If you want to know one of the biggest wallet burners of throwing a wedding, it’s the food. Surprisingly (or not), the food alone can take up most of the wedding budget no matter how large or small your wedding reception will be. 

But not everyone can afford a lavish and extravagant wedding, which is why planning your wedding menu strategically can help you make the most out of your budget.

There are plenty of inexpensive food choices that you can serve at wedding receptions, which is exactly what I’ll share with you today – a round-up of wedding food ideas without breaking the bank.

6 Inexpensive Food Ideas for Wedding Receptions

Need help on how to plan a wedding reception menu? Here are some cost effective ways to save money on your wedding foods that won’t feel like a budget wedding on your big day.

BBQ

When it comes to wedding food ideas, first on the list is good old American BBQ! So tasty, filling, delicious, and best served up buffet style. You can feed a lot of people for relatively very little when most of everything is made on the grill. Think about it – BBQ pork and chicken are so comforting and are a great crowd pleaser, making them a prime choice for budget friendly wedding reception food ideas. Also, the concept of “barbeque” spans beyond just the traditional usage of the sauce. Included in this particular idea are also hamburgers, hotdogs, sausages, ribs, and tri-steak — depending on how cost effective you want to be on your wedding day.

The sides you can serve up with these budget wedding foods can be baked beans, potatoes, macaroni, collard greens, corn, or coleslaw. What makes this wedding meal so great is that you can feed a lot (I’m talking about feeding 150 - 200 people for under $500), if you do it yourself. You can’t go wrong with any of these options! 

Taco Bar

Want to avoid breaking the bank without feeling like it’s a cheap wedding reception, then another option you can go with is a taco bar. A taco bar works great when you’re wanting to keep the cost of wedding foods down. This finger food is a great option for feeding a crowd for less than $10 per person. 

Just cook up a bunch of ground meats, shredding pork or chicken for the protein, of course don’t forget the crunchy and soft tortillas, and do a spread of a variety of taco toppings like beans, corn, salsa, lettuce, cheeses, peppers, onions, and sour cream to name a few. Present it buffet style as a bar so your guests can mix and match and build their own custom taco that they will enjoy.

Potluck wedding

Some couples have also opted to do a potluck style wedding reception to save money on their big day. To be honest, it’s one of those hate it or love it approaches to wedding reception food. Some guests will find it tacky while others won’t mind. That’s why I believe this idea works better for more intimate weddings where the guest count is not much more than 50 people or the guests are mostly family with only a handful of close friends.

Keeping the guest count smaller, gives more attendees the ability to try more of the food and also helps take the pressure off of those who do the cooking so they won’t feel as burdened with catering to a larger crowd. To present this idea to your guests, you can ask them to bring a dish instead of a gift on the invitation. You can also guide them by sharing a theme they can follow. Potluck weddings can be a great opportunity to blend both families, make core memories, and establish new bonds with your growing family. 

Vegetarian only

One of the biggest drivers of cost for meals is the meat, so if you really want to cut back on costs, you can cut back on offering meat all together. Doing so may feel like a bold choice for some, but with the right wedding menu ideas, you can still make the wedding special and memorable so that guests may not even catch on or be able to notice the difference.

Some really fun and cool vegetarian-friendly wedding reception food ideas you can try are: ice cream and desserts, grilled cheese and tomato soup, a s’more station, or a fondue bar, or flatbread charcuterie boards.

Charcuterie boards

Another idea to save money on wedding food is to eliminate the entree and do charcuterie boards instead. Purchase an assortment of cured meats, cheeses, cracks, jams, olives, and other toppings. Then present them on a nice spread for grazing. Don’t forget to use seasonal ingredients when filling charcuterie boards for extra savings.

Cake and punch

Depending on the time of day when you offer your wedding, you could get away with just offering a wedding cake and punch. You can expand on the cake and do cupcakes for easy servings and a finger food option. 

This concept is more ideal for weddings that don’t run long and are held after lunch in the afternoon and end before dinner. Great if you’re wanting your reception to feel more like a mixer versus a party that lasts the whole night.

How To Save on Wedding Food

If you want to know how to save on wedding food, there are a few things you can do that don’t have to result in it feeling like a “cheap” wedding. Here are a few golden rules to practice:

• Self catering - this means you’ll have to find a venue that will allow outside food/ catering and obviously avoid the ones that do not.

• Offer fewer courses - keeping things simple will help you afford larger portions, which will feel like there’s 

• Go non-traditional - a budget wedding sometimes means skipping the plated dinners and opting for a potluck, vegetarian only foods, or a cake and punch styled wedding.

Ultimately, saving money on wedding food requires you to be proactive, take charge, buck against the trends, and get creative on your wedding menu. In doing so, you can empower yourself to spend only what you can logically afford so you can set yourself and your new matrimony up for success!

Have you come across other ways to be cost effective on your big day? Tell us what you’ve found in the comments down below.

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