17 Reception Food Ideas for Your Entree Dish

When it comes to figuring out your reception menu it's easy to feel underwhelmed by dishes you've seen a hundred times. You want to serve something special, right? But also within budget. First thing's first: ask your venue what their catering policy is. They may have in-house catering services that you're required to use or charge a fee if you want to bring someone else in. From there, you can work out things like seasonal selections, presentation specifics and serving logistics. 

The biggest dinner trend we're seeing right now? Interactive stations. Couples are moving away from a sit-down three or four course dinner where the food is brought to guests by waitstaff, and instead having passed hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hours or self-serve food stations. Guests still have the opportunity to sit down and enjoy their meal, but there's less table-time and more mingling time. Let our favorite 17 dinner picks inspire your reception menu.