Wedding Food Ideas Guests Will Rave About! (Simple)

Searching for the BEST Budget Friendly Wedding Food Ideas?  You just hit the jackpot for Budget Wedding Ideas!

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Wedding Food Ideas

When it comes to weddings, the cost of food can seem to spiral out of control quickly, right?  

That’s why I’ve compiled this HUGE list of simple and cheap Wedding Food Ideas that your guests will be RAVING about!

From Wedding cakes to creative alternatives, and delicious dinners to refreshing drinks, you’ll be celebrating in style at your reception… all without breaking the bank!

So what are you waiting for?  

Go get inspired with these mouth-watering Wedding Food Ideas on a Budget…

Related: Walmart Grocery Deals for frugal wedding food supplies!

Inexpensive Wedding Cakes + Wedding Cupcake Ideas

Maria writes: “Unless you have always dreamed of a certain cake, you can skip the “Amazing Cakes” type cake. I’ve seen a lot of non-traditional ones, and everyone was happy. It is mainly about cutting it and feeding it to each other anyway.”

Marie writes: “I made my own cake!”

Gramma R. writes: “For your cake, pick something you and your husband-to-be like. My cousin and her husband like cheesecake, so they purchased different flavored cheesecakes, placed them on pedestals, and had a beautiful, unique cake.”

Julie writes: “Get the larger cakes at Nothing Bundt Cake…so good and way cheaper than wedding cake.”

Marianna writes: “We did donuts as the cake with personalized to go bags. They could eat it then or take it home and eat later.”

Janelle writes: “A friend and myself made cupcakes instead of having a cake.  The trick was to use a fancy frosting tip (super easy) to make them look professional.”

Frugal Tip: Check out this decadent, better-than-any-bakery frosting recipe!

The BEST Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Keylee writes: “My son saved money by having the family make cupcakes to serve at the reception.”

Karen writes: “We did a dessert reception with a small cake for the bride and groom to cut, assorted cupcakes from a local baker, cookies and brownies that I made.”

Mona writes: “For my daughter’s wedding, she wants cupcakes.  So I’m making those in 4 or 5 different flavors.”

Frugal Tip: Save even more money by serving up Mini Cupcakes, like these…

Erynn writes: “I stacked cupcakes for the cake, and topped the tier with a 6″ round cake for us to save for the anniversary.”

Dee writes: “We also had cupcakes and just a small cake for us to cut.  We saved lots of money that way.”

Tabby writes: “I did individual cakes on each table and used it as the center piece..it saved a lot of money!!”

Kelly writes: “After we number crunched… doing individual cakes saved us over $700!”

Vanessa writes: “Mama made my cake!”

KS writes: “This is such an awesome idea!  Bake all of your own cakes a day or two before and now you cut the price of everything down!”

Naomi writes: “As a cake decorator, I can tell you that undecorated cakes freeze REALLY well! Just bake, place on a cardboard piece, wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze! Defrost fully before you frost the cake and voila!”

Mary writes: “Typically the shelf life of a frozen undecorated cake or cupcake is 30 days but I wouldn’t freeze them for any longer than 2 weeks to prevent possible freezer burn.”

Brandi writes: “Find people you know who specialize in baking, and ask if they will donate their time as your wedding gift, and you just pay the cost!”

Frugal Tip: Skip the Expensive Silverware!  Rather than spending a fortune renting silverware, use these Disposable Wooden Utensils instead!  You’ll save a bundle, and it will add another fun rustic touch to your reception!

Betsy writes: “We bought a grocery store cake.”

Frugal Tip: Save even more on your cake with these tips for How to Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half!

Amy writes: “We enlisted an acquaintance to make a HUGE cake, which she only charged us $250 for!”

Cheap Wedding Drinks Ideas

Karen writes: “We served tea and lemonade for drinks.”

Pineapple Lemonade Recipe

Angie writes: “We purchased our glassware at a restaurant supply store and are able to reuse them now at parties.

Kimberlee writes: “We purchased our own wine in bulk from a distributor to save money.”

Christine writes: “Our friend that works at a vineyard gave us 4 cases of wine and champagne as a gift.”

Mason Jar Mugs are the cutest addition to your wedding drink station, and can be so fun to use or repurpose after the wedding, too!

30 Best Party Punch Recipes

Wedding Reception Food Ideas on a Budget

Debbie writes: “Try a ‘Heavy Appetizer’ reception.”

Anne writes: “We had an appetizer buffet instead of a full meal (Believe me, no one went hungry!)”

Easy Appetizers for a Crowd

Casey writes: “My mom made salad like Olive Garden, and we ordered wings and pizza from our favorite place. They gave a discount on orders over 6 pizzas and were willing to do toppings in thirds (1/3 pepperoni, 1/3 hamburger and 1/3 cheese).

We used the church youth group as our servers and food was done family style at each table. I dislike buffet lines. I stock piled 2 liters of soda as they went on sale. Also, had a variety of hot drinks.  People still tell us how good the food was.”

Jennifer writes: “We made our own food. Garlic bread, salad and lasagna because my husband’s side was vegetarian and mine definitely not so we didn’t want to make it obvious.”

Erynn writes: “For food, we had a pasta bar. Four different kinds of pasta, 5 sauces, and a few sides, buffet style. Served 55 people for $72.

Easy Garlic Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Crockpot Pepper Jack Tomato Pasta Sauce Recipe

Nicole writes: “Keep it SIMPLE!!!! Also, have the wedding in the mid afternoon so you don’t have to pay for a “sit down dinner” and have family members help you make foods ahead of time and freeze.”

Diane writes: “Do a ‘Everyone Brings a Dish’.

Tami writes: “To save money, we scheduled our wedding for mid afternoon, so we could just have just cake and snacks instead of a meal.”

Benita writes: “We had a grocery deli make reception food, punch and cakes. All were delicious.”

Diana writes: “We caught our red snappers for the dinner!”

Joanna writes: “By not getting married locally and forgoing the 100+ guest list. Went to a private country club and had dinner for 10 and back to the hotel for drinks and conversation. It was perfect for us.”

More Wedding Main Course Ideas

Maria writes: “Don’t worry about expensive food. People want good food, yes, but it doesn’t have to be steak.”

Jackie writes: “We opted for breakfast for dinner which is our favorite meal.”

Bacon Egg & Cheese Sliders Recipe

Hannah writes: “We had a local small Mexican food restaurant cater the food.”

Michelle writes: “I’ve heard not to use the word “wedding” and you’ll save on food!”

Rea writes: “We bought fajita meat at Sam’s and my cousin who is a professional cook, grilled it for us and another cousin helped him. We bought the sides which were beans and rice at a local restaurant for a very reasonable price. My friends and family served the food at the wedding. We have a great family that saved us lots of money.”

Sarah writes: “Try a Baked Potato Bar”

Michelle writes: “For our daughter’s wedding, my friend smoked 2 pork shoulders and a ham.”

Heidi writes: “We did our own food.. my cousin roasted a pig for us.  We also did cold cuts, potato salad, and pasta salad.”

Lenita writes: “We bought pork when was on sale, and served pulled pork, homemade potato salad, etc.”

Barbecue Wedding Reception Food Idea: Can’t say ‘I Do’ without some BBQ?  I’ve got you covered!  

Check out this Southern Barbecue Recipe your guests will love!

Crockpot BBQ Pork Ribs Recipe (Dr. Pepper)

More Fun Wedding Dessert Table Ideas

Wedding Cookie Stations:  A wedding cookie station is such a fun addition to your reception’s food.  Serve them on pretty cake stands, and they’ll look adorable!

90 Cake Mix Cookies Recipes

Leslie writes: “We had dipped pretzel rods, chocolate covered strawberries, a popcorn machine, with cute little bags & wedding themed M&Ms.”

Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Cheesecake Filled Strawberries

Wedding Candy Bar

Evelyn writes: “Purchase valentine candy after Valentine’s Day is over and use it to make favors. You can get really pretty heart-shaped candies for almost nothing on 2/15.”

Renee writes: “We made a “candy bar” with different glass containers filled with candy in our wedding colors and the guests could fill decorated bags with the candy. I also found various wedding themed picture frames and set out pictures of my hubby and I on different tables.”

DIY Candy Stations: Candy stations are always a well-loved addition to any wedding reception!  Kids and adults love self-serving these treats!  Here are some fun things to include in your Wedding Candy Station…

• Candy Station Jars
• Candy Station Self-Serve Scoops
• Wedding Buttermints

More Budget Wedding Ideas

So are you ready for even more wedding inspiration?  Get inspired with everything you need with these creative wedding ideas…

How To Budget For Your Wedding

When you’re prepared with the best tips for how to budget for your wedding, it will be so much easier to afford the beautiful wedding you’ve always dreamed about!

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Feed a Crowd on a Budget (Easy Recipes + Cheap Ideas)

Delicious meals don’t need to be complicated, and your family and friends will be begging for seconds with these crowd pleasing breakfast options, satisfying dinner ideas, and simple crock pot recipes!

So… what are your favorite budget Wedding Food Ideas?

Leave a comment & share!