Planning the Perfect Potluck Wedding
Everything from all the pros & cons to invitation wording—here’s how to crush it
Thinking about having your wedding be BYOM (bring your own meal)? We hear you. With the onset of COVID, a lot of weddings became super intimate affairs. We don’t see that trend going anywhere. And the natural next step from the popular backyard wedding is a potluck wedding, a wedding where your guests pitch in food so that you can forgo a caterer. Here’s what you need to consider if you’re debating whether or not to try one for your big day.
Potluck Wedding Pros:
You get to cut the cost of a caterer. But keep in mind, there’s a lot of other work that goes into a wedding. With the money you save from food costs, you could hire a wedding planner (if you weren’t going to already) who will coordinate all of the potluck food, execute all of the wedding’s design details, manage the timeline, and do both the setup and takedown. Sounds like a good trade-off to me!
Your family and friends get to feel more involved
It creates an intimate, family-style feel whereas sometimes large weddings can feel a little impersonal
You get an emphasis on local flare
It gives your family’s special recipes or foodie friends time to shine
It provides a way for your guests to connect. It’s almost a guarantee that people who have never met will exchange a recipe before the day is done.
Potluck wedding Cons:
You still have to plan and delegate dishes (to make sure you don’t end up with 12 potato salads)
Depending on where your guests are coming from, it might not be feasible
You and your guests have to either accommodate allergies, or your guests will have to worry about that
There’s little control and consistency in the food quality
Guests aren’t able to enjoy the event as much if they are worried about bringing food
Most venues require the caterer to be licensed, so it may not be possible at a venue
It may not create the most aesthetically pleasing tablescape with everyone’s different dishware
You and your guests will be responsible for cleanup and designating leftovers
If you decide that a potluck wedding is perfect for what you envision for your day, we have some tips and tricks to make it a success!
Potluck Wedding Tips:
Tap your foodie friends for their talents. You know which people have the skills, seek them out, and ask them to contribute the more significant dishes. Being a good cook is a gift and a curse.
Provide a base dish of your own. Show people you’re also participating and being a gracious host.
Send out a suggested menu and have people volunteer for the ones they’re interested in. Feel free to check that your mom will make spanish rice and your aunt will make her hummus before you get ahead of yourself.
Set out dishware of your own or hand it out beforehand for a more pleasing look. Be sure to tell people that you’re providing dishware. That way they can bring it in a recyclable container, transfer it, and not have to worry about lugging a dish home.
Don’t forget drinks. It may be best to keep the potluck theme to food and provide the drinks yourself. For the non-alcohol, ask your less-culinarily-inclined friend to bring soft drinks, juices, etc. And it may be wise to hire a bartender, no one wants to be stuck with that job all night!
Consider setting a culinary theme. That way your guests have parameters and you’ll know what to expect. Ideas for this could be: Asian-Fusion, Parisian, Veggie-forward, Cajun Cookout, Comfort Foods, Travel-the-world, Hometown Favorites…are you hungry yet?
Wondering how to let your guests know it’s a potluck? Simple, just include it on the wedding invite! Here are some options for verbiage:
“Feel free to bring a favorite dish in lieu of a gift!” or “We kindly request you bring a favorite homemade dish to share if you are able.”
And if you have a signup sheet or preferred menu, include it on your wedding website! That way you can easily coordinate everything without fielding a million questions.
Potluck weddings are a great idea for some couples. By having a potluck wedding you get to include more friends and family while reducing costs. But be sure to keep in mind that there’s still a lot of work that goes into a wedding beyond food. By hiring a wedding planner, you can still do the potluck style without having to handle the logistics of it all. And you get to skip dish wrangling at the end of the night! Sounds like a win-win!