Food problem!!!

We want to have simple food at our wedding, and we wanted to bring our own food. Every hall and hotel we ask says that THEY have to provide the food.

Does anyone know of anywhere we can have a reception, and bring our own food... aside from the VFW and Koc halls?

Most of the vineyards let you bring in your own caterers -- but some of them only let you use approved caterers. All of them will required caterers to be insured.

(Also, the site fees on most of the vineyards is really high!)

usually they don't allow home-cooked food for liability reasons. They want a professional who is legally liable for the safety of the food....

so, I think most halls will require it... so it's a bit of an uphill battle

Portjeff-always the voice of reasona nd info :)

It is a liability issue (used to work for lawyers) They cannot guarantee that the food you bring in is 'certified' and they do not have insurance policies on you so if god forbid someone gets sick, they have to dread the word SUE.

Its the same reason resturants and fast food places will dump ALL of that food instead of givign it to a homeless shelter. In HS we tried colletcing food at the end odf they day because you know tons goes to waste and they explained the whole liability clause.

If you want to BYO, might have to look at having it in your home or someone else's where you have a big backyward. Or maybe a public park where you can get permission for a reception?

Oh, you want to bring your own food? I don't think any RH will allow that.

I am a lawyer, and the liability issues would be huge for the hall!

Outside catering (by an insured vendor) - yes, you can find that. A hall other than a VFW / KofC where you can bring home cooked food? No.

That said, there are some nice VFW-type halls that would be beautiful for a wedding. The Firehouse in Wantagh is brand new and the Elks Club in Lynbrook is also gorgeous. I'm not 100% sure even they would allow home cooked food, but it's possible.

A friend of mine had her wedding at Indian Island park in Riverhead, and they brought all of their own food. I'd look for a state or county park.

FYI - Indian Island has a lot of tree coverage and very little grass. Look for someplace with a field, and not so much black dirt. Unless you're planning on going super informal. (All the girls in her wedding were barefoot, and the guys were in khaki shorts and blue-short sleeve button down shirts. It's that kind of place.)

I think some lofts in NYC let you bring in your own catering.

Maybe go to some catering websites and see if they list venues they ahev worked at and go from there.