So you’ve got engaged, wedding planning has begun in earnest and you have no inkling of how to keep your starving guests stomachs lined for the partying ahead! Read on for some great alternative wedding catering ideas for your big day.
Choosing your wedding catering can be a costly and tricky affair and will depend on the type and theme of day you want, the guests attending (think allergies and dietary requirements such as vegetarians etc) and where and when the day is taking place.
But fear not! Read on for some handy tips and ideas to consider when planning your wedding catering.
When do they need feeding?
Well, following the normal pattern of a wedding day, there are a few key times to consider when guests will expect their stomachs to be lined; such as nibbles to greet them on arrival to the venue (or after the ceremony). The main meal of the day (known formally as the wedding breakfast or reception dinner) and then the evening meal or snacks for guests to chow down on in between busting some shapes on the dance floor.
Having a whole weekend celebration? If so, you will also have to consider breakfast, snacks and informal dining for the day before/after the celebrations.
Never fear – there are plenty of alternative wedding catering options to consider to keep the five thousand fed.
Confused? Look no further, as we’ve lined up a few stress free options to give you ideas for catering throughout the day.
Traditional catering
Okay okay, so this isn’t so much of an alternative wedding catering option. However, being the off the shelf solution at many venues we thought we had better cover this before diving into the alternatives.
This is often sourced directly from the venue (hotels for example will nearly always offer their in-house service) or from either one of their recommended catering companies or a company of your own choosing. Depending on the flexibility of the provider, this can include options for just the wedding breakfast, or include canapés to greet your guests on arrival, a three-course wedding breakfast and then evening snacks/buffet with drinks at different points throughout. It’s up to you.
Venues will do this week in and out, making this a relatively easy and well oiled process. Depending on your chosen venue however, catering packages don’t tend to be cheap. Once you start adding in a drink on arrival, half a bottle of wine per guest for the sit-down meal and a bacon butty later on, you could be talking £50, £60, £70 plus a head (or an eye watering £5-7000 for a 100 guest wedding!)
Getting to grips with the costs early on will certainly be beneficial when you juggle this with the venue hire (if there are separate charges for this) and your other wedding related costs.
Each venue will have their own set of rules regarding allowing external caterers, ranging from not at all, to recommended suppliers only. If you’re lucky, and this will depend heavily on the type of venue – a company of your choice.
Wedding catering is often one of the most expensive aspects of the day, so get an idea of costs per head for various packages when viewing venues or contacting local companies to factor this into your wedding budget. Choose correctly and you may still have some pennies left over for that free bar!
Outsourced caterers
Following on from the in-house options above, there are a broad selection of caterers that will be eager to help you out on your day – offering everything from fully catered options as highlighted above, to just the wedding breakfast or evening catering.
As with anything, these can vary tremendously from low to high end with the prices varying accordingly. Pin down exactly what you get for the options available with either an overall price for your number of guests or as a cost per head (check if this can be reduced if you have lower numbers than anticipated).
Children may be cheaper (as they won’t be taking advantage of the booze if provided) so check if there are different tariffs for guests, and also identify any potential dietary requirements from the off and whether these can be accommodated (don’t forget to ask about these on your wedding invites.)
If you have a particular choice of cuisine in mind, exploring your local catering companies might be a great option, particularly where they specialise in your chosen type.
Some venues such as certain barns, local halls or marquee weddings will be completely DIY with you hiring your own caterers etc. This will allow a greater range of options for you to choose from. Bear in mind however, this will be one more thing to manage in the build-up and it will be worth double checking exactly what is included and whether they provide the tableware, cutlery etc or if this is to be hired separately.
A good catering company should make this as painless as possible. They will let you know exactly what they provide and will require on the day (kitchen area, gas and electric supply etc) and then be self-sufficient on the day. As with hotels and local caterers, you should also get the opportunity to do a tasting to confirm your menu selection so take full advantage of this as one of the perks of your wedding planning!
BBQ
We’ve attended several weddings where the happy couple have opted for a BBQ to cater for their guests. This can be a great and relatively inexpensive idea for alternative wedding catering.
Usually a popular option, particularly for the carnivores in the bunch, this is simple and effective with plenty of options to cater for any veggies in the group if you plan in advance – from veggie burgers to skewer kebabs.
This can prove much more cost effective than a three-course dinner, however is inevitably less formal than a sit down served meal. As with the other options; it’s worth first weighing up what type of day you would like (relaxed and informal or high end gourmet for example) before choosing your catering options. If you prefer a formal dinner for the wedding breakfast, this could be a better option for the evening.
There are many alternative wedding catering companies that will be able to offer this for you, or if you have a competent cook on hand and the necessary equipment (bear in mind the numbers you will be serving) this may be something you can arrange yourselves.
Hog roast
Increasingly popular over the past few years and extremely versatile, a hog roast is another great option that will fill your guests up without costing the earth.
With prices varying from a few hundred pounds up to £1000 ($1200) plus depending on numbers of guests, and what you would like included (just a hog roast bap, or salads and accompaniments on top). Numbers catered for can also be quite flexible with options ranging from a large pig that can feed 2-300 guests, down to a medium, half or suckling pig for smaller numbers.
Pluses are lots of meat, informal and relaxed dining and for those who love them, the smell of the sizzling hog will whet the appetite of your guests throughout the venue.
On the flip side, if you have vegetarian and vegan guests, the sight and thought of a skewered pig may produce feelings ranging from mildly squeamish to out and out revulsion. With this in mind, consider if this is right for you and the crowd you are catering for. If so, there are loads of companies who offer these so ring round, check credentials and see what sort of deal you can get.
Food truck or alternative events caterer
In the past few years, we have seen an explosion of fantastic artisan food vehicles coming onto the scene. From old Citroen H vans, to converted horseboxes, trailers and more, these can often be seen serving at local food markets, special events and of course, weddings.
There is plenty to choose from in this growing niche ranging from wood fired oven pizzas to pie and mash vans, fajitas, jerk chicken and Caribbean food, the great British fish and chip van, toasties, gourmet burgers, Mexican food and much more.
These work fantastically well as wedding catering alternatives at festival style or less formal weddings as a main course or later in the evening for guests to tuck into. You may even want to offer a couple of different food options for different tastes, or combine with a dessert option such as an ice cream bicycle.
These can range in price tremendously, but will rarely cost more than the equivalent from a hotel or catering company, and also provide a bit of theatre to guests. In addition, many suppliers offer fantastic quality food that they specialise in and have mastered.
This is a great option for something a bit different, in an informal style with the added bonus of supporting local small and artisan businesses.
Something different
Do you have a sweet tooth or would like something a bit different to greet guests on arrival or to help themselves to later in the day?
We have a confession whilst writing this – this particular area is our specialism and background having served delicious premium dairy ice cream and fun food at hundreds of weddings since 2012.
There are now a whole host of options available as wedding catering alternatives in this area ranging from crepes to ice cream bicycles and vans, donut walls, bubble waffles, chocolate fountains, slush machines and fruit trees to name a few.
Increasingly popular, these are a great alternative to canapes (or great alongside) whilst guests mill around during the quieter parts of the day such as after the ceremony or in the early evening.
Bear in mind, for most wedding guests their only meal before arriving to your day will have been breakfast. By the afternoon they can become very peckish and all snacks and nibbles will be greeted eagerly!
These options look great and can be enjoyed as a standalone treat or tie in particularly well alongside an evening buffet, food van, hog roast or BBQ as an informal dessert course.
The choice of offerings has also increased enormously as bride and grooms seek something different for their day and suppliers look to catch up and provide something new.
So if one of you loves popcorn, candy floss, ice cream or anything else you can think of – the chances are there will be a supplier that can help add it to your day to add something different and personalise the day to you!
These can be a great way to differentiate your wedding from others, with informal catering to top up guests between main meals or to offer something different for dessert.
Look us up at Garbanzo’s Ice Cream Hire for some examples of what we offer across England and Wales. You’ll also find lots of great local suppliers local to you who will be able to help and its worth visiting wedding fairs, special events and markets to keep an eye out for unique offerings who will be more than happy to help and attend your day.
Sweet carts
Popular with the kids you’ll hear people saying in advance?
Well yes, undeniably so. But there’s no force like a group of middle-aged men and women casting their minds back to yesteryears and getting stuck in to a sweet table to iron out the drunken munchies!
These have proved consistently popular over the years for later in the evening (or the afternoon for kids) to nibble on when the other food has come and gone.
Ideal for guests to help themselves – just make sure you get enough supplies to cater for your fiendishly munchable guests to tuck into. From cola bottles to bon bons, foam shrimps and beyond – the sweetie world is your oyster here and a great time to dwell on your childhood favourites, whether you hire a company to provide it or create this yourself.
Alternatives include sweet tables, sweet Ferris wheels and pick n mix stands with crossovers including sweets for favourites (such as personalised Love Hearts) or sweets to match your colour scheme.
This is a great option for guests to be able to help themselves to and nibble on throughout the day.
Bring a course
Although not a traditional wedding catering approach, asking guests to bring a course along for the day could be a great alternative option for a DIY or low budget wedding, or even for something different to involve your guests and get them truly involved in your day.
This option will depend on the flavour of your wedding catering (see what we did there!?) but will not be for everyone.
If you have a host of fantastic cooks and bakers attending, this might be an idea that they will embrace and get involved in. On the other hand, many guests will want to come along relax and switch off – so adding something additional into the mix of having to buy a gift, get a new outfit etc may not always be welcome.
If you can pull this off with a bit of co-ordination, this could be a great ice breaker and talking point among your guests with the added benefit of saving you a few pennies along the way.
Grazing tables
Do you love a bit of meat, cheese and nibbles? If so, this could be a great alternative option to feed your guests. Filled with a tasty selection of cheeses, cold meats, antipasti, salad, fruits, dips and breads. For a slightly less formal occasion this could be great as your main course or to feed your evening guests.
Sweet or savoury, this option could work either way. A dessert option with cupcakes, cookies, meringues, fruit, brownies and donuts is bound to wow guests looking for a pick me up throughout the day.
Pimms bar/Prosessco Bar/Gin Bar/Cocktail Bar
Alongside the food trucks mentioned above. There has also been a huge growth of suppliers offering a range of drink solutions for your day.
We have seen a wealth of these serving from trailers, converted horseboxes, gazebos, tricycles and more with options ranging from gin bars to Prosecco tuk tuks, Pimms bars, cider bars and more.
Depending on your venue, this will be something you may have to double check with them. If for example you are getting married at a hotel or golf club, they may not be keen to share their bar takings with external companies so you will have to measure this on request.
You may also need to pay attention to alcohol licenses (whether suppliers will be covered by the venues) or whether you need to get additional permissions
This may work as an addition alongside a normal bar serving welcome drinks to your guests on arrival for example, or using a bar company to manage the whole drinks operation for the day.
Great examples of this that we’ve seen include the Cocktail Car Company and a range of gin bars. Bear in mind how much your guests may be likely to drink as some businesses may take a retainer of a few hundred pounds/dollars to cover costs, which they may then return after an agreed amount of sales have been made.
These suppliers offer eye catching, mobile, flexible and specialist solutions (gin bars for example if you have a favourite tipple) so can be a great option if you are looking to supply your own bar at a DIY wedding venue or to add a special something on your day.
So there you have it – we hope you’ve gained a few ideas on how to cater for your wedding day. There are more options than ever to cater for the big day so think carefully about the type of day and the food your guests will love and enjoy!
As JRR Tolkien wisely said “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
If you have any other suggestions for alternative wedding catering or have seen something work especially well at a wedding, please let us know in the comments section below.
