This post may contain affiliate links
While a traditional wedding breakfast usually consists of sit down meal of at least two courses, you might be looking for something a bit different. Here are 10 super fun and slightly different wedding catering ideas.
10 Super Fun Wedding Catering Ideas
There are lots of reasons you might have decided not to have a traditional sit-down wedding breakfast. It could be due to the cost, wanting something a bit more fun and interesting or to cater to specific dietary requirements.
While not all of these ideas will work for everyone, I do hope they can provide some inspiration so you can come up with wedding catering ideas that works perfectly for you on your big day.
1. Afternoon Tea
I feel like I’m a little bit biased on this one because it’s what I had at my own wedding, but I do think an afternoon tea works really well for a wedding. Plus, who doesn’t love getting to eat mountains of cake?
One of the reasons it works so well is because it can be placed on the tables a few moments before guests enter the dining space to eat. Once everyone is seated, they can all tuck it together, without waiting for each table to be served or needing to be called up one table at a time to a buffet.
It also provides a big range of foods, different sandwich fillings etc. so there should be something everyone likes to eat and it’s also easy to provide mini plates with gluten-free and vegan options. It can also provide something sweet for guests if you’ve opted for a cheese wedding cake.
2. Street Food Van
I love the idea of hiring a street food van (or even two or three!) for a wedding breakfast. While it does provide a fun and quirky way to serve up food, it’s worth considering the logistics of how quickly food will actually be served to your guests.
For example, anything that needs to be cooked to order, such as pizza, will take a long time and could result in long queues and grumpy. hungry guests, especially if you aren’t providing any other food.
Opting for Paella or Curry that the food van can prepare in advance and then serve up quickly on the day is a much better idea.
3. Fish and Chips
Fish and Chips are a British classic and what better thing to serve up at your wedding than food that you know everyone will enjoy. This option works best for smaller weddings and you may need to pre-order with your locally chippy to make sure they can get about portions together for you on your big day.
Alternatively, you may be able to find a fish and chip van to come to your wedding and serve up for you. As before do bear in mind cooking times and how many people can realistically be served in a short space of time. I also love this idea as an evening offering instead of a buffet or hog roast.
4. Wedding Catering: Pot Luck
Having a Pot Luck wedding breakfast is perfect if you’re having a wedding on a budget that is being hosted at home or in a family garden. Simply ask each of your guests to bring a dish when they arrive and place them all on a long table so everyone can help themselves when the time comes.
Pot Lucks are more common in the USA than here in the U.K but I think it gives your wedding a lovely community feel of everyone coming together to help the Bride and Groom feed their guests.
5. Hog Roast
A Hog Roast is usually served as evening food at many weddings, but there’s no reason it can’t be bumped up to the main event, especially if you’re having an outdoorsy summer wedding.
To make it extra special (and more filling for your guests) serve with plenty of sides such as homemade coleslaw, corn on the cob, salad, roasted veggies and roast potatoes. You could also mix things up by serving wraps instead of the more traditional bread rolls.
6. Colour Themed Buffet
Okay, so I admit this one does sound a bit bonkers, but can you imagine how amazing a colour themed buffet would look? Personally, I think the easiest options to do would be pink, yellow or black and white. You could also choose something more subtle such as only using pastel colours.
Of course, it would take a lot of planning and you’d either need to cater it yourself or find a caterer that was happy to go along with it. It would definitely create a talking point!
7. Cheese Feast
Cheese wedding cakes have become popular in recent years with many couples opting to serve up the cheese as an alternative to an evening buffet.
Why not take things one step further by making cheese the main food event of the day? Serve with plenty of bread, crackers, relishes and chutneys for the ultimate cheese feast. This option also makes your wedding catering very easy and much less complicated than serving up a three-course meal.
You could make things more interesting by serving whole baked brie or camembert to each table for sharing.
8. Picnic Baskets
This is something I seriously considered for my own wedding and something I think would work really well for a small outdoor wedding reception where a few full picnic baskets could be shared among your guests while sat somewhere beautiful and sunny.
Some items to include in each picnic basket could include:
- Champagne
- Strawberries
- Bread and Cheese
- Homemade Sausage Rolls
- Roast Chicken pieces
- Olives
- Vegetable Sticks and Hummus
9. Wedding Catering Ideas: Movie or Book Themed Foods
As you can probably tell, I love a theme and there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from having a themed food at your wedding.
At our wedding, we had a Harry Potter-themed Sweet Table which I loved making and the temptation to go full Harry Potter themed for all our food was definitely there! I would have probably served it buffet style and served Harry Potter classics such as Pumpkin Juice, Pumpkin Pasties, and Treacle Tart.
Why not take inspiration from your favourite film, books or television series?
10. Charcuterie Boards
Charcuterie boards make perfect wedding food because they’re easy to assemble and perfect for sharing. There are also plenty of options to account for everyone’s tastes.
Here are some things you could serve on your wedding charcuterie boards.
- Deli meats such as salami, prosciutto, chorizo and mortadella.
- Cheeses such as manchego, cheddar and brie.
- Fruit such as strawberries, grapes, blueberries and figs.
- Olives and Stuffed Peppers.
- Crackers and Breadsticks.
- Pickles.
- Nuts and Seeds.
- Crudities.
- Honey for drizzling.