Food Trucks!

I have heard of this and it does sound awesome! I would have loved to do it. (Especially one of those authentic taco ones mmmmmm)

I've heard of people going to weddings with this and everyone likes them! I hope I can go to one eventually

Haven't heard of anyone doing that but it's something FH would love. We go to food truck fridays and such sometimes. A lot of great food!

When I think of food trucks, I do not think of weddings. I think of grabbing something fast, inexpensive, and probably a little messy. I'd probably go to the food truck instead of an inexpensive restaurant/deli because I wanted to work through lunch and the truck was conveniently located in the parking lot. That's my vision of a food truck.

However. the longer I've been on WW, the more I've come to realize that my vision of a wedding isn't the same vision shared by couples and their guests around the country. My personal and professional experience says that, in my area, food trucks would not be wildly embraced UNLESS they arrived a few hours after the dinner dishes had been cleared and the party was in full swing. At that point, they'd probably be quite a novelty for the guests. I think it would be kind of cool to hear, around 9:30 PM, "There's a food truck and an ice cream truck in the parking lot! Let's go!"

If they were hired to provide the wedding meal, I'm not convinced the guests would get it. To be totally honest, I've yet to reconcile food trucks with conventional venue wedding dinners. I still believe that special occasions -- and if the hosts are formally attired in long white gowns and/or tuxes, it's one of the most special of occasions -- are best celebrated with a formal dinner.

If you've having a very informal wedding/reception, I suppose it could work. I think it's really all about what your guests are expecting to be served when they walk through the doors of your wedding venue.

If cost is a concern, I urge you to speak to local restaurants in your area. I swear to you, there was one WW bride who approached her favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant (excellent food, no ambiance), and asked the owner if he would consider catering her wedding. As it turned out, he wanted to get into catering. He told her to pick anything off the menu. She was able to get prime rib, for all of her guests, for $9.95 PP. There are lots of money saving options out there. All it takes is a little foot work or phone work (btw, Italian food is a great money saver, and it's delicious).

I looked into a food truck. It was more expensive than the catering (Buffett style) that I ended up picking.

Also food truck logistics can be hard because if everyone wants food at once the food truck will have a huge line and can't keep up. I think it's you need 1 food truck per 30 guests?? Or something like that.

We looked into it when we were considering a unique venue w no catering capabilities. We ended up going in a completely different direction once we realized some of the logistical challenges the venue had (no potable water, etc). That being said, I would love to go to a wedding where the food truck concept was pulled off well.

I've been to a wedding where they incorporated their favorite food truck as the late night snack... However I feel like it only worked because their reception area/DJ/dance floor was outside and in a place where the food truck could pull up and guests could see it and it didn't look out of place! The wedding was pretty casual and very personal which IMO are the best weddings! Very untraditional but it was a hit and created a good balance between the people still dancing and people wanting to take a break! Loved the idea and we still talk about it to this day!

I think it would be cool a couple of hours after dinner when everyone has some alcohol in their system. I've never been to a wedding with one though.

Im looking into food trucks too! I haven't been to a wedding with one yet but our venue told us that most weddings there are catered by a food truck (its not usually a wedding venue but they will book weddings). They said its worked out great there so far. They have a specific spot where the food truck is parked so that its not just sitting in the street. On some of the food truck sites that I've been on I've also seen that they have recommended times for the truck to be there based on the number of guests you have.

I think you have to have the food truck like a catered meal and have it all prepped and ready to go

I actually just went to a wedding that had a food truck as the meal. It was my first time seeing that. It was pretty cool and very different. The only con was having to wait in line to order your food and then wait for them to cook it. It was pretty timely causing us to eat pretty late. But besides that it was cool.

MisstoMrsWeber -- you said it perfectly.

I just had two trucks cater my wedding - and I've heard from people who weren't invited but ran into me afterwards that they heard our food was awesome. I'm planning on sharing a full post about how it worked for us once we get our pro pictures back, but I had two trucks for my 75-80 guest wedding and no one waited longer than 5 minutes for food. The trucks served for three hours and started during cocktail hour. People could go up and order whatever they wanted. This included crab cakes and steak stir fry (from our sushi and hibachi truck) and tacos, burritos, salads, and various other Mexican entrees from our taco truck. People also ordered food to go before the trucks left at 8:30, meaning we all had great food after drinking more later! I had originally planned on just one truck because they said they can serve that many guests, but by having two it really made the process faster. I spent about the same as I would have for a buffet but we had our favorite foods made to order, and once my husband and I had taken our family photos and greeted everyone we were able to eat on our own time and not feel rushed. My wedding was not super formal - but it reflected us so well as a couple. I was in a tea length dress, we had tons of booze and dancing, and the night was absolutely the most fun I've had in forever. If you're looking for a formal dinner this wouldn't be a good option, and I still wouldn't have necessarily had burgers or pizza trucks, but with the mix of fancier entrees on our one truck (from a well known restaurant in our town) and tacos (literally our favorite food all the time) it worked out well. We also had lots of vegan and vegetarian options that felt like real options versus afterthoughts.

I have never been to a food truck. I cant imagine the logistics of having a line at a food truck (if that's even how it works)

I'm not sure what logistics are confusing - there are lines for buffets as well, and plenty of people have them.

I never had more than 3-4 people "waiting" to order and start to finish from getting in line at each truck took less than five minutes. For most of the evening no one even had to wait in a line - everyone decided at one point churros sounded awesome and started coming back sporadically with them to the dance floor.

Another thing I did was have each truck hide or remove all pricing - so guests could order whatever and not think about the cost to us. We actually didn't exceed either trucks tab ($1500 at the hibachi truck and $900 at the Mexican truck) but if our guests had gone over my DOC had the card to pay the difference at the end.

I also forgot to mention I did buy fancier plastic plates - the ones with the silver rim that look more like real plates and are sturdier. I gave them to the trucks and let them use them for entrees that worked on them, but for some they just used their normal serving stuff.

I think it depends on the food truck. What's the difference between having a taco bar at a wedding, or having a taco truck?

Also, there is this KILLER Italian food truck that is around where I live. They cater, and it is UNBELIEVABLE. Obviously, get a good one. And, you should be good.

My friend did a food truck at his wedding and it was great. We didn't stand at the truck waiting for food. They bought the food into the venue after they cooked it. It's a cool idea. I love all the food truck festivities they have in my city.

I went to a wedding that used a food truck to cater dinner. The truck belonged to a fantastic local Mexican restaurant. There were two men in the truck serving tortillas and two meat choices, and then guests went by a toppings table. It did work, but it wasn't a particularly large crowd and the line was very long. They did have someone directing tables to get in line, but it was still a long wait once you got in line. I also thought the catered good wasn't as good as what they typically serve in their restaurant. It wasn't bad, but it could have been better.

When I worked for a catering company we had a food truck that would come for a "late night snack". It was a huge hit and the guests loved it! Some even said they enjoyed it more than the cocktail hour or buffet.

Thanks for all the input! I'm definitely looking to have a less formal event, probably a luncheon in early fall. I just thought it would be a fun and unique option. And I would probably set up an extra table nearby with some salads or small appetizers for people to snack on if they think the line is too long. How did you handle alcohol?