Cheap Wedding Food: Sample Menu Ideas for Your Reception

The most expensive part of your wedding is usually the meal at your reception. If you need to save money, there’s a few different ways to lower your costs. The best way is to choose a simple, inexpensive meal and have it served buffet style. Whether you’re hiring a caterer or doing it yourself, the food you choose will have a big impact on your bottom line. Filling your menu with inexpensive food that’s easy to prepare is the best way to save money on your catering bill.

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Wedding Menu Ideas For a Buffet Dinner

Choosing to have your food served buffet style will be less expensive than individual plated meals. Buffet food is easier to prepare and serve. Plus, buffet food is usually affordable choices, like chicken, potatoes and vegetables.

The best way to set up a buffet is to decide on a theme and stick to that type of food. Sticking to a theme will make it easier for you to plan the menu. Plus, it’ll make your food service look well planned and put together. It doesn’t need to be over the top - you can choose something easy, like comfort food, as your theme. Or you could choose to serve Tex-Mex, Southern, or Italian food. Here’s some more sample menus to consider for your buffet.

Classic Wedding Dinner

This dinner is classic for a reason. It’s simple, delicious and filling. And inexpensive:

Green salad
Dinner rolls
Penne marinara
Roasted chicken
Vegetable medley
Roasted potatoes
Wedding cake

Thanksgiving Inspired Wedding Menu

If you’re planning a fall wedding, you can choose a meal that fits the season. This menu is warm, comforting and perfect for a family get together:

Butternut squash soup
Dinner rolls
Roasted turkey
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Green bean casserole
Brussel sprouts
Wedding cake

Planning a Barbecue Wedding Reception

For a casual, rustic or outdoor wedding, BBQ is a great way to serve a delicious meal and still stick to your budget. If you’re hiring a caterer, a barbecue menu is less expensive than a formal dinner. There’s a variety of menus you can choose, depending on your budget. For the smallest budget stick with a classic barbecue - burgers and hot dogs. If you’ve got more in your budget you can add chicken, sausage or kebabs. If you’re doing it yourself, you might be able to fit steak, salmon or shrimp into your budget.

BBQ is a great meal to DIY. You can make most of the side dishes ahead and store them in the fridge. On the day of your wedding, the only thing that needs to be cooked is the actual barbecue meat. If you’re thinking of planning a DIY menu to cut costs, read this next: Self Cater Your Wedding: How to DIY Your Wedding Food.

Hamburgers
Hot dogs
Sausages
Chicken burgers
Veggie burgers
Sausages
Kebabs
Steak
Salmon
Shrimp
Grilled vegetables
Corn on the cob
Potato salad
Pasta salad
Coleslaw

Taco Bar or Fajita Station For Your Wedding Reception

Food bars and food stations are great for weddings. Your guests will have a chance to mingle while they serve themselves from a fun and unique food station. A taco bar is a great choice if you’re on a budget. You can fill your station with fresh toppings, tortillas and nachos for a fantastic meal.

Taco shells
Flour tortillas
Nacho chips
Chicken
Beef
Refried beans
Lettuce
Onions
Sweet peppers
Tomatoes
Cheese
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour cream
Cilantro

Pasta Station Wedding Dinner

Lots of weddings offer food stations as an alternative to a buffet. If you’ve got the budget, you can offer a pasta station, plus a carving station with roast beef or ham. But if your budget is super tight and your wedding is small, you can serve your guests from a pasta station. Add a salad bar, a soup station and dinner rolls to fill out the meal and stay on budget.

Penne
Linguini
Chicken
Shrimp
Sausage
Pesto
Marinara
Alfredo
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Sweet peppers
Spinach
Broccoli
Parmesan
Chili flakes

Wedding Breakfast Buffet Menu

Breakfast or brunch food is a lot less expensive than dinner food. Plus it’s easier to prepare, so a caterer will charge less per person when you order breakfast. With a brunch wedding, you’ll also save money on your bar bill. Most people won’t drink as much on a Sunday morning as they would on a Saturday night.

For brunch wedding food, there’s two main options: a Continental breakfast or a full breakfast. If you’re on a tiny budget you can stick with a Continental breakfast. It’s the least expensive option if you’re hiring a caterer. If you’re planning a DIY menu, Continental breakfast is the easiest to prepare and set up.

Continental Breakfast Sample Menu:

Fruit
Yogurt
Croissants
Danish
Muffins
Donuts
Toast station with bagels, bread, butter and jam
Coffee, tea and juice

Wedding Brunch Buffet Menu

If your budget is a bit bigger, you can offer a full breakfast. This includes fresh cooked eggs, pancakes and more. If you’re hiring a caterer it’s a great way to get a delicious, hot meal. Catering for breakfast is less expensive than catering a dinner. For the best price, a full breakfast can be served family style or buffet style. Some caterers might even offer omelette stations or waffle stations. If it’s in your budget, a food station is a great way to elevate your brunch wedding, while still being affordable.

Full Breakfast or Brunch Sample Menu:

Scrambled eggs
Pancakes
Waffles
French toast
Bacon
Sausage
Ham
Home fries
Hash browns
Biscuits
Pastries
Fruit platter
Coffee, tea and juice

Appetizers Only Wedding Reception

If you want a night time reception with dancing, but can’t fit dinner into your budget, you can have an appetizers only reception. Depending on your budget, you’ll still want to offer either an open bar or a limited bar, with wine, beer and a signature cocktail. Just remember to schedule your reception to either end before dinner or begin after dinner.

If you’re on a super tight budget or want to DIY, stick to cold appetizers that can be prepared ahead and set out in time for your reception:

Pita and hummus
Veggies and dip
Tortillas, salsa and guacamole
Chips and dip
Cheese plates
Charcuterie boards
Antipasto platters
Shrimp skewers
Stuffed cherry tomatoes
Endive cups
Deviled eggs
Mini sandwiches
Pinwheels

If you’re hiring a caterer or have help doing DIY, choose some hot appetizers to be passed during your reception:

Bruschetta
Spring rolls
Samosas
Chicken satay
Mini grilled cheese
Stuffed mushrooms
Sausage rolls
Kebab skewers
Chicken wings
Quesadillas
Coconut shrimp
Jalapeño poppers
Quiche tarts
Meatballs
Sliders

What to Write on Your Wedding Invitations

If your wedding doesn’t follow the traditional cocktail hour, dinner, dancing schedule, be sure to let your guests know ahead of time. It’s perfectly ok to serve a meal or refreshments that fit your budget. Just remember to look at it from your guests point of view - if they show up hungry and only get served cake, they’ll go home upset.

To avoid disappointed guests, let them know ahead of time what to expect by writing it on your invitations. If you’re serving breakfast, brunch or lunch, it’ll be obvious by the timing. You can make it extra clear by adding a line like: “brunch will be served immediately following”.

If your wedding is in the evening, you can prepare your guests by writing a line like “cocktail reception begins at 9:00 pm. Appetizers will be served.”

You can stick to your budget and still be a great host. Most of being a good host is thinking about your guests and how they’ll feel during your day. You don’t need to serve lobster and Veuve Clicquot to be a great host. You do need to serve food or refreshment that suits the time of day and the style of your wedding. As long as you do that, your guests will feel welcome, happy and cared for. So choose the menu that fits your budget and you’ll have a great wedding that you - and your guests - will love!

Wedding Planner Book

Are you planning a DIY wedding? Get organized with a printed planner. The Boho on a Budget Wedding Planner includes everything you need to plan an affordable wedding. It has worksheets for all your wedding plans including choosing your venue, planning your menu and hiring vendors. Plus tip sheets and checklists for everything in between, including weather plans, rentals and more: