Everyone who’s planning a wedding knows how expensive they can be (wedding venue, music, the wedding dress and wedding suit, a wedding planner if you have one, etc.). There are tons of expenses, and it’s also a well-known fact that a huge amount of the wedding budget goes to food.

That’s because food is definitely one of the most important parts of wedding planning, and there’s so much to decide regarding what food to serve and prepare for your wedding day. Depending on the size of your wedding, and the number of wedding guests you’ll be having, the food cost can get pretty high.

So, reception catering for your wedding ends up being one of the biggest expenses in wedding preparation.

However, there are many creative wedding food ideas that won’t break your budget (without having to have a potluck wedding if you didn’t want to), and that you can easily incorporate in your big day, so you can save money on your wedding wherever it’s possible. You don’t want to have a smaller guest list than you intended to, just because the food expenses are out of your budget.

To help you create the best wedding food menu that will help you have a more affordable wedding, I created a list of budget-friendly wedding meals as well as ways you can incorporate them into a wedding reception menu. Your wedding guests will love them!

Affordable Wedding Food Ideas

DIY Appetizers

A great way to cut costs and save money is to cater your own wedding, and DIY wedding food on your wedding day. Being your own wedding caterer doesn’t have to be super hard. The food will still be delicious, guests will be happy, and you will have a more affordable wedding, which is something everyone wants.

Appetizers are probably one of the easiest food categories to DIY, because they usually don’t require any actual cooking, and almost everyone can make them.

There are tons of appetizer options for every style you want to have - sit-down style, buffet style, etc.

Here are some delicious appetizers you can easily make and serve at your wedding. Your guests will love these wedding meals, and so will you!

CROSTINI WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES & BRIE

396 calories

Ingredients

2 oz Baguette - 120 calories
2 Tbsp Tomatoes, sun-dried - 34 calories
3 oz Cheese, Brie - 240 calories
¼ cup Leafy greens, spinach, raw - 1.75 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Slice baguette into thin slices. Slice brie into thin slices.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper & spray it with an oil spray. Add baguette slices to the baking sheet.
Layer with brie, then spinach, then sun-dried tomatoes.
Bake for 5 minutes.
Top with salt & pepper.
Want to make these dairy free for your dairy free guests? Use a dairy-free cheese, or top with guac & other toppings after baking. Want to make these gluten free? Use gluten free bread.

CUCUMBER GOAT CHEESE & PROSCIUTTO BITES

428 calories

Ingredients

1 Cucumber, small - 32 calories
2 oz Cheese, goat - 206 calories
2 oz Prosciutto - 120 calories
1 cup Blueberries, fresh - 70 calories

Instructions

Slice cucumbers into coin shapes. Top with cheese, prosciutto, and berries.
If you’d prefer 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1/2 cup of strawberries, that’s fine!
Want to make these dairy-free for your dairy free wedding guests? Use a dairy-free brand or additional prosciutto.

APPLE PROSCIUTTO BITES

313 calories

Ingredients

1 Apple, small - 77 calories
1 cup Leafy greens, arugula, raw - 5 calories
⅓ cup Cheese, Parmesan, shaved (cups) - 111 calories
2 oz Prosciutto - 120 calories

Instructions

Slice apple.
Top apple slice with 1 piece arugula + 1 strip Parmesan.
Wrap 1 small strip prosciutto around stack and pierce with toothpick if desired. Continue.

ANTIPASTI BITES

468 calories

Ingredients

2 oz Cheese, sliced, mozzarella, full fat/ regular - 160 calories
2 oz Salami - 208 calories
2 oz Olives, whole - 100 calories

Instructions

Cut block of mozzarella into small squares.
Pierce 1 square mozzarella + 1 circle slice of salami (folded) + 1 olive with a toothpick (& continue).
Want to make this dairy free for some of your dairy free guests? Use a dairy free cheese – see Supplemental Materials. Want to make these vegetarian? Use a meat-free sausage chopped up into small slices.

Wedding food stations

Another great way to save money on your wedding day is to have food stations.

They are great for saving money on your wedding, because there can be various different food options, and there doesn’t have to be the same amount of the food as there are guests, because it’s not being served to them, everyone takes what they want (and there’s not a chance that everyone will want everything).

Here are some great wedding food station ideas.

Charcuterie boards

Charcuterie boards are a great thing to include on a wedding menu if you want to be budget friendly.

Why? Because you can make them as expensive or as affordable as you want, as there are tons of more affordable (but still great and delicious) food brands out there.

Also, they are super convenient, as guests can easily take anything they want from the board, and enjoy the delicious food that they love.

Some things to include on a charcuterie board:

Baguettes and crackers for the base
Fruit (grapes, strawberries, etc.)
Veggies (cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes etc.)
Cheeses - use many different types of cheese (brie, gauda, feta, mozzarella, etc.)

Dessert tables

If you’re going to have a wedding cake (and let’s face it - every wedding needs a wedding cake), not every guest will want a separate dessert.

So, the solution is to have a dessert table. You won’t need as much as you’d need if you were serving it to your guests, and you’re also not wasting any food, since everyone will only take what they actually want to eat.

Your guests will love the gorgeous single-servings of desserts!

Some things you can include on there are cupcakes, cookies, single-servings of small cakes, cake-pops, etc.

Here are some great DIY desserts you can include on your dessert table.

BANANA SPLIT POPS

181 calories

Ingredients

½ Banana - 52.5 calories
1 Maraschino cherry - 8 calories
2 Tbsp Regular whipped cream - 30 calories
1 tsp Sprinkles - 20 calories
1 Tbsp Chocolate chips - 70 calories

Instructions

This recipe works best when making 2+ servings at a time

Stick banana with a popsicle stick
Melt chocolate in microwave
Roll banana in chocolate, top with sprinkles
Freeze overnight
Top with whipped cream & cherry

BLUEBERRY CHOCOLATE BITES

289 calories

Ingredients

⅛ cup Blueberries, fresh - 8.75 calories
4 Tbsp Chocolate chips - 280 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories

Instructions

Melt chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave for ~60 seconds, mix with a spoon and keep heating in 30 second intervals until smooth
Fill muffin tin with chocolate. Either use a silicone muffin tin, or line a small baking sheet with wax paper and make small circle shapes without a muffin tin.
Makes 4 “mini muffin” bites; or 2 regular sized “muffin” bites. The picture is using a mini muffin silicone muffin tin.
Top with fruit and salt.
Let chill in freezer for at least 10 minutes