10 Food Service Supplies You MUST Have For Your Backyard Wedding

June is almost here, and we know what that means:  weddings and other outdoor celebrations.

These days, many brides and grooms choose backyard weddings. They love having their nuptials in an intimate and beautiful setting, surrounded by their family and friends. The natural landscape provides the setting and allows the bride and groom to forego buying many items such as extra flowers and decorations.

“At-home, or backyard weddings aren’t just for saving money, although that can be a nice perk,” says Michael DeSatnik of Dean Supply. “It can be elegant, customized just for your style--and it adds a personal touch your guests will love.”

Despite their outdoorsy settings, these ceremonies still require many of the same things that indoor weddings do, especially when it comes to food.

If you’re planning your own backyard wedding, here are 10 items you’ll need for your catering and food needs. This list assumes that you already have items like tables and chairs, so it provides you with a list of food-related tools that you’ll need.

Still worried about your backyard wedding looking homemade?  “Check out these table settings,” says DeSatnik.  “Because they’re all done with disposable tableware”

1. Serving Platters and Trays

Most receptions feature not only large platters of hors d'oeuvres, but also trays of goodies that event servers pass around to party guests. Don’t forget to order a few of these items when you’re planning your events appetizer list.

2. Punch Bowls and Ladles

Most weddings have one or more types of punch. Punch bowls can add a decorative element to your party as well as provide you with a container for your different drinks. Naturally, you’ll need ladles to serve the punch with as well.

3. Utensils

You’ll need utensils for a couple of reasons. Not only do you need appetizer and dinner utensils, you’ll need serving utensils as well. This includes the knife to cut the cake, plus any carving knives you need to cut foods like roast or ham. You’ll also want to have ample serving spoons for summer favorites like potato and fruit salad.

4. Tablecloths

Most of these types of events will feature some kind of tablecloths for the tables to dress them up. Although you can choose colors like green to go with your outdoor setting, you may want to choose some muted neutral tones like tan or even deep colors like burgundy to provide visual contrast to your event’s decorating scheme.

5. Napkins

Depending on your budget, you need to plan on having a couple of different kinds of napkins for your reception. During the cocktail hour of your event, be sure to have plenty of beverage napkins to keep spills and rings to a minimum.

During the lunch or dinner portion of your wedding, you’ll want to have enough cloth napkins to place under each place setting, unless you’re going very casual. In this case, you’ll want some paper napkins that you can put into containers, along with some plastic utensils. These you’ll put on the table.

6. Plates, Cups, Bowls

Order plenty of plates, cups, and bowls for your reception. These items often get changed out faster than any other kind of event equipment. You’ll need dinner, dessert, and salad plates and coffee cups.

7. Steam Tables and Inserts

If you’re serving hot food, steam tables and inserts are a must. These items allow you to serve a variety of cooked foods, including steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and even hot garlic bread.

8. Wine and Champagne Glasses

What would a reception be without a toast to the bride and groom? Or a glass of wine with dinner? This counts as another items that we see ordered a lot at Dean Supply. Your event’s theme and budget will determine whether or not you get plastic or glass for this item.

9. Bar Towels and Buckets

Bar towels placed strategically near the steam table or the bar ensure that your reception food areas stay clean. When you’re ordering these items, be sure to include a few bar buckets in the order. You’ll put bleach water in these buckets so you can soak your bar towels between uses.

10. Blenders and Drink Mixes

Finally, if you do have a full bar, you’ll want to have blenders and drink mixes on hand for your cocktail hour. These types of items add variety to the beverages you can offer your guests, something that people who don’t drink a lot of wine or champagne will probably appreciate.