Food ideas for wedding reception?

There are tons of things you can serve for a cold buffet at a wedding! If you're looking for things on the "classy" side, here's a few ideas to get you started:

Melon wrapped in proscuitto

Sliced figs

Chicken Salad on croissants

Tea Sandwiches

A variety of specialty cheeses with gourmet crackers

Rolled trays of deli meat and sliced cheese (have a variety of cheeses if possible) with several types of rolls

Veggie platter--you can use a hollowed out red cabbage for the dip to it a bit more interesting

Salads are also easy to make ahead of time and filling--especially pasta and potato salads. You can jazz up a potato salad easily by making it with blue potatoes for a different color (it'll still taste the same). Here's an easy recipe meant for a crowd that should be made the day before:

24 Hour Salad

5 large heads iceburg lettuce, shredded

5 large red onions, chopped

2 bunches celery, chopped

5 large red bell peppers, chopped

5 carrots, shredded

5 pkgs frozen peas, uncooked (remove any ice)

5 cups mayonaise

3 cups sour cream

1/2 pound bacon, fried and crumbled

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Layer the vegetables listed in the order given in a 24" x 35" pan. Mix the mayonaise & sour cream and spread over the top layer of vegetables. Sprinkle with bacon and cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve as is without mixing.

Serves 125 people

Another easy, yet classy, idea is to take a wheel of brie, top it with brown sugar and dried fruit, or jam, wrap it in puff pastry dough and pop it in the oven. Serve this with baguettes or crackers for an easy "wow."

You may want to consider having a few hot items as starters. You can rent chaffing dishes fairly cheap from your local rental place to keep a few things warm--like say, meatballs in a sauce. Also, if you are catering your own wedding, it would help to either hire a waitress you know for the day, or have someone willing to be in charge of setting out the food and keeping the buffet moving. You'll want to enjoy your day, not run around like bridezilla with her head cut off :) Its a great way to save money, and it can still be a nice meal.

My wife is Polish-American, so we had kielbasa, pierogies, plus some pasta for my Italian heritage. I think maybe stringbeans, too?

Throw in cheese & crackers during happy hour, Italian cookies and a cake later, and everyone said it was the fullest they've been at a reception. Good for lining a stomach before drinking!

Much better than tiny chicken, no hors d'oevres for the first couple rounds...

deli meat and cheese trays

fruit and veggie trays

cold salads

shrimp cocktails

bruschetta

various dips with crackers and breads

antipasto trays are great

Look in your cookbooks for appetizer recipes--that are usually best cold. Here's a link to a whole bunch of recipes that should be a good starting off point

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Appetizers-and-Snack...

Depending on the timing of your reception, you could simply have a dessert reception. My husband and I went to one just a few weeks ago, it was great!

For my upcoming wedding we're doing 4 different kinds of sandwiches, pasta salad and fruit salad. Nothing too fancy and easy on the budget!

Homemade cheese ball, shrimp & seafood dip with crackers.

If you can use a crock pot you could make mini sausages in bbq sauce or make queso dip with nachos. Ritz crackers with different toppings on them. A dish of big strawberries with saucers of whipped cream & chocolate for dipping.

Veggie trays & cheese trays, of course. Lay out cookies of all different varieties or cupcakes, done in your wedding colors & decorated with pretty sprinkles or wedding rings. A plate of brownies, sliced up & stacked. Finger sandwiches with a variety of meats. Ham biscuits. Steamed & seasoned peeled shrimp on a bed of ice. Mexican dip with nacho chips. Make wrap sandwiches & slice them up, fan them out on a tray.

Ham & cream cheese pinwheels.

Check out Martha Stewarts site for more ideas; she's done tons of weddings & I'm sure she'll have just scads of ideas!!

Congratulations & have fun!!!!

Finger sandwiches, meatballs and hot wings kept hot by sterno stoves. Salads: Pasta, Potatoe, Macaroni (set bowls on top of ice).

Cook various meats and leave to cool, then serve with a variety of cold salads, like a carvery bar.

meat/cheese trays

veggie trays

dessert trays

macaroni-pasta-potato salads

cold steamed shrimp (very good)

there are lots of ideas, try searching the internet for cold food ideas.

A taco bar, just get one of those pans that have burners under them for the taco meat other than that looks good to me!

pasta salads, deli meat and cheese tray with rolls, deviled eggs, fruit salads, fresh cold veggies and dip, finger sandwiches