Couples are doing everything to take their wedding to another level, gone are the days when things were very basic and standard at weddings. Now is the time when you can have everything that you have dreamt of having at your wedding. It is very easy to host an offbeat wedding today. Couples who love to explore new things and want to host a unique wedding can go to any extent, and replacing standard wedding catering with food truck catering on wedding is one amongst them.
Yeah, now you can have food truck catering at your wedding. There was a time when food trucks were only seen at some fair or in the market, but these days food truck catering for wedding is gaining immense popularity and has become a hot trend! Believe you me, there are several benefits of having food truck catering for your wedding, like; gives your wedding a unique touch, you can save a lot of money, etc. More often than not, these food trucks offer specialized food items only, but still they are a great way to host a unique wedding reception, that too without much hassle.
Here are the best tips to have food truck catering for your wedding…
1. Set your Budget
Your wedding is a pricey affair; hence it is crucial that you set your budget beforehand. Remember that money is actually a determining factor. Setting a budget for your wedding food will help you have clarity how much to spend. Food trucks typically charge $10 to $20 per person, whereas, caterers’ charges are comparatively very high, they usually charge around $60-$80 per person. Huge difference you know!
2. Have number of your guests in advance
Knowing the number of wedding guests in advance will help you estimate how much food will be required at the wedding. However, at weddings, people tend to eat and drink more. So, it is crucial that you estimate if beforehand to avoid any chaos later. Typically an average food truck can feed about 100 guests. If yours is a big fat wedding with more than 100 guests, then you will need to hire two or more trucks. Plan wisely.
3. Determine where your guests will eat
More often than not, people enjoy eating al fresco style, but having the same kind of eating won’t be feasible in your wedding setup. If you want your guests to eat outside, you’ll have to arrange for your own picnic tables or instruct your venue to set the tables up outside for your guests. And if an outdoor dining situation is not possible with your venue, then you can have your guests carry their food back inside to their tables. Moreover, you can have extra signage placed for your guests’ convenience.
4. Hire wait staff
Since, food truck have limited staff that won’t be sufficient for handling your wedding guests, in such a situation you will need to hire a few waiters and waitresses. They will be a great help at your wedding reception as you can have them pass out cocktails and eatables and later you can have them cleaning and clearing up.
When it comes to selecting a food truck, there will be myriads of options you will come across. However, you will need to select the one that compliments the ambiance you are willing to create finally. Also, you can decorate the food truck according to your color scheme and wedding theme just to have it integrated into your event perfectly.
6. Find out what all will be provided by your food truck
More often than not, these food trucks do provide cutlery and paper plates. Some even come with music. And if your food truck is coming with music then it will be like a double saving for you at your wedding. So, find it out in advance what all will be provided by your food truck.
7. Let your guests know beforehand
All the setup that you will do at your wedding will be, of course, for your guests. Therefore, it is crucial that your guests know about the arrangement of food truck well in advance, so that they can come ready with the same mood.
8. Get all the details in advance
Before you plan to have food truck at your wedding, make sure you check with your city hall and your venue about how to go ahead with it. As, most municipalities have certain restrictions in parking food truck in specific regions, especially in local city-owned places. Also, they don’t allow food trucks to park on the narrow, residential streets. So, checking in advance will help you avoid any chaos later.
9. Have your menu ready well in advance
Unlike standard catering, with food truck you can’t have everything or anything. You will need to have a customized menu ready in case of food truck catering for your wedding. Having customized menu will allow food truck staff to plan things accordingly and have enough preparation time before they finally serve food.
10. Choose the best spot to park your food truck
It is crucial that your food truck is not parked far away. You will have to finalize a spot for parking the food truck well in advance, so that there is no problem later. While choosing spot for your food truck, make sure it is easily accessible and close to the main action. You can get it parked to the side of the venue, but it should be close enough that your guests can easily get to it and have their food.
11. Get your eating area ready in advance
As said already, food trucks do not provide with seating tables and chairs, if they do it’s great and if they don’t you will have to create an eating area for your guests well in advance. To create a wonderful seating area that goes well with your wedding theme and color scheme would be a great idea. You can even ask your venue or the event coordinator to create a space that easily integrates with the event and that your guests would equally love to eat and chit chat there.
12. Sign a legal contract with your food truck
Like any other wedding vendor, you will need to sign a legal contract with the food truck caterers as well. It is always good to sign contracts to make the deal legal, so that there are no disappointments and chaos later. Also, it is compulsory that you read the contract fully before signing in it. The contract should contain all the details, such as: price, number of food items, items included in the services, timings etc. Only when you are convinced with the details you can sign on the dotted lines.
To conclude….
These are the 12 best tips that can help you have a wonderful food truck catering at your wedding. Follow these tips and let your guests have a unique and stunning eating experience at your wedding that they will cherish all their lives.
