Amanda Williams: Hi! I am Amanda Williams a rising junior at Harvard College. I am also working at Hurd Publishing, publishers of Martha's Vineyard Wedding Magazine and others helpful and informative publications. For more great wedding information visit us at www.hurdpublishing.com. Here are some great wedding food ideas. At any reception the decision of what food to serve is a very important one. Don't feel overwhelmed, there are so many alternative options available which is a good thing for you. As long as you checkout a range of possibilities making a choice will come to you eventually.

Your first decision is budget. How much are you going to spend? The amount of guests that you are having in your reception is going to greatly affect your overall cost. So plan accordingly. Another pricing decision that you have to make is based on which caterer you choose. Remember you will be trying to save money when hiring somebody to cater your reception but you also want to make sure that your food is of high quality. After all what good does it do to you to hire a low cost caterer that serves food that your guest don't like.

Do plenty of research before deciding upon a caterer. Don't be shy. Ask all your prospective caterers for references before making any decisions. In general a breakfast or early lunches at reception will cost less than one that is served to dinner time. This is a great option if you are looking to save money, but one that we’ll have to be planned for. So if you are going to do this, you may also need to move your ceremony to an earlier time in the day as well.

Buffets are usually less expensive than seated meals. The main advantage of having a buffet is that your guest will be able to pick and choose what they want to eat ensuring they get something they like. On the other hand you may not want to have a buffet style reception. Your other main option is to have a sit down dinner. This option is often more costly and then usually reserved for more receptions.

A dessert-only reception could be another cost efficient option. If you are going to exercise this option remember that you maybe sending some of your guest home with an empty stomach. Overall there are many reception meal options that you can choose from. As long as you keep cost and your guest in mind you should be able to make a good decision without much trouble at all.