When starting to look at what sort of food you’ll have at your wedding reception, you’ll quickly see how much variety there is. Having wedding food stations is a great way to add variety, whether to your reception or your cocktail hour.

When selecting what to have at each station, you need to make sure you include at least one healthy food station. This gives you guests the opportunity to follow any diets or healthy food choices that they usually have and makes sure everyone has something that they can eat. There’s nothing worse than being at a wedding and not being able to eat anything, or feeling guilty about what you have eaten. Or incorporate healthy fruits and vegetables into each station so that no matter which station your guests are eating at there is something healthy on offer.

Here are some great ideas for healthy food stations at your wedding.

Healthy Food Stations for Weddings

Raw Bar

If you’re getting married near the sea, a raw bar is a great way to embrace the local vibes and impress your guests. You can include a variety of different seafood, from oysters to shrimp, clams to scallops, depending on your budget, preferences and local availability. Make sure you’ve checked with your guests in case there are any people severely allergic as shellfish is one of those things that can lead to extreme reactions.

Popcorn Bar

For a fun, whimsical food station you can’t go past a popcorn bar. It’s perfect for a carnival-themed wedding and better for you than a pretzel bar. You can either have a few different flavors on display that your guests can mix and mingle to make their perfect mix. Or bag up the options so they can just pick up their favorite and move on. Include some sweet treats like sugar and cinnamon as well as savory options like white cheddar.

Charcuterie Station

Cheese and charcuterie grazing platters always add a little luxury to a rustic wedding. And they can be made to be quite healthy. Rather than focusing on carbohydrates (bread, crackers, breadsticks) make the focus of the board fats (cheese), protein (meats) and vegetables (crudites). Layer the board so that everything is touching to create a sense of abundance.

Crudites

Setting up a rustic wedding station filled to look like a market garden is a great way to add more veggies to everyone’s plates. You can add dips like hummus and baba ganoush to the array as well. Chop up celery, carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower and broccoli. You can add some cherry tomatoes too.

Taco Bar

If you’re looking for a way to embrace local food, culture or just to add something a little different to your wedding, you can’t go past a taco bar. Make sure you have a variety of options for those that have dietary requirements. Keep the fillings healthy and light with lots of fresh salad ingredients and healthy protein options like fish, chicken or beans. Also, make sure you include plenty of different sauces from mild to spicy to embrace an authentic Mexican experience.

Mashed Potato Bar

The king of comfort foods, I love mashed potato. To make this food station healthier, make sure you’ve got plenty of delicious toppings on offer. You can go for a Mediterranean menu with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and feta or provides lots of different vegetables and cheese for a classic menu. Make sure there is also an option of a salad bar nearby or as part of the food station so that people can add some greens to their plate as well.

Dessert Bar

No matter how healthy you want to make your wedding, you’ll most likely still want a dessert option of some sort as part of your wedding catering. Some couples will choose to place the wedding cake as a dessert bar. But if you’re not having a wedding cake or you’d like something else there are other options. You can have a food station with a variety of options, including chocolate-dipped fruits such as strawberries and pineapple. Or a plate of delicious sliced fruit with no toppings gives your guests a sweet treat without the added sugar. Swap the Ice cream for sorbet, served in small bowls and regularly replenished by caterers.

S’mores Bar

I love the idea of handmaking s’mores at an outdoor wedding! Create a dessert food bar with graham crackers, cholate and marshmallows that can be put over a fire safely to allow everyone to embrace their inner child. Provide all the ingredients in small servings so that people feel like they can indulge in the dessert without going overboard. You want your guests to enjoy the wedding without overeating, which big portion sizes can easily lead to.