Self - Catering your wedding? Try a charcuterie cart or cake bar…
Self-catering is one of the biggest wedding trends right now. Couples are saving money and making their day more personal by doing the food themselves, and food carts are leading the way. In America, charcuterie carts and cake bars have become a wedding must-have, and they're now catching on here in the UK.
What is a grazing cart?
A grazing cart is a stylish food station that guests help themselves from. You fill it with your own food, and it becomes a centrepiece for your reception.
Popular ideas for self-catered weddings
Charcuterie and cheese cart. Cured meats, cheeses, crackers, olives and chutneys. It's ideal for a drinks reception or evening food.
Cake bar. Serve slices of wedding cake with toppings, sauces, fresh cream and berries so guests can build their own dessert.
Dessert station. Brownies, macarons, doughnuts and sweets.
Build-your-own bar. Tacos, nachos, loaded fries or hot dogs for the evening.
Why couples love them
Budget-friendly. Doing the food yourself costs far less than full catering.
Personal. Fill it with your favourite foods and match it to your colour scheme.
Instagram-worthy. A beautifully filled cart is a showstopper in photos.
Stress-free. Guests serve themselves, so you don't need waiting staff.
Grazing cart hire in Weston-super-Mare and North Somerset
At Garner Grazing Stations, we hire out beautiful grazing carts for self-catered weddings, parties and events. Our carts come as a blank canvas, ready for your own food and styling. Collect it yourself, since it fits in most cars, or we can deliver and collect it across Weston-super-Mare.
Hire starts from just £75.
[Check availability for your wedding date] https://garner-grazing-stations.booqableshop.com
The Wedding Lull: how a grazing station keeps guests happy.
Every wedding has one. The ceremony's finished, the couple have gone off for photos, and your guests are left standing around with a glass of fizz and rumbling tummies. It can easily be an hour or more before the wedding breakfast, and it's often the part of the day guests remember for the wrong reasons.
A grazing station fills that gap beautifully.
Why it works
It keeps people fed. A few nibbles take the edge off hunger without spoiling the meal to come.
It gives guests somewhere to gather. People naturally drift towards food, so it gets everyone chatting and mingling.
It looks stunning. A styled station makes a lovely backdrop for photos, so your guests get pictures too.
What to put on it
Cheese and charcuterie: a classic that suits any wedding.
Canapé-style bites: mini quiches, sausage rolls and bruschetta.
Fresh fruit and crudités: a lighter option for warm summer days.
Sweet treats: macarons, mini doughnuts or chocolate-dipped strawberries and toppings
Don't forget the evening
That late-evening dip, when the dancing slows and guests start eyeing the clock, is another great moment for a grazing station. Swap the daytime spread for evening food: cheese, crisps, sweets or even a build-your-own hot dog bar.
Easy to arrange
Your caterer, venue or a helpful family member can fill the station. We supply it as a blank canvas, ready for your own food and styling. You can collect it yourself, since it fits in most cars, or we can deliver and collect it for you across Weston-super-Mare.
[Check availability for your wedding date] https://garner-grazing-stations.booqableshop.com
5 ways to use a grazing station at your next party
Our grazing station is a blank canvas, so you can fill it however you like. Here are just five of our favourites.
Classic Grazing. Cheeses, cured meats, crackers, flat breads, grapes and chutneys. Perfect for weddings, christenings and grown up parties.
Sweet treats and cakes. Everything from traditonal pick and mix to doughnuts, cupcakes, brownies. The cake bar concept is very popular, waffles and pancakes with a selection of toppings and sauces. Very popular with kids!
Brunch Bar. Pastries, fruit, yoghurt, granola and savoury items for a morning do or baby shower.
Taco or Nacho station. Let guests fill their own from a selection of savoury and spicy fillings and toppings. So fun and super easy.
Cheese cart. a selection of soft and hard cheeses, crackers, chutneys yum, my personal favourite! Easy prepare and goes down a treat.
The grazing tables, or stations as we like to call them, fit in most cars, so you can collect yourself and set up in under an hour filled with your goodies.
These on trend grazing stations really do make an event!