To enchant your guests with a feast to remember, accommodate picky eaters and keep dietary and allergy restrictions in mind, try these wedding food alternatives that will make everyone happy!
When trying to spice up your wedding reception’s food options, most of the entertaining diversions from regular wedding food can be found by switching up the appetizer and dessert portions of the meal, which leaves room for tradition during the main course. Opening the feast with a bang is always a great idea to keep guests entertained and socializing, and ending the night with a specialty dessert that is unique to your special night will leave your friends, family and loved ones wishing that the party will never end!
Starting the appetizer alternative list off with food trucks just feels correct! While food trucks are already a popular alternative to wedding food, having them simply serve as the appetizer before the main course is announced offers even more opportunity to have some fun with them — and these opportunities are endless. Two perfect examples are Nakama sushi food truck operating out of Pittsburgh, and Roaming Hunger’s Tokio Sushi Truck operating out of Philadelphia! Sushi offers itself as the perfect appetizer for any wedding; it is light and won’t spoil the night’s main course, and serving it as an appetizer is an optimal choice for guests who might or might not enjoy seafood. It’s the best of both worlds!
When searching for ways to make your wedding more customized to highlight you and your partner, getting creative and crafting specialty cocktails inspired by the newlyweds is your best bet! This appetizer alternative can be mixed and matched with any other food appetizer option to add another layer of customization to your wedding. These cocktails might be the inverse of one another while still following the same glass silhouette (for example, his & her dirty martinis and espresso martinis), or they might match the theme of your wedding (like frozen mixed drinks that fit perfectly for a beach wedding). If you are already planning on including an open bar at your reception or afterparty, why not go the extra mile to include speciality cocktails that highlight you and your partner on your special night?
As mentioned above, using the appetizer portion of your wedding meal to experiment with fun and funky food options leaves room for the main course to return to tradition — So, why would you not begin the night with a nacho or taco bar? Seems like a missed opportunity. Utilizing the “bar” method of serving food invites guests to get moving around and socializing, while also being such a simple alternative that the food line does not even have a chance to get backed up! Just like the charcuterie board option, creating your own speciality nacho bar menu and the ingredients that are offered might be the most fun part! Nachos or tacos do not have to stop with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream — though these are fan favorites, and the most important. In reality, the possibilities are endless! With options like locally sourced fresh vegetables from farmer markets near you, extra sauce choices like pico de gallo and guacamole and even providing selections of different meats like pulled pork, seasoned chicken — and the classic option of ground beef of course — creates an endlessly customizable and affordable option to start the reception off with some fun.
Deciding to go the cannoli route as a dessert option for your wedding becomes an entire experience with the help of Don Cannoli Catering. They offer their “roaming cannoli experience” nationwide for a plethora of organized events, but they seem to serve at weddings the most! When choosing to hire Don Cannoli Catering, half of the fun is the experience of watching Don walk around reception tables to make fresh cannolis right in front of your guests' very eyes — the cannolis are just the decadent cherry on top! They stick to the classic cannoli filling of ricotta and chocolate chips, but the toppings are completely customizable.
The set up for the s’more bar might be strikingly similar to the set up for the nacho bar appetizer alternative, offering a quick and easy setup when switching courses throughout the night. Creating a s'more bar as a dessert alternative is also just as simple, cost efficient and customizable as the nacho bar! This dessert option is perfect for a wedding with an outside reception, especially at night. Providing a fire pit for your guests to gather around and roast their own marshmallows doubles as an extra activity to keep the party going, and invites guests to get up from their tables to socialize. Watching the sunset around a cozy fire on your first night as newlyweds and being surrounded by friends, family and loved ones sounds like a perfect end to a perfect evening.
While in the process of planning your wedding, we are sure that you have seen the infamous donut wall all over your pinterest boards — but just because something is popular, does not make it any less of a good idea! Deciding to incorporate a donut wall as an exciting dessert alternative for your wedding is not only a delicious opportunity to ensure a dessert that everyone can enjoy (because who doesn’t like donuts?), but it also becomes a part of the wedding decor and overall ambiance. Depending on the color scheme of your wedding, the donuts can add to the theme of your choosing while also blending in to the overall vibe of your reception.
If you are the couple who has the main course of your wedding food at the front of your mind, a refreshing and light sweet treat could be the perfect way to end the night with a bit of sweetness! For a quick bite that won't take the spotlight away from the meal, consider choosing Ice Cream Emergency's food truck for all of your serving needs! Ice Cream Emergency travels statewide in their truck, and even offers a full sundae toppings bar! Though this dessert alternative may be the safest option, a classic scoop of soft-serve is sure to keep the party going through the evening, especially at an outside wedding on a warm summer day.
While much of the attention put on wedding food focuses on the main course, choosing appetizer and dessert alternatives could make your reception stick out! Everyone knows that the most important part of any function (and of life in general) is sharing good food with good people. For more wedding inspiration and possible vendors, check out our highlighted vendors here! Share this with your friends and family to see what sticks out to your guests!
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