Weddings can get expensive! In fact, lately, it seems like the cost of weddings have really gotten out of hand. How is it that the typical wedding now costs $30,000? That’s insane. Aside from the venue, the food can take the biggest chunk of your wedding budget. Imagine that.

Everyone knows that the wedding reception is the one of the best parts of attending the special day, so the food isn’t the line item you can skimp out on usually. Doing so can potentially ruin the wedding. That’s how important it is!

So today, I’m sharing a round of affordable wedding catering ideas you should consider, especially if you’re wanting to keep cost at a minimum while still being able to offer your guest food that they would love. Affordable wedding food is possible. Use this list as inspiration when you’re needing to finalize your wedding menu.

15 Affordable Wedding Catering Ideas

Tacos 

Whether you’re winning is on the fanciest side or more casual, you can never go wrong by offering a taco bar. Everyone loves tacos! They can live up otherwise formal and stiff Event to make it more fun and enjoyable. When you’re setting up a taco bar, you can consider utilizing your local Mexican restaurant, places like Moe’s, or even DIY. Just make sure you have a variety so think about pull pork, shrimp, tacos, chicken, as well as traditional, ground beef, and an assortment of various vegetables and other toppings.

BBQ

Did you know? You can get BBQ food catering packages at about $14 per person give or take. BBQ on a wedding menu is sure to be a hit for many guests, making a barbecue spread at a wedding is a great option. Think about pulled pork, brisket, sandwiches, potatoes, green beans, and more. The catering options are endless and this comfort food will sure to be a winner.

Burgers, Chicken Tenders and Fries 

This option may not work for all weddings, but it definitely works for those on the more casual side. Steak n’ Shake offers catering for about $4.50/per person, which is a steal! Who doesn’t love burgers, chicken tenders, and french fries. This option works great for adults and kids alike!

Southern Food

I’ve seen caterers who offer Southern style food at $11 per person. That includes two mains, three sides, rose cornbread, and two drinks. When you think of southern food, think about pulled pork, rotisserie chicken, mac & cheese, green beans, collard greens, broccoli, rolls, lemonade, and water, etc..

Baked potato bar

What is even a baked potato bar you might be wondering? Think about all the toppings you can dream: bacon, cheese, sour cream, chives, chicken, steak, the whole nine. If you’re having a wedding in the colder months, you might even think of pairing the baked potatoes with chili on the side. A loaded baked potato bar is a super cheap option that’s very filling and also works as a good option for guests who are vegetarians as well. The cost comes out to be about $12 per person (with the chili option and even less without). See these other options for fall wedding ideas on a budget.

Breakfast 

If you’re really in a pinch, and if you have a wedding that’s happening earlier in the day, you might consider offering breakfast at your reception. With a grocery budget of $300-500, you can whip together a wide assortment of breakfast favorites, such as chicken and waffles, shrimp, and grits, eggs, muffins, quiche, bacon, sausages, fruit and more.

Chipotle 

Did you know? Chipotle catering is only about $12 per person. It’s definitely possible to get great food at a great rate. This is a great option, especially if you have a larger number of gas. It can be a big hit!

DIY Pasta Bar

One of the cheapest meal options you could offer is pasta. There’s so many different ways you can go with it too. You could do shrimp, scampi, Alfredo, spaghetti, the sky is a limit. A bar is super easy to put together and super cheap as well. I’m talking less than $10 per person.

DIY Heavy Charcuterie Board/ Grazing Table

Thinking of doing a non-catered wedding reception? Go down the produce aisle and rack up on all of the cured meats, fine cheeses, fruits, vegetables, dips, jams, and crackers for your guest. Charcuterie boards (or grazing tables) add an elegant touch to any event and can be an affordable way to cater your wedding. With a little creativity, you can arrange the most beautiful table spread that looks like it costs 10x more than what you actually paid. 

Pizza 

All in all, to feed a guest list of about 50 people from a pizza place can come out to just under $300 including salad and appetizers depending on where you go. You might even try just bringing Costco pizza. This is one of the top classic comfort foods and finger foods options you can pick. Talk about finding affordable wedding catering! You can serve pizza up buffet style meals. Even though this is a great option when you’re having a low budget wedding, it doesn’t feel like it and is sure to be a hit.

Potluck

If you’ve not seen or caught wind of this trend, there is also a growing interest in opting for potluck wedding receptions. You can arrange for your guest to bring a potluck dish that you like in place of a gift. Some brides and grooms also choose to offer cake and an open bar.

Culinary schools

You will be surprised. See if there is a local culinary school that does catering in your area. They are a great option for those looking to cut down on the food cost for their wedding and are often way cheaper than traditional caterers.

Food truck

With a bit of due diligence, you can luck up and find a food truck that charges about $10-$15 per person, which is just about as low as it gets when it comes to wedding catering options. You also may want to get more than one food truck in order to avoid long lines for food. You can keep it simple and find one that serves finger foods and comfort foods tacos, burgers, or pizza or you can find specialty trucks that serve various other types of cuisine.

Chinese Takeout

Have you considered looking into your local Chinese restaurant catering? Chinese food is a trusty comfort food many guests will love. Also, a lot of the time the price comes out to be way more affordable than traditional, waiting wedding caterers, like $12 per person.

Grilled Cheese

When it comes to serving grilled cheese at a wedding, there’s definitely a wrong and right way to do it. A grilled cheese bar should have a lot of choices for not only the cheeses, but also for bread, meat and vegetable add-ins so it wouldn’t be just a boring grilled cheese sandwich. For example, having bacon, tomato and basil toppings along with garlic paste is a yummy way to add a twist to an old classic finger food.

How To Do An Affordable Wedding

Avoid wedding caterers

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using wedding catering services. In fact, it’s probably your safest bet when you want to have stellar service for such an important occasion. However, when you are on a tighter budget, you might also want to consider looking into caterers who don’t specialize in weddings at all, but who are fully capable of catering to large events. 

These types of caterers are usually over half the cost of what you can typically expect, which can help you save big! Imagine being quoted $40 per person if using a wedding caterer and getting quoted by a non-wedding caterer for only $10-20 per person or less. That makes a huge difference.

Adjust the time of your wedding

The time of your wedding a lot of the times determine the type of food people expect to eat at your event. If you time your wedding for an earlier start, you might be able to get away with only serving breakfast, snacks, or dessert.

Got any different wedding food hacks to help cut back on costs? Don’t hold back. Share them in the comments down below!

Choose the right caterer

One thing you definitely want to avoid is ordering food that you will hate. The caterer you choose can either enhance or be a detriment to the overall dining experience. For this reason, it’s always good to do a taste testing of the food and service before your wedding. 

You’ll want to get an idea of any quirks that the company you choose may have ahead of time like if they assist with serving or do they leave immediately after setting up? Do they stay until it’s time to tear down and are they flexible to work with? Things like that.

Avoid plated meals

One of the best ways you can cut back on costs is to do without the plated meals altogether. The costs can add up quickly. Plus, doing without plated meals can free you up to an array of other affordable alternatives.

As you can see, there’s so many options you can choose when you’re wanting to cut back on the food costs for your wedding. If we missed anything, I would love to know your thoughts. There are so many creative hacks for cutting back. Let us know in the comments down below.

Read Next