It’s no secret that food truck weddings are all the rage. They are a staple on all of our Pinterest boards and are able to create a casual, backyard feel to your wedding day, providing so much flexibility to mold the rest of your day around the style you’re going for! That being said, they can sometimes require more planning than hiring a traditional catering company generally does.
Whether you find yourself on our blog as a couple getting married at the Farm, or a couple not getting married at the Farm, or someone who just loves weddings (hello, same), we want to help make the process of planning a food truck wedding just a little bit easier for you. We absolutely love food truck weddings here at the Farm, and after hosting more than a few we have come up with a comprehensive list of things to consider as you plan your food truck wedding to make sure your day goes off without a (proverbial) hitch!
Where to start?
image of Van Pelt Hot Dog Co. by Kunda Photography
image by Jessica Manns Photography
Are food trucks a budget-saver?
Right off the bat, the easy answer is yes… but.
On paper, food trucks usually cost significantly less per guest than full service caterers. There is, however, a lot that isn’t usually included through food trucks that most full-service caterers do include, such as linens, dishware and silverware, serving staff, and sometimes alcohol, bar supplies, and bartenders. Those are additional items that you would have to coordinate (and pay for) separately. While that can still be done for less than a full-service caterer, the total cost to couples of having a food truck wedding still usually ends up being more than the food truck’s price per head.
Our advice: run the numbers yourself! Check out all your options and see how the price pans out in relation to your budget - and how much time you want to put into coordinating the additional details.
How to find the right food truck?
Luckily, the Farm has an amazing Preferred Vendor List that includes food trucks for many different styles of weddings! We recommend starting with that list to see if they work with what you have in mind for your wedding day.
If you still want to keep looking after checking out our Preferred Vendor List, an amazing resource is Roaming Hunger, an online database for food trucks organized by style, location, and service. They are able to help match you to the perfect food truck for your wedding day!
Some first steps when planning for your food truck wedding are to make sure that your venue can accommodate a food truck, and that they allow outside caterers. At the Farm, those answers are Yes and Yes! We do allow outside catering, including food trucks who are not on our Preferred Vendor List. That being said, we do have some amazing food trucks listed on our preferred vendors list. We know that these trucks are experienced at catering weddings and have seen them in action at our venue - so trust us, they’re worth looking into!
Another factor to consider with your venue is whether they can physically accommodate the size of a food truck, once they are parked and set up. Food trucks take up quite a bit of space, especially once they are set up, and they are not known for their super-tight turning radius. Check in with both your venue and your food truck that they will be able to safely and comfortably operate in the space they’re given! At the Farm, we have plenty of space and options for food trucks to park comfortably - and for your guests to have easy access to them!
Finally, another good question to ask your venue is if they can help you with hiring service staff, or handling linens, utensils, flatware, or bar set up. At the Farm, we are able to customize service packages to help cover any additional needs you may have - and if nothing else, we can absolutely point you in the right direction of someone who can help. Not all venues are able to assist with this, but it is important to ask - many times, they are happy to help and already have experience with coordinating these things!
image of Tres Locally Sourced by Abby Jenkins Photography
What service styles can you have with food trucks?
The beauty of food trucks is that you can be so creative in how you set them up! Your options are completely dependent on your vision for the style of food service. The Farm has the capacity to help you build out a combined Food Service Style, meaning that your guests wouldn’t have to go up to the food truck for everything (unless you want them to)! Salads or first courses can be served to the table, with each table being called individually to go up to the food truck in order to minimize lines. Some trucks have a buffet set up outside their Food Truck with select items for pick-up at the window. Your options are truly limitless.
And for the million dollar question… what happens if it rains?
Having a back-up rain plan is incredibly important whether you are having a food truck wedding or not, but what we typically do at the Farm is transition the food truck to buffet style service and move the buffet indoors. While this might not be “Plan A”, we promise your food truck dream will still be beautiful - from the aesthetic to the whimsical food!
Creative Ways to Up Your Food Truck Game:
Still want a food truck at your wedding, but not sold on the idea of using them as the only catering service? Never fear - one of the great things about food trucks is that you can get so creative with how you use them for your wedding day! Here are some fun options and creative ideas to still incorporate the food truck vibe into your wedding day, even if they aren’t the sole caterer:
Our newest addition to the Farm is our own mobile Flour Cart! While we use this as our Farm Stand on Saturday mornings, it is also available for rental (both at the Farm and at other locations!) to fulfill all of your food truck aesthetic needs. The Flour Cart can be used to set up your dessert bar, or even for bar service! It can also house a coffee or espresso bar, set up for cocktail hour as either a bar or a buffet table for your hors d'oeuvres, or anything else you have in mind. The Flour Cart is versatile enough to cater to your most creative whims!
Mobile Bars:
We have seen couples bring some incredible mobile bars to the Farm for their beverage service! Some of our favorites that we have seen include:
Late Night Snacks:
Depending on your venue and your rental time, using a food truck for “late night snacks” is a super fun idea to offer some savory options during your reception in addition to the sweet desserts! And, of course, the aesthetics.
Grazing Table:
Some weddings set up a Grazing Table during their reception for guests to snack from while they wait to get in line for the food truck. These are awesome if you have a lot of guests, or if you anticipate dinner to take a longer time - or if you just like the idea of having a table set up that your guests can have access to during your reception! No matter what, grazing tables are a great and fun option for your guests to be able to get something to eat without having to wait for their table to be served.
Want more Food Truck wedding inspiration?
We’ve put together some Pinterest boards for your viewing pleasure:
One with images of food truck weddings hosted at the Farm, and
One with our favorite Pinterest inspirations from food truck weddings (from venues all over the world)
If Food truck weddings are your jam, let us know! What is your favorite food truck of all time? Would you plan a Food Truck wedding?
image by Jessica Manns Photography