10 Unique and FUN Wedding Reception Menu Ideas! (Part 1/2)

In a sea of seemingly infinite options, wedding reception menu ideas that are both unique and crowd-pleasers can be difficult to come up with on your own. Whether you’re a foodie or not, the food you serve at your wedding reception is highly important to your guests’ overall experience. 

Your guests took time out of their busy schedule (some even traveling from far away!) to come celebrate with you, so you want to treat them right. You don’t want them to leave your wedding underwhelmed by boring and basic options, stopping to get something more satisfying to eat on their way home. Instead, choose wedding reception menu ideas that excite and delight them and have them raving for years!

However, a pro tip before moving forward: make sure you check with your venue before you get your heart set on catering options. Your venue might have in-house catering or source the catering themselves as part of your package. If so, they might charge extra for outside catering. Either way, from this point you can begin to discuss various wedding reception menu ideas, plating/presentation, and serving options. Also, if you have guests with special dietary restrictions (such as vegan, lactose-free, or gluten-free) this is an optimum time to discuss this with your caterer and make sure there are alternative options offered for these guests. 

Anything goes!

Deciding on your wedding menu can be a tricky business, but it can also be a lot of fun! If you can, make your menu reflect yourselves as a couple in some way. Maybe something that reflects your culture, that you enjoy together, or simply reflects the season and location you chose to get married! 

Also, especially these days, your wedding reception menu can take on any form you want. Modern couples tend to be moving away from the traditional multi-course meal served at the table and opting for more social “grab-your-own” or “build-your-own” options. You can offer up appetizers during cocktail hour before a main dish, or go all-apps! It’s entirely up to you and your vibe as a couple. 

And don’t worry. “Wow-ing” your guests with your culinary offerings doesn’t have to be expensive as long as you get creative. If you’re still looking for some wedding reception menu ideas to inspire you, here are some of our favorites to get you started!

1. Charcuterie
2. Wood-fired pizza
3. Shooters and Sliders
4. Brunch it up!

1. Charcuterie

What list of wedding reception menu ideas would be complete without charcuterie? Charcuterie is all the rage these days. It is elevated snacking at its finest. And it can be made as elegant or fun as you want, depending on your personality as a couple. There are several ways you can present a charcuterie board to make it stand out to your guests. 

For instance, you could present them with a show-stopping grazing table. A grazing table can be extremely impressive when the expertly chosen elements are creatively arranged. This is an excellent way for your guests to pick and choose what they want to fill their plate up with. And it’s also easy to add various food-sensitive options around as well so there’s something for everyone. 

Alternatively, if you don’t want a slow flow of traffic from everyone grazing at leisure, consider creating cute, grabbable individual charcuterie cups! These cheesy cuties are individual portions of cheeses, meats, crackers, and fruits that are transportable and able to be enjoyed while mingling. They are also a great option if you have health concerns of everyone grazing from the same table. 

2. Wood-fired pizza

Everyone. Loves. Pizza. It’s just a fact. Pizza is an easy crowd-pleaser, and it’s a perfect wedding reception menu idea for the more laid-back couples. However, even though it’s rustic in appeal, some pizza, particularly wood-fired pizza, can be elegant by simple quality. With a nicely charred crust, you can get as basic or fancy with the ingredients as you want, just make sure there are plenty of good options. These days, it’s also so easy to appeal to most food sensitivities when it comes to pizza. With vegan options and gluten-free crusts, you can provide something for everyone! Again, check with your venue, they may have some recommendations to choose from!

3. Shooters and Sliders

Comfort food, but make it tiny.

Sometimes all it takes to elevate a comforting classic into an elegant offering is to make it bite-sized and serve it in a surprising way! For example, you can get away with serving chicken and waffles at your wedding by creating adorable chicken and waffle sliders with pipettes of maple syrup. They are so cute and fun, your guests will love them! (And you’ll love how cheap they are!)

Likewise, another classic favorite that can be turned into a surprising (and cheap!) appetizer is a shooter of grilled cheese and tomato soup. A little wedge of a grilled cheese sandwich served with a shooter-sized cup of tomato soup is an exciting little treat for kids and adults alike!

Be as creative as you want with this option of serving comfort food in an elevated way. From hot dogs and hamburgers to macaroni and cheese, anything’s game!

4. Brunch it up!

I don’t know who it was that made brunch a thing, but let’s thank them forever. Breakfast and champagne? YES PLEASE! If you’re as big of a fan of brunch as we are, you might consider brunch in your top wedding reception menu ideas. In fact, you might go full-on brunch for your wedding festivities and have a brunch-themed bridal shower, too! ALL THE MIMOSAS!

When it comes to a brunch menu there are no actual rules, which means this is where you really get to play and impress. Brunch is sandwiched between breakfast and lunch, so really anything goes. You can offer brunch as a full meal itself or as a selection of appetizers, so just really let your creativity (and let’s be honest here, Pinterest) really fly!

Think finger foods and exciting little food combos on sticks! Charcuterie boards, mini chicken and waffle sliders, bite-sized quiches, mini silver dollar-sized stacks of pancakes, breakfast baked potato skins, etc. If you’re stumped check out Pinterest or a hostessing site to spark some ideas!

If you really want to get in on the finger food theme, you can even go full-on afternoon tea party! Proper afternoon tea is a great way to combine almost all the elements of a bridal shower brunch and make all your guests feel super elegant.

Whatever you decide, just make sure you have enough sweet and savory options, and enough for everyone to try a little bit of everything!

And just remember that since this is brunch and almost anything goes, keep it clever, creative, and surprising!

Oh, and of course you NEED a DIY mimosa and bloody mary bar for any brunch. And at a wedding, it just makes sense. 

Stay tuned for more!

Getting excited? Stay tuned for Part 2, where we continue with more wedding reception menu ideas your guests will love!

Still haven’t found a venue? Give us a call to plan a tour and find out why Jennings Trace could be the perfect wedding venue you’ve been looking for.

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