Anyone noticed that food truck weddings are becoming a thing? Well, if you haven’t, you’ve been hiding under a rock. I’m here to give you the low down on food truck weddings so you can decide if it’s for you.
What’s a food truck?
A food truck is any food service on wheels that comes to you. There are many passionate cooks and chefs out there who have swapped their aprons and time in high pressure commercial kitchens for a more relaxed vibe, serving customers right out of their truck.
What a food truck serves
You name it. There’s probably a food truck that serves it. Burgers, nachos, pizzas, slow cooked meats, vegetarian delights and sweet treats are just some of the scrummy foods being conjured up in those tiny food truck kitchens.
Why have a Food Truck at your wedding?
Shouldn’t the question be “Why not”?
Food truck weddings are an awesome idea for couples looking for a more relaxed wedding vibe. Your guests will love the colour, smell and festival vibe created by a food truck.
Blank canvas, DIY wedding spaces and warehouses offer the perfect backdrop for a food truck wedding.
Most of these venues offer the perfect space for a food truck to come on site and serve super tasty food.
Where does a food truck park at your wedding?
Food trucks are pretty versatile. They can set up in a range of different spaces at your venue. Wedding venues that work with food trucks all the time will have the plan well worked out. They are also likely to have recommendations on tap for you if you ask.
If you’re having a festival wedding at a private property or on a large block of land, you will need to think about where the food truck can access power (if they don’t have a generator). You’ll also need to think about placing the truck somewhere easily accessible for all of your wedding guests.
If you are having a wedding at home, the food truck may be able to drive right into your drive way or in your front yard.
Each food truck has different dimensions so you’ll need to make sure the vehicle has good clearance either side of your driveway and/or isn’t going to hit any trees or overhead power lines.
A residential power supply might not live up to the demands of a large food truck so again, you’ll need to make sure they have a power generator to operate.
The Pros of a Food Truck Wedding
There are heaps of great reasons to consider a food truck wedding. Here’s a few of them:
Cost
Food truck weddings can be a lot cheaper than a la carte or cocktail wedding food packages.
Perfect for blank space catering
If you have decided you want to get married in a warehouse space, open field or even at home, commercial kitchen facilities can be a little hard to find.
Obviously a food truck has it’s own kitchen complete with everything the caterer needs to serve up your meal.
Insta worthy photos
Seriously. There are some awesome looking food trucks out there. They make epic backdrops for wedding photos of the both of you as well as all of your guests.
A food truck adds a bit of a festive vibe which makes the smiles on everyone’s faces that bit wider.
Set up and pack down is taken care of
Food truck owners have got their cooking, serving and cleaning process down pat. They are super self contained and experts in packing up efficiently at the end of any event. They simply roll in and serve and roll out again at the end of your celebration.
The cons of a food truck wedding
Some wedding venues won’t allow them
Sometimes venues, even blank space venues, won’t allow food trucks on site.
This can be because they don’t have the space, power capacity or simply because they have other caterers as preferred suppliers.
So, if you have your heart set on a food truck wedding, you might find a couple of venues need to be crossed off your list.
There’s an element of self service
In many cases, your wedding guests will be asked to head to the food truck to order food. For some couples, this is just a little too casual an arrangement. Queues can sometimes form which might not be the vibe every couple is looking for.
Also keep in mind that you may need to compromise a little on plateware and utensils. Food trucks often provide paper plates and utensils which is completely fine if that’s your vibe but this can be off putting for other couples.
You’ll need to manage the food truck company directly
Most venues will require you to liaise with your food truck caterer directly. Rather than in house catering, which is run by the venue, you might need to be a little more hands on in the planning.
I recommend you work with a wedding planner or at the very least a super willing and capable loved one to take over this liaison with your food truck caterer on your wedding day.
You really don’t want to be chatting with your food truck caterer over the phone on your wedding day because they cannot find the entrance to your venue! Or if their food truck gets bogged in a muddy field…you get the picture!
Details are important
Having a food truck is an awesome Insta worthy event at any wedding. But make sure that the food truck staff will also clear empty plates and used cutlery and utensils into rubbish bins during your celebration.
A festival vibe can quickly turn into a festy vibe if half empty plates of food litter tables at your wedding reception.
Also determine if the food truck will have a sign outlining the food that’s on offer. Wedding guests will want to know what tasty treats they can look forward to. Some food trucks have super funky signs they will personalise just for you. Others won’t.
Planning a food truck wedding
If a food truck wedding is for you, you need to get out there and see what’s available in your general area.
Here’s a food truck wedding TO DO list
- Write down local food truck providers and start creating a short list. Type “food trucks near me” into your search engine of choice, jump on Insta or check our Facebook for some local favourites. Another great way to source local food truck vendors is to head to local events, fairs and markets – you’re sure to see some food trucks there and you can even sample their food whilst you’re at it
- Get in touch with a few food truck vendors to get an idea of their pricing
- Decide which vendor is for you and check with your venue to make sure they will be able to access the site easily, safely…and legally
- Read through the contract making note of any additional charges you could be up for
- Pay your deposit and lock in your food truck caterer
- 4 weeks before your wedding, get in contact with your food truck provider and triple check all the details for your big day with them. Let them know what time they can arrive and what time they must leave by. Double check what power they need access to (if any)
- Two weeks before your wedding, send them your wedding day run sheet so they know exactly what time guests will be served, what time food service will end etc. Also let them know how many wedding vendor meals you will need (eg DJ, photographer etc)
- Provide the food truck with details of your contact person on the day of your wedding. You don’t want to list yourself! It should be a trusted loved one who is helping you on the day or better yet, your wedding coordinator
Additional considerations for a food truck wedding
When you book a wedding venue with all inclusive catering a lot of decisions are made for you. In the case of a food truck wedding, here are some of the additional things you’ll need to turn your mind to:
- Exactly where will they park?
- How high is the food truck? Will anything be in its way (like trees and power lines) when it tries to get into position
- Do they need access to power and if so, how much power?
- Will they bring wait staff with them?
- Do they include all plate ware and cutlery as standard?
- Will they clear tables and dispose of rubbish as standard?
- Will the food truck arrive before your wedding or will it arrive part way through? What sort of disruption will this cause (if any)?
- Can the food truck cater for dietary intolerances and how will you get that specific food to the right guests?
- Does the food truck have a covid safe plan in place?
PLanning an epic food truck wedding
Ready to head down the food truck path for your wedding catering? The checklist contains our top tips for pulling off an epic food truck wedding.
Food truck for the win?
So there you have it. The pros and cons of food truck weddings. What do you think? Is a food truck wedding for you?
Need a hand planning your wedding? Whether you’re planning a food truck wedding or not, get in touch. I’d love to help.
Need some wedding planning printables to help you plan your dream day? Check out the Hey Lovers Etsy store for inspiration to plan like a pro.