Potluck? Yay? or Nay?

I think it completely depends on the type of family/friends you have. For my family/friends, a potluck would not be a big deal at all. They all LOVE to cook/bake and if we asked them to bring a delicious side dish (and we supplied the main course/meat) they wouldn't be offended. For them, it would be such an intimate/thoughtful way to support the wedding.

I would just say their culinary expertise is gift enough, or something along those lines!

I wouldn't suggest a potluck for a wedding. I would suggest some finger foods and drinks if it will just be a laid back kind of reception.

If a lot of guests are traveling in from out of town I wouldn't do a potluck because they are most likely going to just run out and buy something premade from a store. If everyone is close by then I don't see anything wrong with it just make sure that everyone brings different types of dishes and that it's very organized. I like the idea of the food being the gift, I think if you asked for gifts on top of that some guests may be a little turned off from the idea.

I think this is super cute, honestly. My BFF got married and had just the close family attending bring her favorite foods for a potluck. She had about 60 people and there was ample food left over. She asked for potluck instead of gifts (my mom spent like $170 on ingredients for the lasagnas she brought, lol.) I also LOVE the idea of a "potluck registry", would make things SO much easier to coordinate!

I love this! Anytime I pictured my wedding growing up this is what I pictured! The only reason we are not doing this is because we have a deployment schedule to work around and it didn't work in our venues.

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I love this!

The idea of potluck sounds great to me too. And I don't think you should worry too much about allergies, since the people affected normally bring food they can eat themselves to be safe. My mother always brings something that can be a full meal in case there's nothing else she can eat.

If you're doing a "potluck registry" or a list of some kind, make sure to include foods that can be bought prepared for out-of-town guests. Also, check how the food can be heated or kept cold at your venue.

I would bring a dish and enjoy the evening considering you treat your guests as people you are close to ask without a second thought.

You could make the potluck twofold and ask that everyone bring you the recipe for the item they provide instead of a gift. I think that would be really fun!

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I agree with this! It really depends on how you, your fiancé, and your guests are. If they are more laid back and not expecting a fancy wedding as others have mentioned, I don't see why it would be a problem (except transportation of the food, which could get complicated for those coming from out of town).

View quoted message Omg I love your enthusiasm!!
Thank you so much for your input 😁

View quoted message We dont want gifts, so yes that will be mentioned. Thank you so much 😁

View quoted message That's a fantastic idea!! Thank you

View quoted message I'm starting to lean towards just asking some family memebers to bring items, if this is the way we choose to go. Thanks 😁

I'm a huge foodie and love sharing food I've made with friends! I would be BEYOND excited to get invited to a potluck wedding!! Omg I would be planning my recipes for months before hahah!!

I so wanted this.

I didn't want gifts but loved the idea of a gathering of my community/family/friends.

I say go for it, I think it would be cute. I would maybe say 'in lieu of a gift, bring some food' or something like that. I might feel like it's a lot if I thought I needed to get a gift too.

I also am not quite sure how the logistics of making sure you have a variety of food works. I think it depends on how big the wedding is.

It depends on your family and how many guests. If they are understanding it works fine versus if they have annoying expectations about having a fancy wedding. The more understanding ones know its a family get together and that weddings do in fact cost money. A potluck can be cozy

It’s your wedding so do what you want! Potluck wedding sounds great I think the only thing to keep in mind would be people coming in from out of town that won’t have a place to cook, but you could mention that bringing take out is fine. And if you’re not asking for gifts, maybe you could make a potluck dinner food registry? That way if people are stuck for what food to bring they could see what still needs to be brought so you don’t end up with ten different salads and no mains or something.

It really depends on how close I am to the couple. If I were close and was asked to bring something - no problem! If I wasn't super close, I'd feel uncomfortable in that situation.

If you and your FH are close with everyone who's invited, I'd say go for it!

View quoted message Thank you 😁

View quoted message We aren't asking for gifts. We have everything we need, we've been building our lives together for 4 years now. Lol. There's not much more that can fit in this house. Thanks so much for the feedback.😁

View quoted message Thanks for the tips 😁

View quoted message Thanks for ythe input 😁

View quoted message Thanks so much 😁

View quoted message Thank you 😁

As a guests I wouldn't really want to prep and cook something the day of (or night before) a wedding. Also then you have to try and figure out how much to make, if there are any allergies you need to avoid, etc. And what if the dish needs to stay cold or hot? I think it would be a lot of stress on me as a guest.

I do love the idea of a reception not needing to be this over the top production. It's a party to celebrate the new part of your life you just started. And no one should be going into debt to start that new chapter. You can still keep it simple (BBQ, salads, fruit and veggie trays, etc) without having to go formal or expensive without shifting the burden onto your guests.

Go for it! Like the other girls say - just make sure people don't end up bringing all the same food, make sure they know how many people will be eating, and make sure you don't expect big extravagant gifts. (Of course if I was invited to a potluck wedding I would still give a little something.)

I say yay, if it is what suits the both of you then go for it. If we were getting married in the summer I might do the same thing if we were not a venue where we can’t bring any outside food. My only suggestion is to start a list of who is bringing what so that you don’t end up with all salads or all meats. Also give them an amount of how many people it should be for, if they should cook meatballs for 10 or for 20 people depending on how many people are coming and how many people are cooking meatballs or whatever it is you want. I don’t see why it matters how much you spend on how big a wedding gift should be. People will give what they can and I don’t think it’s based on what you spend. For my wedding we will be spending 70 per person and I do not expect to get even close to 70 dollars from everyone to cover the cost of their meal and the hors d’oeuvres. Good luck with your planning

I like the idea! I wouldn’t mind bringing a dish for someone’s wedding.

Definitely yay! But also request that they let you know what they're bringing so you dont end up with a bunch of sides and no main or a bunch of the same dish. We've had so many uncoordinated family potlucks tgat endrd in turkey with 5 kinds of pie or 7 different kinds of meatballs and a potatoe salad lol

I would be totally for it.
Personally I’m not a fan of paper/plastic plates & cutlery so for the reception you may want to elevate the potluck a little...(but that may be just me).

Yay! That would be so much fun! Potlucks are always so great! I saw a pin on Pinterest today of a dessert potluck, were going to have a get together the day after our wedding for all the family and friends who attended! And we are doing a dessert potluck, lol sweet tooth kinda family

It is totally what suits you! If I was invited to a more intimate, backyard style wedding, and was told it was a potluck, I would be okay with it.
Just remember that in terms of gifts, the general rule of thumb is your gift is valued to cover the cost of you hosting them as a guest. So if they are bringing dinner, you may not also get gifts, or they may be smaller.
But overall it's totally up to you, and it can turn out super fun, laid back, and very personal! Go for it!