To ask for help with DIY wedding breakfast

[weddingplannc]

Wedding is in six weeks. Quite informal as it's being held at my parent's house in a currently empty bit of grass (they have a smallholding). We tried to find a caterer but as we don't want a full 3 course meal and all local companies I've found haven't got the availability, it'd mean paying through the nose for someone to travel and it didn't seem worth it for what they could offer.

We have caterers for canapés (and some salads) and staff to serve drinks etc (and food if we ever work it out) but after that we're having to get very DIY. Have use of my parents house/kitchen, plus those of two neighbours if needed.

Ideally, we'd like to avoid a buffet or our guests having to queue for food. But realise that this might be the only option.

Our first idea was salads (from caterers), charcuterie boards and pizzas placed in the middle of tables to share. Or something more along the lines of a ploughman's (BUT it's an evening wedding so that doesn't seem right to me). But I can't work out the logistics.

Any ideas? Any tips on what we could do so that our guests have a good time/have enough food? Does this sound awful? Should I just pay for a caterer?

If it makes a difference:
Church service is 4.30pm, Mini buses from church to parents house (20 mins) canapés and drinks plus live music, 7pm/7.30 sit down for food? Disco/music from 9.30

Thanks in advance

How will you cook enough pizzas for everyone, and have them hot and out on time?

You wont.

How many people is this for?
Can you really not get a hog roast company to come in?

Have a look at M & S party platters (other shops do similar).
Or maybe a hog roast?

I'd pay or get a street food vendor

We had a hog roast and it worked really well.

As a PP said- any local hog roast companies? That is tasty and fairly informal, plus would go with a 'rustic' wedding. Could then have salads, crisps and breads to go with that, plus a cheese board and/or a range of ready made desserts.

Or get a fish and chip van in, followed by an ice cream van .

I was going to suggest hog roast. I went to a friend’s wedding and she had afters in her parents garden with catered salads and hired a hog roast - it was bloody lovely!

A street food vendor is a brilliant idea - we have quite a few round here (West Yorks) that go to food festivals and things and most of them advertise the fact that they do catering.

Hog roast would be great, and I love the street food idea, you can get some really great options from food vans, artisan woodfired pizza, burritos, super fancy toasties etc

Sounds very similar to our wedding we had a hog roast and a potato oven (a friend threw the spuds in before the ceremony), then strawberries and cream.

Many people use BBQ companies and/or hog roasts. If you want informal, its perfect.

You really have left little time for food with the music starting so quickly aftger you arrive. Speeches? It all seems very rushed with a 4.30 pm service. Can you do informal food whilst the music is on? You only really have an hour between assembling at the house and starting the music. Plus, people never sit down on time! Never.

You can ask caterers to do a Cheese Cake for each table. Or have one big one for during the disco. I cannot see how you can do hot food from anyone other than a caterer with BBQ or similar. I would have left lots more time between the wedding service and the drinks. People chat and will not be rushed - you will only get the drinks and canapes done before 7.

It's really quite rustic but I've been (and did most of the work for) a diy wedding where they had slow cookers full of 'niaaacce' chilli (made with beef shin and chorizo), sausage casserole for the kids, and a veggie option which I forget. Could also work with pulled pork.

All made before hand and left in slow cookers during service. Jacket potatoes, salad and bread.

I did a lot of the work for the bride. It did take quite a lot of time. If she'd had to do it, it might have spoilt her day.

Hog roast or street food vendor vote here also.

Hog roast could be served with a variety of cold sides, for any vegetsrians/vegans I wpiod personally ask their opinion on what wpiod work for them if there aren't that many. An aunt of mine would literally rather have a Jacket and Beans as a vegan meal rather than anything fancy!

A friend had a pizza van at her wedding for the evening do and the wedding breakfast was picnic baskets full of meats, cheeses, breads, fruits etc

Try and remove as much stress from you on the actual day by getting someone in if you can.

Friends of ours had their wedding on the grooms farm. They had a hog roast and a couple of other street food vendors. It was lovely, such a relaxed evening.

How many guests? Hog roast or other catering van type scenario would probably be popular, but they might be booked up with other weddings or festivals by now. Are you wanting hot or cold food?

I was going to suggest a hog roast, too!
If it is too late to book a professional outfit, could you try a volunteer organisation instead? Rugby clubs, scouts, etc often have the equipment and know-how to do large BBQ and may like the idea of doing the catering in exchange for money (they always want funds!)

Whole of DPs family are veggie otherwise a hog roast would be perfect. Obviously we'll be serving meat at the wedding, but shoving a rotating pig in their faces might be a little much . Hadn't thought of street food vans, that might work.

I really have an aversion to queuing for food, but we might have to go down that route. Thanks for the replies so far.

We have a plethora of slow cookers actually for an entirely unrelated reason so they could be put to use!

I also have a host of fab aunts etc who are v willing to help

You can get people to come and do massive paellas. One veggie, one meat/seafood? Then just salads and bread. Might be worth seeing if there’s a company in your area. I also like the street food van idea and the picnic basket idea (wish I’d thought of that...).

We had picnic baskets with a cob, slice of quiche, crisps, strawberries,scone and cream, brownies, tomato salad, other bits and bobs.... Was perfect. Also had a pizza stall, they cooked it. People just went and got a slice when they were ready in the evening.

I like the sound of posh pizzas and salad in centre of table if you can serve then hot etc. I also hate queuing for food at a wedding!

Fancy fish and chip van followed by Ice-cream van
We had a party once where we had a local artisan hot-dog van come by. They did a vegetarian version as well as small satueed herbed potatoes and salads for the sides - went down very very well with the guests

I'm sorry but I hate the idea of a wedding breakfast from a whole load of slow cookers! There's rustic and then there's rustic

Don't see how you can avoid queues for food, especially if you go down the street food vendor route, unless your staff are up to silver service.
Rather than caterers, think local cafes - they might be able to prepare food for delivery on the day and then have buffet. As pp suggested M&S, Waitrose do food to order.

If you can't stand queues you could have a 'queue master' who invites individual table up as appropriate. Just let guests know the system before hand. One thing I would suggest even if going 'buffet sty;e' is to have servers of the food and good portion control as there is nothing worse and the last table getting nothing because of people filling their plates with eyes bigger than their bellies.

There are also wood fired mobile pizza ovens round here and I know a couple who had one of them at their wedding - was nice

@BubblesBuddy - were having live music during cocktail hour/assembling time, it's family doing it and we wanted a bit of love music but wanted them to enjoy the evening.

4.30 - service then photos
5.30 - buses to house
6 - canapés and live music (not really the dancing kind)
7.30 - food at tables

Is that going to be rushed? I honestly don't know, but I hate the waiting around part of weddings so want to avoid that.

Seeing as it's at home, if food takes longer than planned then it takes longer. It isn't a big deal I suppose.

Some great street food cans at our local events. Wood fired pizza, Thai food, Yorkshire pudding wraps, curries - making me hungry now. Good luck.