What to Do with Leftover Wedding Food? - The Hungry Bride

by Sarah De Heer, Posted Jul 30th 2009 @ 3:00PM

Photo: Sara Bonisteel

Most caterers will over-estimate the amount of food you'll need for your happy nuptials -- at least that's what we've been hearing. So what do you do with all of those leftovers? You've paid for the food, and it really is a shame to see it go to waste. I've recently heard some great suggestions.

A colleague of mine utilized Tupperware: If you're having an out-of-town wedding that the majority of your guests are coming out for, it's nice to send them back to their hotel room or back home with something to nosh on. Simply leave containers out near the food and have it made known that everything is up for grabs. They'll appreciate it when they get those midnight cravings!

It's also a great idea to donate the leftover food to a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Though, brides beware, not all states permit caterers to donate leftover food. Jon and I found ourselves in this situation. We wanted the food to go to good use, but Washington, D.C., law declares we're not allowed to donate directly to shelters.

Is there a way around this? Sure is! We asked our caterer to pack up all the food after the night is done and have it put in a friend's car. Before we leave town on Sunday, we'll bring it to a local park with paper plates and napkins to donate it to the homeless.

To find your local food bank, visit Feeding America.

What did you do with your leftovers? Tell me in the comments.

Still Hungry? Follow the Hungry Bride on Twitter.

Filed Under: The Hungry Bride
Tags: caterers, leftovers, the hungry bride, TheHungryBride

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-31-2009 @2:30AM Jen said... As a catering owner, we always boxed up event leftovers. Wedding leftovers are especially useful when there are out-of-town guests and post-wedding events.

Many cities now have food reclamation programs as well, ensuring that left over food stuffs reach people in need.

Good on ya for distributing leftovers yourselves!
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8-02-2009 @12:25AM kathy said... We had this problem with my daughter's wedding. The groom and his friends cooked the entire meal. We ate about half and I was heartbroken at the thought of tossing it. The local domestic abuse shelter was thrilled to have the leftovers which they divvied up among several families.
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8-02-2009 @7:58AM jason said... I have no wedding experience, but worked in a museum that often had receptions and thus leftover food. We often brought trays of finger sandwitches to the break room of the bus depot next door. I would suggest calling ahead to make sure they are interested (unless you know someone who works there) but anywhere with a breakroom is an option (and hungry co-workers will have soemthing that is ok to take instead of filching the lunches of others.)
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