Stay True To Yourself
While its important to think about your guests, the best wedding menus include food and drinks that are uniquely special to the bride and groom. Consider incorporating food that represents special memories and moments in your relationship to put a personal spin on traditional wedding food choices.
Think about including food from a region you loved traveling to together or consider incorporating dining favorites from the area you live. Adding personal touches to your menu is an easy way to make your wedding meal unique!
Theres a lot to consider when thinking about the foods and drinks to feature during your wedding. To ensure a successful and stress-free wedding planning process, make sure to keep key planning tips in mind. Remember to have fun with your menu, and add seasonal elements to really make the meal stand out! To make the dining experience extra special, add wedding menu cards outlining each course at each seat.
Sugar Frosted Spice Cake
This gorgeous spice-flavored naked cake has layers of blackberry jam, cream cheese and orange zest frosting throughout. Spice cake is the perfect way to embrace the winter season since it typically includes cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. If you opt to have this winter favorite at your wedding, don’t forget to save yourself a piece.
Why Food Is The Most Important Thing In Indian Wedding
I need to tell you something, and don’t take it personally. You and your hubbie are important obviously also…but….
Food is arguably the most important thing at most South Asian and Indian weddings.
Ask any wedding planner, and despite the fireworks and helicopter for your baraat, people will love/hate/remember your wedding based on the food.
Yes they are there for you and they love you, but food is love also right?
And you love your guests don’t you?
DON’T YOU!?!?!
Read Also: What Gift Do You Give For A 40th Wedding Anniversary
What Are Common Wedding Foods
When it comes to planning your wedding menu, there are many things to consider. But one of the most important decisions is what foods to serve your guests.
There are many traditional wedding foods that are enjoyed by guests of all ages. Some of the most popular choices include wedding cake, chicken, beef, ham, pasta dishes, and salads.
If you are looking for something a little more unique, you could consider serving international dishes or dishes with a regional flair. For example, if you are getting married in the south, you might want to serve up some delicious barbeque. Or, if you are having a destination wedding, you could serve up dishes from the country or region where you are getting married.
No matter what you choose, it is important to make sure that the menu is both delicious and satisfying. After all, you want your guests to leave your wedding with a full stomach and happy memories!
Budget Wedding Drink Station Table
Self-server drink stations for weddings on a budget are just the perfect idea.
Just remember to have a bartender monitor and refill the stations.
Alcohol is absolutely expensive and it can eat up your wedding budget quickly.
Consider serving only wine and beer, having a water station, sodas and an alcoholic and non-alcoholic punch station.
Here are some wedding cocktails ideas you can serve at your wedding:
Your wedding cake can also be served as part of your dessert.
Instead of your caterer or venue offering cake with dinner, maybe suggest using your wedding cake instead and seeing if they can eliminate the small cake fee from your wedding reception food menu.
This is a simple way to cut costs and host an affordable wedding.
Check out this list of epic black wedding cake ideas or pink dessert ideas you can serve at your wedding.
To keep things, even more, budget-friendly, opt to have a 1 tier wedding cake for cutting and photo opts.
And serve the assorted dessert buffet to your guests.
Via Wedding Chics
You May Like: Free 42 Page Printable Wedding Binder
Diy Wedding Buffet Menu Items
If youre doing your own wedding reception buffet, then menu selection becomes a little more difficult.
The key to DIY buffet success is to choose items that are both inexpensive to buy and easy to prepare. Foods that can be prepared a day ahead of time and simply warmed up on the wedding day are best, since youll probably be working with limited oven space.
Making a few items from scratch is an option, but also check out frozen meals at bulk warehouse stores like Costco, BJs, or Sams Club. Doing so is generally cost-effective and definitely cuts down on the amount of time and work involved.
Some of the most popular DIY buffet foods include: Lasagna Rolls
Once youve drawn up your list of menu items, its absolutely essential that you make a detailed plan for what can be prepared when. Make sure you have enough oven and preparation space in the kitchen for your chosen menu items.
Whether your wedding buffet is catered or youre pulling it off alone, menu selection is a serious matter. The guests may not remember the color of your tablecloths or the type of flowers you used in the centerpieces, but they will remember the food that they ate at your reception.
Jenny Evans
How Can I Feed Wedding Guests Cheap
If youre looking to feed wedding guests on a budget, there are a few things you can do. One option is to have a potluck dinner, where guests bring their own dishes to share. You can also make a few simple dishes yourself and ask guests to bring their own drinks. If youre looking for something a little more formal, you can also serve a buffet-style dinner, where guests can choose from a variety of dishes.
Recommended Reading: How Much To Spend On Wedding Favors
Wedding Food Ideas To Treat Your Guests
Need some wedding food ideas inspiration? Browse through classics like chicken or unique options such as veggie burgers and land on the perfect menu.
Are you coming up short on wedding food ideas? Your menu is one of the trickiest decisions youll make during the wedding planning process. Make sure to ask your venue about any limitations they may have before you decide. Some venues use in-house catering, others charge a fee to bring in outside vendors, and some have a preferred vendors list that you will need to choose from. Once you find out all the details, make a list of you and your sweethearts favorite dishes and take it to your caterer. They will be able to help you blend in your faves with their expertise to create a menu that is delicious and unique to your event.
To get an idea about what your guests would like to eat, send options in your wedding invitations and give your caterer an accurate count. Whether you want to include classics like chicken or beef, or serve up something unique like vegan burgers, these wedding food ideas are sure to inspire.
Keep reading or jump to one of our wedding food idea sections below:
Nail Down Your Estimated Budget And Number Of Guests
The number of people you would like to invite to your wedding will have a huge impact on the dining choices you make. The sooner you are able to determine your expected number of guests and your estimated budget, the sooner you can move forward with planning your menu.
Think about your vision for your special day, and if necessary consider whether youd rather treat a small group to fine dining, have more casual fare for a large group or offer something in between. The sooner you can settle on your number of guests, the easier the rest of your planning will be!
Don’t Miss: How To Decorate A Wedding Table
Indian Wedding Food Menu By Event
Ajay Manaktala is an Indian Wedding expert who is also quite the foodie. Having attended or worked over 1000 North Indian and South Indian weddings, he knows all about wedding catering, food selection, sample menus and Gujarati/Jain/Punjabi/NRI/Western tastes.
He’s also a most viewed writer on Quora about Big Fat South Asian anything. In this post he’ll give you FINAL BUFFET MENU SELECTIONS you can use for your Sangeet, Reception, etc…
Fun Food Ideas To Serve During Your Evening Wedding Reception Along With Tips And Advice On How And When To Serve It
Parts of your wedding day will fly past in the blink of an eye and then youll arrive at the evening and chances are youll need something to keep you going, so too will your guests who have shared every minute of the day with you. Youll want to extend every hospitality to the guests joining you for the evening only too, especially if some may have travelled far to celebrate with you. This article features ideas on what to serve on your wedding evening buffet and when to serve it at your wedding venue.
Don’t Miss: What Items Do You Put On A Wedding Registry
Wedding Buffet Menu Ideas
Its no brainer that the most important part of any event, including a wedding, is food. Food plays a crucial role when it comes to successful wedding planning. And, wedding food is the part that consumes the most portion of your wedding budget. Of course, after spending a hefty amount on your wedding, you would definitely want to have the best cuisine served to your guests.
Most couples find it really difficult to deal with their wedding guests complaints, which is obvious, of course. But I tell you a trick to have the happiest wedding guests. And the trick is to serve them the best food. Not only will they be happy, but also they will talk about your wedding even after its over. Here I am sharing a list of 305 wedding food ideas for Buffet, take a look.
What Is A Good Wedding Buffet Food
A good wedding buffet food is something that is filling and satisfying. It is also important that the food is visually appealing and tastes good. Some good options for a wedding buffet food include chicken, ham, roast beef, pasta dishes, and salads. It is also a good idea to include a variety of different types of bread, dips, and desserts.
Recommended Reading: How To Officiate A Wedding In Pa
Hudson Valley Wedding Planning
We hope this has inspired you to start thinking about your own wedding day dinner! If you have any questions, dont be afraid to and we can have a conversation! We are very familiar with the different catering options in the Hudson Valley and Catskills area of Upstate New York. If you already have a date in mind and know you want help making your wedding uniquely yours , inquire about our availability here.
Order From A Local Restaurant
This is a great option for couples with a favorite restaurant or a favorite type of cuisine. Some restaurants may charge as little as $7 per head, which may even include the dishes, cutlery, and serving equipment. They may also serve the food in the style of a buffet.
The benefit of partnering with a local restaurant to cater for your wedding is that negotiating the rates is usually easier. If the restaurant is particularly well-known among the guests, then it is guaranteed that the food will be enjoyed by everyone.
Instead of hiring their catering service, you may also simply order a sizable amount of takeout from the local restaurant. Multiple boxes of large pizzas are inexpensive alternatives to buffet-style service. This is best if the pizzeria you will order from is well-known among the locals.
Make sure to negotiate with the restaurant first. Typically, they will either charge less or offer a discount for bulk orders. Fast-food chains and medium-sized restaurants may be able to provide food for 150 to 200 guests. With that said, it is important to ask them how much they can accommodate.
Recommended Reading: How To Become A Wedding Planner In California
Schedule Your Wedding During The Daytime
Weddings held during the day are more affordable compared to afternoon-into-evening weddings, as some venues have lower rates for morning or noon schedules.
Additionally, guests often opt for lighter food options such as sandwiches, tea, basic grillables, and snack foods. These are easier and more affordable to prepare than dinner meals are.
Moreover, ending the celebration early by removing cocktail hour altogether and reducing the amount of time for dancing will lessen your weddings run time. Corollary to this, fewer drinks and snacks will be needed, thus saving you more money.
Is Having A Buffet At A Wedding Tacky
Should I serve a formal meal or have a buffet at my wedding?
A popular question that I get asked frequently.
When people think of cheap food for a wedding, they automatically think buffet!
This is not necessarily true.
A buffet can cost just as much as a plated dinner, depending on what is been served.
There are plenty of unique wedding food ideas you can serve on your wedding buffet, but everything depends on what is on the menu.
The type and style of meal service you choose to serve at your wedding can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be.
I decided to ask a few brides I know that are having weddings this year and next year to see how much their wedding venues or caterers are charging them for their meals, and this is what we found:
As you can see, some couples are getting charged as low as $11 per person and others are getting charged as high as $135 per person with an open bar, cocktail hour, dinner and cake!
Another couple is getting charged $180 per person with a 3 course plated meal and an open bar.
Others are opting to stick to serving only stations and others are booking all the bells and whistles when it comes to catering.
If you plan on having a buffet-style wedding, you need to be creative in order to save some money!
I would not say that having a wedding buffet is tacky by any means.
It can definitely work and not look or feel tacky if planned correctly.
Recommended Reading: What To Ask Your Wedding Photographer
Marshmallows And Strawberry Dipped In Chocolate
Extend the previous sensation with these lovable creations that all kids will love. Indulge in the moment and get the kids to make them themselves and stand back and see the atmosphere. All kids love making these sweet chewy lollipops decorated with melted chocolate and cake sprinkles. All you need extra is chocolate dipping sauce and a favourite sprinkle. Rainbow sprinkles will do just fine.
Determine How Youd Like Your Wedding To Flow
When considering your menu, think about how long you want people to spend eating, dancing, and drinking during the night. This will help you determine if you should host a sit-down dinner, a buffet or a hearty cocktail hour.
The most popular and quickest dining option consists of two sit down courses and usually features an appetizer like a soup or salad and a main course. This style of dining usually takes about an hour and a half, once you factor in short speeches and providing guests with enough time to eat. You should also consider if you will be having a cocktail hour and how many appetizers, if any, you would like to have during this time.
You May Like: Gold And Wood Wedding Band
When To Serve An Evening Buffet At Your Wedding
When considering something to keep energy levels up in the evening, the timings of your day are obviously the determining factor an early ceremony and early wedding breakfast mean a longer evening, and a later ceremony, vice versa but a later-running day doesnt mean you have to pass up the opportunity to enjoy something fun, funky and tasty. More than any other part of the day, an evening buffet is the free-style opportunity to include anything and everything you wanted but couldnt quite fit into your canapés or wedding breakfast.
An evening buffet is usually put on display after evening guests have arrived, the wedding cake has been cut and the first dance has been performed.
An evening buffet is usually kept out on display for 2 hours.
Cheap Wedding Food Ideas From Caterers
Our catering is limited, we have just started back, said Margaret Ann Burtchaell, owner of Margaret Anns Gourmet Cookies and Catering in St. Petersburg, Fla. She kept her business going in 2020 with hundreds of takeout meals for individuals and families and has recently catered a few events.
The majority of clients are okay with a buffet, but the clear plastic boxes she always offered for a more casual breakfast or lunch are becoming a staple for all kinds of events. They cost her about 50 cents each, and can be filled several hours beforehand with a menu of food thats served at room temperature.
You can take the top off and its pretty sturdy sitting on your lap. The utensils are inside, too, Burtchaell said, adding she wouldnt include a food that requires serious cutting with a knife and fork.
One thing special some people are doing is individual boxed cupcakes so there is no cake serving. The bride and groom have their own smaller cake, said Jill Santa Lucia, who owns Catering Works in Raleigh, N.C. Boxing is a big thing. We used to dip, dunk, sprinkle. Now its wrap, seal, box.
She started a popcorn business to make up for lost income during the pandemic, and made many individual meals, but now there are events on the calendar again.
We are finding there are those that wont do a buffet and those that dont care, she said.
Another go-to for people on a wedding budget: individual cans of wine, margaritas, mimosas and other spirits.
Don’t Miss: His And Her 3 Piece Wedding Ring Sets
