3 Tips for Providing Food in Bulk for a Wedding Potluck

One of the highlights of many wedding receptions is the food. Whether treated to the finest gourmet food or more common comfort food, your guests will appreciate filling their stomachs after a long day of celebration.

One great way to provide food and save some money is to do a potluck, in which each guest brings a dish of their own to share with everyone else. In order for the potluck to succeed, though, you need to provide a few base dishes that everyone can enjoy. To help you provide this large amount of food without adding stress to your big day, here are three tips for providing food in bulk for a wedding potluck.

Consider Storage

Foregoing a caterer and providing your own base dishes is a great idea. However, if your reception facility doesn’t have the proper food storage devices, then your idea could turn out to be a flop.

It’s important to check and make sure that the venue has proper refrigeration for cold foods as well as devices to keep hot food hot, such as Sterno cans and chafing dishes. If the venue can’t provide these materials, then you’ll need to either provide them yourself or opt for another venue.

Go Simple

If you want to largely avoid food storage worries, the best thing you can do is to provide foods that need no heating or cooling to be kept in an edible state. Breads such as kaiser rolls, biscuits, and other specialty items can make for a great centerpiece that everyone can enjoy. Rolls also make a great base since you can eat many different types of food on them.

Additionally, many finger foods, some fruits and vegetables, most sweets, and a host of other foods require neither heat nor refrigeration to remain delicious. With this list in mind, you can work to plan a menu that requires minimal energy to put together and to serve so that you can focus on other details of your big day.

Buy Early

If you have proper storage for bulk foods, it’s a good idea to buy them as early as you can. Buying early will allow you to take advantage of sales to ensure you get the best possible price. Plus, you’ll be able to easily adjust your menu if you have some guests who RSVP at the last minute. Just be sure to thoroughly check the “use by” dates on the foods you buy to ensure they’ll still be fresh when your guests arrive.

Ask for Help

Your wedding day is one of the few days in your life during which people will be bending over backward to help you in any way they can. To help save some sanity, it’s important that you take advantage of these offers for help so that you can delegate the many responsibilities associated with wedding preparation. Then, when the wedding is over, be sure to send out “thank you” cards so that everyone knows just how much you appreciated their assistance.