Even if you're on a tight budget, you'd still want your debut party to be perfect. One of the ways to lower your expenses for your celebration would be to have a great menu for less. Below are four ways to save on your debut menu.
1 Request substitutes for expensive ingredients
Some dishes can still taste great even if slightly modified. Ask your caterer if they can use less expensive ingredients to make the same dish. If you want fish as a part of your debut menu and the kind they use for a particular dish is expensive—like maya-maya or lapu-lapu—ask them to use labahita or dalagang bukid instead. Your food will still be made in the same way, but you won't have to spend as much.
2 Hold the party at an odd time
If you opt to have a merienda-cena (in between merienda and dinner) or after-dinner cocktails, your guests might expect lighter fare. You don't have to stick to a meal with several courses, and you have a wider range of the kinds of dishes you can serve, which, cumulatively, can cost less than dinner or lunch. Go for heavy cocktail food that will still satiate hunger.
3 Drink moderately
Consider serving less expensive alcoholic drinks, like beer or mocktails instead of hard drinks. Or nix the cocktail hour and open bar altogether, and just have enough wine for the toasts. You'll be able to save on the drinks, and avoid having to deal with drunk and unruly guests at your debut.
4 Consider merging your dessert and favors
Many people give out edible treats as favors, so why not have something sweet for guests to take home? You can do away with a sit-down dessert course, but guests can still have their sugar fix as they leave the party with sweets. Or you can let guests have a slice of your debut cake for dessert.
From The Candy Bulletin Community
