to cater or not?

If you think that you are good enough at cooking and if you have all the equipments and if you are ready to wash them all,you can ask a few people/friends to come early so that they can help you cooking instead of hiring a caterer,because you can't manage all by yourself.Hiring a caterer will take a lot of money.And don't forget if you don't hire a caterer you'll get all the appreciation from your party member.

if i have time i rather cook for them in that way i'll fell proud to myself and give more attention to details of every menu and preparation...

If it's just 30 people then I believe it would be cheaper if you'll just cook, but then you have to consider the recipe to prepare, the utensils to use, plus the time and effort for everything else including preparations. If you think you can handle it then go for it, but some catering services offer good package deals so you could also survey first or canvass first and then weigh the ups and downs then make a decision based on the outcome.

I think for something personalized, it's best to stick with cooking yourself. To be honest, that's the best ever. But if you want to have more free time to entertain guests and not be tired after cooking everything, it's best to stick to a caterer. It's actually depending on the type of menus one would like to have as well..

Hi, candyfairy21. I would just cook it myself. I will serve party dishes along with appetizers. It would be less expensive for me, if I would cook everything myself.

if you can afford to cater do so for the simple reason that the fact that you can afford a caterer means you've worked hard and this party is the time not to worry about anything and just have a good time .

i used to cook for 30 or more people when i had parties. nowadays i either cater and also cook extra dishes for parties. there are at time, our friends bring pot luck or pot bless. for pot luck, i have to prepare a menu of what dishes and see who is cooking what. catering is a little expensive but less cleaning up. pot luck is interesting as we get more and varied dishes.

If you have the budget i suggest you get a caterer. Although it's more economical if you'll prepare everything, this take a lot of your time. You'll even miss some of the fun. having a caterer will allow you to entertain your guests and can mingle with every one without having to worry about the food, who has not eaten yet, where you place this and that which a caterer can already take care of. At the end of the party the caterer cleans everything up and you're rest thinking about the fun and not the worries of cleaning after the mess.