Budget wedding food ideas

MandM90

The plan thus far is a registry office and then on to a local pub for the reception. :beer:

I'm after food ideas. The pub doesn't serve food so is happy for us to provide our own.

Mum suggests M and S (there's an M and S right opposite so theoretically mum/mil/sister etc could pop across the road after the first couple of drinks and go and get the grub straight from the fridge) but I reckon that could be quite dear, looking at their options, for a bog standard buffet.

Option 2 - make the buffet food myself. The in laws live a 5 minute drive from the pub and have plenty of fridges and freezers I could take over, but I'd need to find inspiration. Maybe posh mini quiches, some crusty rolls wrapped in greaseproof paper and tied with string. Not sure how I'd calculate what we need, make it look nice on the table etc. Plus I'd need to get one of my family to abstain from drinking for the first couple of hours of the day so they can whizz back and get it and put it out (chances: slim to none :rotfl:)

Sister's wedding gift to us will be a cheese wedding cake, so crackers and chutneys will be a given.

There's a local fish and chip van that do little cones of fish and chips for £3 a head. It's old fashioned and pretty but the pub is on a main drag in the town, so it wouldn't be able to park outside. There's a carpark not far outside, so perhaps I could ask if they could bring the cones in in batches, and arrange them nicely on a table? That leaves veggies/vegans without an option though, so I'd need something else to accommodate :eek:

Another thing I was considering is a fab falafel stand that frequents our town. I'd hope they'd do a big fat wrap for everyone for about £3 a head. Only thing is I'm aware falafel isn't everyone's cup of tea.

We'd probably aim to marry around two/three. Has anyone got any suggestions as to how we can work this out?

flea72

How about the M&S dine-in meal for 2. £5/hd for 2 courses, sounds reasonable. Pop it all in oven at MiL then just transport to venue once cooked?

Or if in evening, just order a chinese or indian takeaway?

FutureGirl

My friend had her reception at a local hall. Her mum and neighbour cooked the food the night before. Mostly party food from Iceland, cheep and cheerful. But there was LOADS of it! So no one went hungry

MandM90

flea72 I think it might be standing room only so M and S would be hard, but takeaway isn't a bad shout...my only worry would be that it would get cold before everyone got a plate! I wonder how much those stainless steel heated serving vessels are?

Futuregirl...I do love party food. We don't really eat meat (but are happy to serve it). I wonder if we drove to Southall and bought 100 massive veggie samosas if that would go down well, or if people would think they are stinky and inappropriate.

Owain_Moneysaver

MandM90 wrote: »

flea72 I think it might be standing room only so M and S would be hard, but takeaway isn't a bad shout...my only worry would be that it would get cold before everyone got a plate! I wonder how much those stainless steel heated serving vessels are?

About £30 - £50 for a standard commercial size (1/1 gastronorm) one

http://www.clickonstore.net/chafing-dish-single-unit-chafer-p-44.html

But you can hire them - probably about £8-10 a day + fuel, if the pub doesn't have any.

Are people going on to somewhere to have a full dinner elsewhere later, or is what you provide going to have to feed people all evening?

A local Indian buffet restaurant could probably do you a couple of gastronorms-full of rice / vegetable / meat curry quite cheaply and be able to lend you chafing dishes.

prosaver

http://www.youandyourwedding.co.uk/forum/receptions/diy-wedding-buffet/328343.html
this sounds good

nimbo

My fella does buffets - all served on tinfoil plates / trays. Easy to clear up at the end. Also if people want a soggy bag for leftover then they can fold in half like a pasty.

Garnished with salad - that usually gets eaten. Also a big bowel there will always be someone on a diet or veggies and a vegan etc.

Quiches cut up well, susage rolls bread sticks and dips he makes his own chutneys.

He'll make sandwiches all open topped - and he makes his own susage rolls but the susage rolls can be bought. He does little susages glazed with BBQ or Piri Piri style sauce and then poke in a few cocktail sticks in and leaves a tub behind for the rest.

Personally I'd recommend asda as they're much cheaper than m&s. And I LOVE their quiches. Haha

Mini scotch eggs. Or veggies egg version. Picky buffets are loved by all and with things like bread sticks you can buy a pack here and there to spread the cost. If it's cold easy to prep before the wedding and cling film and then Unwrap on site?

This can all be done for way less than three pounds per head. There's a site somewhere that will tell you how many items you need per person for how many hours. May be a girl called jack?

MandM90

Thanks for all the great ideas, real food for thought


The link to the wedding forum suggested a pot luck wedding. I think that sounds fab in theory but worried people would find it a nuisance/tacky. Anyone have any thoughts?


We're not yet sure if we will feed people once or twice. I think it'll depend what time we get married. We still haven't decided whether to do it in summer or winter!

missmoose

My MiL2B does pot lucks all the time, all be it not for weddings and they generally go down well, not everyone fetches something though but there is always enough to go around, maybe ask close family and friends who you know can cook to make special dishes for it then fetch them in.

Does the pub have any sort of kitchen that you could use? I know I looked at one pub for our engagement party and although they didn't serve food they did have a kitchen that we could use. If they can offer that you could cook things up the day before and have them in that fridge and ten get a family member to put it out during any photos?
If you have it in the winter though there will be loads of party food platters in all the supermarkets so you'd have more options on quality and price.:money:

kathrynha

Been to plenty of homemade buffet weddings. They are good but require lots of people to help.


Been to one that had fish and chips. Nice idea but by the time they were all served out the chips were soggy.

I wouldn't object to a pot luck buffet, but some people might, and as a person will allergies they are a nightmare.

Personally I would order in pizzas. They deliver, so the lack of parking isn't you're problem, and they cope with been kept warm. Not good if you have gluten and dairy free people though.
Chinese or Indian takeaways could also work.

For dessert, a load of supermarket frozen desserts would be easy enough. Most need to left out of the freezer at room temperature for a few hours before serving, so they could all be sorted beforehand.

happilymarried2013

Hi OP,

We fed 250 people at our wedding for £200 (I shop hard lol).
There was a team of eight of us the night before making sandwiches etc but there was enough to feed people twice over and for them to take doggy bags. I shopped from ASDA and Iceland and some catering outlets. Pasta salads, chopped salads, breads and meats and chutneys would go wonderfully with your "cheese cake". I love that idea. Wish I had a cheese cake myself....

you don't say how many people are coming, but if you wanted something hot to eat could you get your hands on an army of slowcookers? I've cooked for 20/30 people with 3 slow cookers, one chilli, one veggie option and one rice? You can serve that with your usual bits and pieces then, or a curry, stew, soup etc.

good luck with your wedding - I hope it goes well xx