Well, in actuality they're not "self catered" ... you know them..... they're the weddings where the bride and groom belong to a church and all of a sudden everyone wants to show the love. EVERYONE will be cooking something for your wedding because they're sooooo happy for you and the boo!!
Ok... here's the thing... I totally get the excitement. I do. But when you have 10-12 church ladies cooking "something" for 100 people you're going to end up with enough food for 700 people! Add to that the fact that there's no real menu. Now you have enough food for 700 that looks like a church picnic. Trust me on this one. You won't be happy and neither will your hungry guests. But the most unhappy soul? That would be the "caterer" - that's the lady who caters at your church and is usually in charge of the kitchen at church functions. She's going to be frustrated and drained trying to "cater" your wedding. People will be asking her for things that she knows nothing about. (I have to add that the venue owner will be pulling out the little hair that she has left on her head, too.)
There's a simple fix to this. Organization! Plan a menu, delegate said menu, delegate the dishes, trays and platters. You'll be happier. How can you be happiest you ask? I'm so happy that you did! This is so VERY EASY... hire a professional. Someone who does this week in and week out. Someone who is trained to address the worst of catastrophes. Pay them the dues that they sooo deserve. It's a tough, tough job and our caterers do it very well. They truly are worth their weight in hot potatoes!!
*photos courtesy of sheknows.com