Wedding Food Ideas Your Guests Will Love

Cater your own food:  

This is a huge money saver and the most important thing you can do to reduce the cost of your reception.  Full served meals are the most pricey.  Food bars/buffets are middle of the price range and very popular right now.  And the least expensive are heavy hors d’oeuvres.  Most people say food is the most important thing they care about when attending a wedding.  So let’s cover some wedding food ideas your guests will love.  

I recommend one or two meat options combined with heavy hors d’oeuvres.  It is advised to go with budget-friendly entrees such as pork, chicken, or turkey over more expensive menu selects like steak or lobster.  Buffet tables and sweet stations are what all the cool kids are doing.  Cake and punch are a thing of the past.  Moreover, buffet style will reduce the amount of rentals needed.  Following are some wedding food ideas your guests will love.

Venue Guidelines:

First thing to do is ask your venue what their catering policy is.  Ask if they have in-house catering services and staff that you are required to use.  They might charge a fee if you want to bring someone else in.  Think twice about them, and maybe find another venue that will let you do your own catering.  Make sure the venue has ample space for your food, and a kitchen you are able to use.

Time of day:

During your planning, you need to consider the time of your wedding reception.  For a midday reception, consider light hors d’oeuvres, and for an evening reception, consider heavy hors d’oeuvres.  Also, you should think about the number of guests you are inviting.

Variety of wedding food ideas your guests will love:  

Ideally, serve an equal number of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres.  This will ensure that there is enough room for oven space for heating and refrigerator space for keeping foods cold.  You should serve 6 to 8 different varieties of food.  Avoid hard to prepare foods.

Favorites?

Be creative, ask the couple or parents what the bride and groom’s favorite childhood foods were.  Take that favorite food and turn it into gourmet treats.

Research:

Research the price of all the ingredients needed once you decide on your menu.  You may discover less expensive options on per-serving costs.  Consider disposable dinnerware.  

Set up:

Set the serving line buffet up so that you can go down both sides of the tables to prevent bottlenecks as much as possible.  Place the plates, napkins, and silverware at the beginning of the line.

Presentation:  

Create unusual serving presentations.  Design a focal point for the buffet table.  Use the color scheme of the wedding for the decorations.  Play up the colors.  Put colorful vegetables and fruits at the start and end of the serving line where it can be readily seen.   

Have different levels and heights with tiered stands for each dish.  Elevate the food using blocks of wood, upside down pots, boxes, or tiered stands.  Add interesting items in between the spaces of food, such as flowers, candles, mirrors, lamps, chairs, etc.

The key factor is to make it appealing, pleasing to the eye.  Make segmented trays of food.  Garnish with greenery, flowers, parsley, and lettuce beds.  Use signage and label clearly for the food stations.

Wedding Food Ideas your guests will love – Options:

Another option is to serve family-style, by placing filled dishes on each table.  It is an instant conversation starter and a good opportunity for portion control.

Serve ASAP after ceremony:

As soon as the ceremony is over, serve the alcohol if there is any.  Serve seasoned pretzels, nuts, or dried fruit with the alcohol.  It takes the couple a while to go through having their pictures taken, getting the dress bustled up, exchanging gifts, and all.  So, it is my strong opinion to let the guests go ahead and go through the buffet line and start eating.  The attendants and the new happily married couple can eat when they arrive.

Help!?!!

People!! Ask your friends and family to help!  

I have helped plan and prepare the following five weddings.  Others will tell you that you need professional chefs and servers ($$) but, myself and a few very helpful friends have prepared and manned the food at the following real weddings.  It is totally doable and saves so much money compared to a full meal and it was so much fun.  Make sure you have someone who can keep stocking the buffet, while keeping cold food cold and hot food hot until ready to serve.

How much food to serve for wedding food ideas your guests will love:

I would love to be able to tell you exactly how much of each items to serve, but it totally depends on how many items you choose, what you are serving, and the size of your guest list.  Men definitely want meat, period.  You should consider heavier servings of vegetables for those who are vegetarians.  Also, be mindful of options that are gluten-free and/or keto friendly.

You need to serve at least 1/2 lb. of meat per guest.  Sides and salads should be roughly 1 1/2 cups per guest.  That is certainly a good rule of thumb.  Fruits and Veggies, serve 2 large platters for each 25 guests.  Serve an equal number of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres.  This will ensure that there is enough room for oven space for heating and refrigerator space for keeping foods cold.  You should serve 6 to 8 different varieties of food.  Avoid hard to prepare foods.

The end of this post has some helpful serving pieces that have come in handy in so many different events. Check them out for your serving needs.  I have used mine over and over again!

To give you an idea, the following scenarios of receptions has a list of what was chosen from our menu options for their buffets and stations/bars.

 

Wedding #1 – 200 guests (Wedding Food Ideas Your Guests Will Love)

Foods served:

Nacho Bar – 40 lbs hamburger and 4 large jars of taco seasoning, 5 large cans of nacho cheese, 2 large jars pace picante, 12 bags of heart shaped chips purchased from Taco Villa- 3 oz per person, 5 large tubs sour cream. 

Cold Boiled Shrimp – 15 medium bags shrimp (2 lb bags) for a total of 30 lbs purchased at Sams, red sauce.

Italian Meatballs – 7-6 lb bags meatballs for a total of 42 lbs purchased at Sams.  Use your favorite glaze for these.

Sliced Smoked German Sausage – 200 links (1/3 lb each)

Fruit Bar with Fruit Dip – 3 boxes strawberries, 2 green grapes, 2 red grapes, 5 cantaloupes, 4 watermelons

fruit dip – Download the recipe that I have on my free resource library (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post).

Vegetable Bar with Vegetable Dip – 2 pkg celery, 18 multi-colored bell peppers, 9 cucumbers, 9 lbs mini-carrots, 6 lbs broccoli, 4 pkg 32 oz cherub tomatoes.

Tea – sugar and sweet and low

Fruit Water

Beer – 2 varieties

Wine – 2 varieties

Seasoned Pretzels – 4 large bags pretzels, oil, 2 pkg pepper jack dip mix.  Pour some oil on pretzels, sprinkle pepper jack dip mix on the pretzels and cook at 350* for 30 minutes.

Candy Bar

Milk and Cookie Bar – 4 types of cookies purchased at Sam’s Club Wholesale.

 

Wedding #2 – 120 guests (Wedding Food Ideas Your Guests Will Love)

Foods served:

Brisket Sliders with BBQ Sauce – 30 lbs sliced brisket on dinner rolls – (5) 36 count packages, Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce 160 oz.

Chicken Salad with grapes on Croissant Rolls – 30 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, 3 bunches celery, 1 gallon mayo, 48 oz craisons, 5 lbs sweet vidalia onions, 6 lbs seedless red grapes, (20)-12 count = 240 croissants.  Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

Gourmet Mac n’ Cheese – 12 lbs elbow macaroni, 2 pkg bread crumbs, butter, 2 gallons milk, flour, 5 lbs each of shredded cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and monterey jack cheese. Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

Texas Caviar – Sweet corn, black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes, green bell peppers, avocados, sliced black olives. Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

7 Layer Dip in Individual Cups – refried beans, sour cream, pace picante, shredded cheddar cheese.  Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

Heart shaped Chips – 3 bags from Taco Villa; however I don’t think they have these any longer.

Vegetable Bar – 6 lbs mini carrots, 4 lbs broccoli, 2 cucumbers, 12 multi colored bell peppers, 6 bunches celery, 4 lbs cherub tomatoes, Ranch dressing

Fruit Bar – 6 lbs red seedless grapes, 6 lbs green seedless grapes, 6 lbs strawberries, pineapple chunks, 2 cantaloupe, 2 watermelon

Fruit Dip -Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

Fruit Water

Tea – lemons, limes, sugar, sweet and low

Wedding #3 – 200 guests (Wedding Food Ideas Your Guests Will Love)

Foods served:

Brisket Sliders with BBQ Sauce – 40 lbs sliced brisket

Dinner Rolls – (7)-36 count purchased from Sams

Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue sauce – large bottle

Chicken Salad with grapes on Croissant Rolls – 18 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, 3 bunches celery, 1 gallon mayo, 48 oz craisons, 5 lbs sweet vidalia onions, red grapes, 160 croissants. Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

Gourmet Mac n’ Cheese – 12 lbs elbow macaroni, 2 pkg bread crumbs, butter, 2 gallons milk, flour, 5 lbs each of shredded cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and monterey jack cheese. Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

Sliced Smoked German Sausage – 120 links

Fruit Salad –  4 packages frozen mixed fruits with dip

Fruits with Fruit Dip – 2 pineapples, 2 lb strawberries, 3 lbs seedless green grapes, 3 lbs seedless red grapes. Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

Vegetable Shooters – 6 bunches celery hearts, 12 multi-color bell peppers, 2 bunches carrots, in cups with ranch dressing 

Fresh vegetables – 6 seedless cucumbers, 4 lbs broccoli florets, (2) 32 oz Naturesweet cherub tomatoes, ranch dressing

Caprese Skewers – 2 tubs of mozzarella cheese pearls in basaltic vinaigrette sauce, 3 boxes basil leaves, (1) 32 oz Naturesweet cherub tomatoes. Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

Tea with sugar, lemons, limes, and sweet and low

Fruit Water

Wedding #4 – 150 guests (Wedding Food Ideas Your Guests Will Love)

Foods served:

Gumbo – 16 pots of gumbo (2 pots with rice per roaster = 4 roasters) Served in chafing pans

Rice and 4 bottles of hot pepper sauce for Gumbo

Vegetable Bar with dip – 6 seedless cucumbers, 4 lbs broccoli florets, (2) 32 oz Naturesweet cherub tomatoes,  15 multi-colored bell peppers, 2 pkg mini carrots, ranch dressing

Fruit with fruit dip – 2 pineapples, 2 lb strawberries, 2 lbs seedless green grapes, 2 lbs seedless red grapes. Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

Fruit Salad –  3 packages frozen mixed fruits with dip

Crackers and Cheese trays – 6 boxes of different crackers, 6 packages cheddar cubes,  and 2 cheese trays

Relish tray – 2 jars pickled okra, large jar olives, 2 large jars of sweet pickles, 2 pkg sweet peppers

Caprese Skewers – 2 tubs of mozzarella cheese pearls in sauce, 3 boxes basil leaves, (1) 32 oz Naturesweet cherub tomatoes. Download the recipe on my free resource library.  (get the password to the library in the form at the bottom of this post)

Cookie bar – (4) 18 count cookies, little bottles of milk

Peanut Butter & jelly sandwiches for kids

Seasoned pretzels

Popcorn bar

Frozen margarita machine

Beer – 2 varieties

Tea, water, soft drinks

Wedding #5 – Backyard wedding – 50 guests

Foods served:

Chopped brisket sandwiches

Chips

Dips

Fruits

Relish Tray

Sausage, Cheese and Cracker Tray

Tea and water

Wedding Food Ideas your guests will love!

Other great food ideas not mentioned above:

Pulled Pork Sliders

Biscuits with fried chicken

Lasagna

Fajitas

Taco Bar (guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese, lettuce, cilantro, beans, rice, sour cream, jalapeños, and meat of your choice)

Cheese + Charcuterie Boards (jams, cured meats, fruit, and cheeses.)

Rice based dishes

Pasta Station (Marinara and fettuccini sauces are popular)

Mashed Potato Bar with Toppings (fried onions, brown sugar, sour cream, chives, cheddar cheese, bacon)

Potato Salad

Fruits and Cheeses

Pinwheels

Shrimp cocktails

S’mores bar

Cream cheese on rye crackers topped with jalapeño jelly

Chicken is the least expensive meat option

Loaves of French or Italian bread are less expensive than dinner rolls

Notes:

Candy bars, popcorn bars, and such can be set up the day before. At the candy bar, choose nostalgic childhood favorites.

In lieu of a traditional cake, have your aunts, friends, and your grandmothers to make a cake, which provides more than one choice.  Maybe Grandma makes an Italian Cream Cake that is out of this world.  And she would probably love to be asked to help.

In conclusion, choose a favorite food of the bride and/or groom, and build on that.  Have a wide variety of choices, keeping vegetarians and gluten allergies in mind.  Choose lots of colors.  In addition, research the prices of your chosen list and make sure it fits within your budget.  Furthermore, recruit help from dependable friends or pay for help.  

Good luck with your food choices and have fun with family and friends in the preparation of the food.

Check out this post on 55 crazy smart ideas to save money on your wedding.

Wedding Food Ideas Your Guests Will Love – Helpful Serving Pieces

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