Reception Food!!

Our venue also provided the catering for our wedding and they had all different options. For cocktail hour we had three passed apps which were fried ravioli with marinara sauce, sesame chicken bites with sweet mango mustard and tomato basil parmesan grilled cheese points. For the meal we had salad, a carving station with turkey and prime rib, a build your own pasta bar, mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. We also had a late night snack which was a nacho bar. Other options we could have selected included a cheese fountain, chocolate fountain, s'mores station, risotto station, mashitini station, hot seafood station, and stir-fry station. I have been to a wedding that had a s'mores station which made me wish we had that at our wedding as I thought it was really neat and also very yummy.

Maybe less formal would be to have taco caterers or get an italian food caterer. Often the dining seems to be the three options: beef, chicken or fish servings.

Food carts! always fun to be able to pick from a few options. they keep tally of what they sell and simply give you the bill at the end. its wonderful because no leftovers.

We are doing stations like what Veronica described but one of ours is a mac and cheese station - mac and cheese is one of my favorite foods and I'm excited to have it at my wedding!

Tex Mex is an affordable option that everyone likes.

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Mmmmmmm, Mac n cheese!!! Yes thank you LOLOL

We are planning on having a taco bar.

What is your budget and guest count? Do you want a regular wedding caterer that serves basic steak and chicken or do you have a favorite local restaurant that provides catering services? Even the Costco food court full size pizzas are a great option with salad and beverages. In our area, (soft) taco bars are common in some circles. We personally have never seen bbq at a wedding despite its popularity online. One of the best wedding dinners we ate as a guest was catered by the couple’s favorite local Americanized Chinese restaurant and it was a huge hit with guests who are normally used to eating cake and punch only.


Be careful with food trucks because most are not designed for catering large groups and can only serve 1-2 people at a time (like the ones you see at the state fair that have years of experience under their belts). So some people will be finished eating before others are served and some venues have tight time restrictions they don’t budge from.

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A party I attended recently had a taco bar. Though, I wondered why he could not have standard plates available early in the event so people could just grab a plate and move on quickly. Others with more specific tastes could wait in line.

We went to 2 weddings in the past month. The first had stations. Stir Fry, pasta bar, sliced roast beef and turkey, a taco bar and sushi. It was amazing. The second was a food truck. We waited over and hour and a half to get our food outside in the summer heat. You were allowed one food item and a side. I wanted to bring something back for a disabled relative but couldn’t so I gave them my food. We stopped for pizza on the way home.

Breakfast for dinner could be fun (if it's feasible and in your budget- maybe see if any local diners with breakfast hours can cater your reception and ask them for details)

We have hired a vendor who serves just appetizers…we have a small guest list of 25-30

We are having a Pasta Station with 3 options of pasta, sauces and proteins hope you find option soon 😁

Italian! That’s what we are doing


Or you could do some kind of taco bar/fajita bar. We were thinking about that before we chose Italian.

I'm a huge fan of Euro-BBQ fusion but if you're looking to steer clear of BBQ completely maybe do Italian food, or catering from your fave restaurant! Maybe even pick a couple of yours and your partners fave foods to serve so everyone gets a taste of the couple!!!