1. Hire a catering company to do the whole package for you. This is the way most people think about using a caterer. The caterer not only prepares and provides waitstaff to serve the food, but they supply the tables, chairs, linens, beverages, bartender, flowers, decorations, and the catering hall for your party. Naturally, this is also the most expensive way to employ catering at your party.
2. Use a catering company for everything, but you provide the place for your party. By cutting out the catering hall, you save on renting a facility. However, this will only work if you have enough room for the number of guests that you plan to invite to your party. If your party will be outdoors, you may need to rent a tent if the weather is uncertain and your guests won't fit in your home during a sudden downpour. Plus, you may have extra expenses if you choose to rent dinnerware, glassware, and flatware from the caterer, instead of using disposable party goods.
3. Use the catering company to prepare the food, set it up, serve your guests, and clean it up when they're done. In this case you supply and set up tables, chairs, linens, place settings (whether china or disposables) and decorations. You may or may not choose to provide and serve your own beverages, versus hiring a bartender from the catering company to handle that for you.
4. Hire a catering company to prepare and deliver the food to your party. You handle the rest. This is the least expensive approach, but it will still save you all the time you would have spent shopping for ingredients, cooking, and cleaning up from your cooking. And the less time spent preparing and cleaning, the more time you can spend enjoying your guests and your own party.
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