Wedding feast on wheels
Sit-down dinner with multiple courses, or yummy handhelds like fish tacos and burger bites? Wedding food was once black and white, with a full-fledged banquet hall dinner on one side of the spectrum and casual, on-the-go food on the other.
Today, couples are bridging the gap with delicious foods served via food trucks. And the best part is, you no longer have to choose between a sit-down meal or food truck catering. Many couples are finding a happy medium by going traditional for the dinner portion and incorporating food truck food at the end of the night, often with sweet treats or late-night favorites.
Whether you’re going for an all food truck-only dinner service or after-dinner food truck fun, here’s what you need to know to plan the mobile wedding feast.
Consider all the possibilities
Part of the fun of planning a food truck wedding is looking into the wide range of options. No matter where you’re located, there are bound to be numerous food trucks serving unique eats throughout your area. Many major cities have food truck-tracking websites available, which can help you narrow down your search and also find out which trucks are available for catering events like weddings.
On SeattleFoodTruck.com, you can search specifically for food trucks that’ll cater events, from dessert trucks like Galaxy Donuts serving Peppermint Bark Donuts to Big Dogs, a Seattle Seahawks-themed truck serving creative hot dogs like the NFC with cream cheese, Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce, and diced jalapenos.
For a lowdown of all the Los Angeles-area food trucks you could ever want at your wedding, there’s Food Truck Connection. Those looking for catering services need only provide the company with an idea of the cuisine wanted and an estimated headcount.
Find anything from Filipino fusion food from White Rabbit, which offers menu items like Pork Sisig (fried pork belly with onions and jalapenos), to Crepe’n Around, which offers guests fresh-made crepes.
Consider the logistics of a mobile feast
Once you’ve narrowed down what types of foods you want served, it’s time to get into nitty gritty details. Food catered from food trucks can open up a whole different host of questions and logistical details that are important to consider before your big day.
Jove Meyer, founder and principal of Jove Meyer Events in New York City, says many couples are trading hotel ballrooms for unique factories or open floor plan spaces with outdoor areas that are perfect for food trucks. While Meyer has only had a few couples go with a full food truck wedding, most have at least incorporated a food truck in some capacity, be it for cocktails, dessert, or late-night snacks.
When looking for a food truck vendor, be sure to ask the following questions.
Will the food truck be indoor or outdoors?
Remember that food trucks are quite large, and you’ll want to make sure your wedding venue has space to accommodate accordingly.
Many new-age, industrial spaces have spaces specially dedicated to food trucks, which is helpful so you don’t have to worry about parking. If indoor isn’t an option, ensure there’s ample space outside for truck parking in addition to guest seating.
Indoors or outdoors, verify that a power source is available for anything your food truck vendor needs.
How many guests can a truck feed? How are charges calculated?
Unfortunately for the math-averse, when planning a food truck wedding, you’ll need to do a few calculations. Keep the number of guests in mind, and remember that if you’re doing food trucks for the main dining event, you’ll likely be faced with trying to accommodate all of your guests lining up for food at the same time.
To help, Meyer recommends hiring a variety of trucks. For an all food truck dinner, Meyer suggests having at least two savory trucks open for two hours followed by two sweet trucks open the next two hours. And while some companies charge per piece or per serving, consider asking for unlimited servings in order to make sure all your guests are well-fed, and because as Meyer says, “running out of food is never cute!”
Does catering include setup, cleanup or silverware?
Most food trucks, Meyer says, don’t provide services like setting up tables and chairs or cleaning up after guests. Find out exactly what your food truck provides, and, if needed, consider hiring a crew to help before and after food service.
Also be aware that most food trucks specialize in on-the-go food and may not include things like real plates or silverware.