Perfectly Wedded Occasion

Event Budgeting 101

A wedding is a joyous occasion that occurs just once in a lifetime. This beautiful sentiment can often be an opportunity for overspending with all the pressure and anxiety associated with an event that only happens one time. Couples can avoid these common pitfalls by utilizing Chef Becky Geisel’s advice from her seventeen years of special event catering experience. Don’t enter into your new special chapter of life, as Mr. & Mrs. Overbudget and in debt. To avoid this, the couple should start with a true plan to prioritize their wants and likes to help them stay within budget. Chef Becky recommends these simple tips to help guide the process. If the couple are foodies they should hierarchize the caterer over rentals and decor. If they are all about the Instagram shot and not the food they should allocate more for decor and rentals rather than catering. To save money on the decor Chef Becky recommends the “reduce, reuse, and recycle” approach, a theme she executes in her daily life to minimize her carbon footprint. She suggests that the couple seek assistance from family or friends to help with the decorating. Simple décor savings can start by using family photos or a couple of photos framed and placed on the tables as centerpieces for the personal touch. Upcycling old wine or water bottles by spray painting them a monochromatic color can pull the decor together and create varied heights on the tables. If you like the farm-to-table look you can save on linens and use natural greens and simple candlelight down the middle of the farm table for the perfect ambiance. 

Chef also recommends saving on food by selecting a simple, seasonal menu versus a complex menu with multiple offerings and foods that do not coordinate with the season. This helps keep the food pricing down as you feature items more readily available while being able to source products locally which are fresher and of higher quality. 

Or create a theme out of the ordinary to create a budget-friendly yet memorable event. Chef Becky was tasked with creating an extraordinary look for a polo event and utilized an elegant black and white theme for the decor that made the colorful food pop and be the star on the plate. Read more about this event on our blog on our website. 

Incorporate some culture to your backyard such as a Moroccan theme dinner. Add flavor and color to the menu with spices from North Africa for a truly unique gathering. The use of charger plates can help frame a table setting and add a touch of glamour to your event. Go “full theme” ahead and throw brightly colored pillows around instead of using chairs to keep in the Moroccan theme. Take it one step further and use your hands to eat for genuine authenticity, if so desired. However you decide to go, Chef Becky reminds you to have fun as you create memories that will last a lifetime and will be shared with future generations through photos or storytelling. 

Rehearsal Dinners – Think Outside of The Box

There is no need, in today’s cosmopolitan times, to have an ordinary rehearsal dinner. There are so many ways to personalize the gathering to impart a bit of the lifestyle and hobbies of the couple into the event. Chef Becky is an expert at thinking outside of the box and has these suggestions for the new couple for their rehearsal dinner plans. She recommends packing a picnic and hitting the river with friends and family who may be from out of town. This provides the perfect opportunity to relax while entertaining and getting to know new family members in a casual, yet fun way. Rent some canoes for the ultimate float down the river and stop on the bank for a good old-fashioned picnic. Room-temperature food is always in season and a safe way to present several different types of cuisine. You can learn more about room-temperature food on our blog on our website. 

This unique, low-pressure, rehearsal dinner affords guests the chance to connect while canoeing or tubing down the river, stopping along the way, and taking in some sun and good food via the old picnic basket. This allows for more freedom to be on your schedule and relish this joyous occasion, step by step, rather than rushing through the motions. Pack a favorite cocktail along with some beer and wine and begin building those memories with family and friends before you walk down the aisle. Keep it casual and fun and remember to snap the perfect pics!

About Chef Becky Geisel 

Chef Becky Geisel describes herself as “an outsider chef.” She learned many core kitchen techniques from her mother in rural northwest New Jersey. It wasn’t until the Chef took her experience as a student at the Parsons School of Design in New York City and combined it with her cooking skills that Bex was born. Using art principles of shape, texture, color, and design, the Chef launched her company from her home in 2006– with a baby strapped to her! She catered a photoshoot for Ralph Lauren and began a culinary odyssey that saw her opening a brick & mortar restaurant a few years later. She took years of working in restaurants – as a waitress and head pastry chef – and applied the experience to create food that is straightforward, healthy, tasty, and (often) anti-inflammatory, with a unique artistic presentation that makes the food as pretty as it is delicious. 

Chef Becky Geisel has been operating a private catering company for seventeen years and has seen and learned a lot. She has honed her skills as a special event planner knowing how to anticipate needs and match them with expectations to execute unforgettable events.