Wedding Reception Food Ideas - Tips to Make Your Wedding Meal a Success

The lights are lit, the guests are assembled, the minister is ready - but something is missing: food! Starving to death was not on your guests' agenda when they came to your wedding - in fact, they expect to eat to a once the vows are exchanged and the "I Do's" are said. Here some wedding reception food ideas you can use to keep your guests full and satisfied.

If you already have some wedding reception food ideas in mind, you must first make sure that they suit the theme of your wedding. If you're arranging a theme wedding reception in your backyard and want to convince your guests they're in Hawaii, then serving Italian cuisine might not be the best idea. Instead, consider some traditional luau meals, such as lomi salmon, poi, and beer.

Any wedding reception food ideas you may have should also reflect the time of the event. For example, if you're getting married early morning with the reception shortly afterwards, you can save a lot of money and effort by serving traditional morning snacks such as pancakes, fresh fruits and pastries. An evening reception gives you the most freedom in choosing what to serve - unfortunately, it also usually leaves a gaping hole in your budget since evening meals are usually more expensive that other meals. You also need to decide on the form of food delivery - for example, will the food be served to the guests or will they walk to buffet tables and get it themselves?

One of the most popular wedding reception food ideas is to have the reception in the afternoon. This allows you to serve traditional, simple lunch dishes such as sandwiches and pasta. This is a low-cost approach, which is why it's so popular among the more budget-conscientious couples.

Always remember that your wedding reception food ideas should also allow for different dietary requirements of your guests. Some will eat meat, while others are strictly vegetarian and yet others are lactose-intolerant. Be sure to make special arrangements with your catering service provider to include a variety of choices to suit your guests' dietary needs. Remember, your vegetarian guests will not appreciate meals that mostly consist of meat!