When planning your wedding reception, choosing a caterer and selecting the type of menu you will serve is a crucial decision that will determine the success or failure of your event. It is important to make good food choices that maximize your budget and correspond with the formality of your wedding. Typically, the later in the evening your wedding takes place, the more formal your reception, and therefore your menu, should be. The following paragraphs outline the various menu choices for your wedding reception.

Cake and Punch Reception
The easiest and most cost effective type of reception is one in which guests are served cake and some type of punch or champagne. You can also offer delicious fruit or assorted mints and nuts if you desire. The supplies needed for a cake and punch reception are minimal and it is possible to take care of this reception on your own with help from family and friends to serve guests. This type of simple reception is often held at the same site as the wedding, further simplifying costs and coordination of supplies and decorations.

Buffet Reception
A buffet is one of the most popular menu selections for a reception and it provides you with a variety of options. The most casual type of buffet is one that offers hors d'oeuvres, which includes various types of finger foods or simple foods that can be eaten with toothpicks or forks. It is important to select a menu with a variety of hors d'oeuvres with an array of textures, colors, and presentation. Your caterer should be able to help guide you in selecting a well-rounded hors d'oeuvres menu.

A more formal alternative to hors d'oeuvres is a buffet that offers guests a table filled with substantial dishes that generally make a complete meal. Your buffet can include simple sandwiches and salads or several entree choices for a more formal reception. A buffet reception requires plates, glasses, silverware, serving dishes, napkins, and table linens, so be sure to check with your caterer to find out what he/she will provide.

Formal Dinner Reception
A formal dinner reception typically consists of several courses of food that are served to guests at their seats. An appetizer is usually the first course, followed by either a fruit course or salad course. The entree, or main course, is next and you may choose to serve wine with the meal. Dessert is the final course and it is typically served with coffee, tea and/or champagne. You can limit the dessert portion to just your wedding cake or you can set up a table with an assortment of sweets. This is the most formal type of wedding reception and also the most expensive, due to the extensive labor costs from the servers needed to serve all of the guests.