Wedding Reception …..

I'm confused. You are talking about not having a place but then also about food. Was your venue providing the food as well? But to answer your question guests including the bridal party should never be expected to provide food for your wedding. Making food yourself also comes with liability issues if anyone would get ill as a result of your food that wasn't prepared by a professional.

I agree with Veronica. Asking others to work and provide their own meals at an event you are hosting is a huge no-no. The reception meal is the couple’s way of thanking their guests for taking time out of their schedules to celebrate with them. Also, most venues will not allow outside food to be brought in due to potential liability if anyone were to get sick from the food. I would check with local restaurants for catering prices (pizza, pasta, BBQ and Mexican places tend to be the cheapest).

Has this venue given you a date when you will get your deposit and full-refund? Perhaps try park districts, public libraries, and local community halls for low cost rental event spaces. They should also have chairs and tables and allow outside catering. No, I would not request any non-professional caterer to cook food as you are responsible for your wedding financially and legally, not others. And if you are not able to do this on your current time schedule, there is nothing wrong with postponement. I know you must feel super dejected, but I would research other options and give your partner some of that responsibility (and stress).

View Quoted Comment I’m sorry I type faster than my brain can respond to it. I’m sorry I have ADHD Please forgive me if I sound confused I have an wedding venue the people were supposed to cater backed out last week. I am having my wedding a park.

View Quoted Comment Like previous posters, I’d suggest sending out requests to local restaurants (maybe like Olive Garden or your favorite BBQ chain) that would be willing to take on a booking 3 months out. Not sure where you are located, but if it’s a small town, then maybe expanding the search a bit further.


I think will still work out! 😊 I’m sure there’s a restaurant out there that will raise their hand and say yes.

Don't ask your guests to bring things to the event that you're meant to be hosting. I would arrange drop off catering with a local restaurant. All you would need after that is something to keep the hot food warm, and the cold food cold along with some people to serve and clean up. How many people are on your guest list?

View Quoted Comment Ok. 70 people

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So it's not huge guest list. That's do-able with a restaurant to cater, as long as you can hire some staff to serve and clean up. Party rental places have chafing dishes and coolers etc. Do you have power at your venue? Like is it just an open or covered park area? Does it have access to bathrooms and running water? That kind of thing?

You may find a clever place for a reception. One bride shared about a wedding ceremony and reception on Sunday at a coffee shop normally closed on Sundays. A lot of us here loved the idea.

It will definitely be easier to find a caterer with short notice than a venue, so phew! Whatever type of food your originally caterer was going to serve and fit your budget, I would look into restaurants and other catering companies that are their main competitor because then you’ll hopefully find a similar price range. I’ve arranged catering for non-wedding special events before with much shorter lead time and a higher number of guests, and there were plenty of options.

Sounds like they need to be sued

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Since our wedding is at a park, we were going to do outdoor food. I am looking for someone else but having a low budge doesn't help sometimes. The park is closed in and only guest of the wedding is invited to the park.

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Do you mean like a BBQ or sandwiches and stuff? Love the idea of outdoor food, all that you need to do is keep it at food safe temperatures, so I would think about that in your planning.