46 Wedding Food Ideas on a Budget With Drinks 2024 [Affordable Food & Drinks]

Published November 22, 2021 · · Updated August 7, 2024 · 7 minutes · by Kamerpower ·

46 Wedding Food Ideas on a Budget With Drinks: – Affordable Wedding Food Ideas. Use these tips to get more from a smaller guest list and time your wedding or reception for maximum cost-effectiveness. There are a lot of creative affordable wedding food ideas that won’t break your budget. They can help you limit what you spend on food and drink for your guests with minimal impact on how you experience your big day. 

This article focuses on how to save money. You just got the cost for food and drinks for your weeding and it is outrageous! You know you are on a budget, so, you are looking for wedding food ideas that would be cheap but also glamorous.

List of Inexpensive Affordable Wedding Food Ideas

• Write Off Venues That Require In-House Catering.
• Have a Friend or Relative Host Your Reception at Their Home.
• Have a do-it-yourself (DIY) dessert wedding 
• Order a wedding meal from a local restaurant 
• Go for pre-made or frozen appetizers
• Skip the Champagne Toast.
• Use Disposable Serving Ware.
• Hold a Daytime Wedding
• End the Festivities Early.
• Use Old Books As Centerpieces
• Make Your Own Confetti
• Borrow Your Wedding Clutch Bag. 
• Borrow Your Veil And Jewelry
• Enlist The Help Of Music Students
• Make Your Wedding Sign. 
• Wear A Second-Hand Wedding Dress. 
• Eliminate Venues That Require In House Catering
• Research Ingredient Costs Ahead Of Time
• Rent Plates In Smaller Sizes
• Trim Your Guest List.
• Consider Electronic Invites.
• Borrow A Friend’s Car As Transport.

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Tips to Reduce Your Wedding Reception Food & Drink Costs

This idea can help you limit what you spend on food and drink for your guests with minimal impact on how you experience your big day.

#1. Have a Friend or Relative Host Your Reception at Their Home

If you have a close friend or relative with enough space, ask them to host the reception (and possibly the ceremony, depending on your preferences). Make it worth their while by assuring them the venue more than suffices as their gift — although, if your wedding is small enough and their love for you runs deep, they might help prepare and serve your food and drink too.

#2. Skip the Champagne Toast

On top of the substantial labor required to pour and measure dozens of Champagne servings, the booze itself is incredibly costly — at least $5 per bottle for bulk-bought, bottom-shelf sparkling wine and $5 or more per glass for venue-provided stuff.

#3. Use Disposable Serving Ware

If you have a say in the matter — and for this and other reasons, it’s wise to avoid venues that deny you one — opt for eco-friendly, single-use serving ware. That includes:

• Compostable or recyclable cups and glasses
• Recyclable serving dishes and trays.
• Compostable plates and bowls
• Compostable or recyclable utensils and cutlery.

#4. Set Up Your Photo Booth

Organize your photo booth against a wall. Arrange the setting to your taste with the props of your choosing. You may not need the services of a photographer. Use your iPhone to snap professional pictures.

#5. Avoid Passed Appetizers

These are basically appetizers passed around by servers. Even though passing around the appetizers may reduce the consumption compared to buffet styled appetizers, they are not exactly cost-effective in the long run. Do away with the servers and encourage guests to get their appetizers. The servers will have to be paid and the passed around appetizers are usually pricier since they require more preparation with expensive ingredients.

#6. Wear A Second-Hand Wedding Dress

You can used my mum’s wedding dress. Though it is a little out of fashion, you can get a tailor friend to adjust it for you. After a few lace and taffeta additions here and there, it will looked brand new and will fitted properly.

#7. Use Old Books As Centerpieces

Instead of renting centerpieces for every table, you could use old romance books. The more romantic, the better. Take stacks of clean books and arrange them carefully on each table and save yourself some money.

#8. Rent Plates In Smaller Sizes

When you leave guests to their own devices, they almost always maximize plate space irrespective of the plate size. That is to say that a smaller plate size might subconsciously discourage them from wasting or taking too much of your carefully planned dishes.

#9. Research Ingredient Costs Ahead Of Time

Finding out the costs of the ingredient beforehand is very advisable. The prices of various items like fish, vegetables, meat, other condiments, and common sides. The more information you have, the better equipped you will be to negotiate the price per-serving costs. 

#10. Eliminate Venues That Require In House Catering

This is a major way to reduce the cost of your wedding celebration. All you would need to do is call the venues you are considering and ask if they allow outside food. If they insist on the in house catering, strike them off your list if they do not allow outside food.

Top Wedding food ideas for small budgets

1. Pierced Donut Holes. 
2. Waffle Popsicles
3. Mini Pancake Towers
4. Fresh Fruit Platter With Wheat Or Bran Muffins. 
5. Macaroon Carriage. 
6. Smoothie Or Juice Bar
7. Pretzel Station
8. Booze-Free Cocktail Bar
9. Tacos And Mini Margaritas. 
10. Portable Shrimp And Grits
11. Sushi Rainbow
12. Champagne Jelly Cubes
13. Crème Brulee Shooters. 
14. Donut Wall
15. Baked Potato Bar
16. Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
17. Cracker, Cheese, and Fruit Tray. 
18. Deviled Eggs
19. Cheese Star
20. Grape Skewers
21. Cake And Punch Bar
22. Bagel Extravaganza
23. Bacon Bar
24. Salads On The Go
25. Shave Ice.
26. Strawberry Roses
27. Egg-Cups-Or-Walking-Quiche
28. Spaghetti and Meatball Twirled Appetizers.
29. BBQ
30. Sparkling Italian Wines
31. Serving Soda
32. Water
33. French Toast Sticks
34. Fried Ramen Noodles.
35. Banana Bread In A Jar
36. Caprese Bugs
37. Waffle Bar
38. Coffee Bar
39. Rainbow Smoothie.
40. Yogurt Bar
41. Macaroni And Cheese
42. Oatmeal Creme Pie
43. Grilled Cheese Bar
44. Berry Banana Snake
45. After Meal Mints
46. Fruity Iced Tea And Water.

Other Ways to Save on Wedding Food & Drink Costs

1. Maintain a Coherent Theme

Use thematic food and drink menus that rely on fewer, cheaper ingredients to save money. A consistent theme boosts the appeal of basic or boring menu items.

Popular themes include:

• California cuisine (think grilled cheese and avocado sandwiches, grilled fish or chicken, and green salads)
• Southwestern cuisine or Tex-Mex.
• Barbecue.
• Comfort food.
• Healthy eats
• Whole game (our wedding’s pit-roasted hog was insanely cheap per guest and gave us frozen leftovers for months).

2. Write Your Menu On A Mirror

Rather than printing cards, you can write your menu for food, drinks, or both on an old vintage mirror. You can write almost anything on the mirror – from the order of the day to the seating arrangements. It gives that old, traditional look to your event.

3. Hold a Daytime Wedding

Daytime weddings are cheaper than afternoon-into-evening gatherings on multiple counts. Private reception venues generally charge less for daytime events as long as the party can clear out in time for the evening block. And city parks typically charge nominal fees to reserve pavilions or grills.

4. Borrow Your Veil And Jewelry

This was my “something old”. My mother-in-law gave me a set of complete jewelry that was the family heirloom (it belonged to great-grandma Joan). It was the sweetest and most precious gift I got that day.

5. Stick to a Single Drink

If you’re not sold on a BYOB cocktail hour, keep things simple and offer just one drink between the ceremony and reception start time. Ideas to provide a single drink on the cheap include:

• Offering your venue’s house wine or purchasing your own lower-shelf red or white in bulk (see our wine-buying guide for tips)
• Premix a signature cocktail, such as your joint favorite or one that matches your wedding’s color scheme.
• Tapping a keg from your favorite local brewery or cidery.
• Handing out recyclable Champagne flutes and breaking open the sparkling wine.

6. Serve Bar Snacks

At cocktail hour, whet their appetites with a variety of bar snacks, such as nuts, pretzels, and dried fruit. Don’t break out the heavier reception menu items, like pigs in blankets or meatballs, until guests are seated for dinner — or at least in the room where you plan to serve dinner.