast Turkey Breast
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse and Food Network

According to this article at cornwallfreenews.com, Chef Shawn Kretz recently wed and catered his own wedding. So what did he serve to his wedding guests?

*Bison Ribs (that was slow cooked days before)
*Grilled Corn on the Cob
*Potato Salad
*Caesar Salad
*Shrimp and Corn Salad
*Coleslaw
*Shrimp and Corn Salad
*Broccoli-flower Cheddar and Bacon Salad
*Multi-grain Salad
*Greek Village Salad.

Cheese and veggie platters were also made available to the guests earlier in the day (probably at the cocktail hour) and the couple provided dessert trays for the cake eating portion of the reception. So now, looking at what this chef served to his wedding guests, don't you feel less pressured to go out and buy gourmet items to create an equally tasty meal.

Chef Kretz also added that, "Overall the meal was easy to execute because most was prepared the day before. We enjoyed serving our guests in a buffet style line, this allowed us to also greet everyone we may not have had the chance to see otherwise."

So now you see it's really okay to just serve up simple but delicious food at your reception and your guest would enjoy it!



Congratulations Chef Kretz!

photo credit cupcaketakethecake.blogspot.com

"Similar to haute couture, all our designs are custom-created and made from high-quality materials with an extreme attention to detail and finish. The product when assembled into its cupcake shape has a continuation of the pattern with an intent of not showing any “seam”..."