I'd say don't try to get too exotic or fancy with the food. Just make sure it's good quality (doesn't have to be great, just good). Do that, and you'll have beaten over half of the wedding receptions I've been to.
If I can go to a local BBQ joint, spend $10 on a pulled pork sandwich and baked potato, and feel like I had a 3x tastier meal than the $40+ you spent per plate at the wedding (or whatever crazy number it is nowadays), then I think you screwed up.
And I am not a picky eater at all. There are a lot of people much much pickier than me.
When you try to get super fancy then a lot of people won't care for it, because they don't have the same palates that you do (when you average people out, they collectively have a very boring palate, it seems to me).
Food was by far our largest expense, but not because we choose the fancy fish and steak options. Instead we picked lots of food we wished we had been served at weddings we had been to. Tasty comfort foods, like a mashed potato bar (add your own toppings) and buffalo chicken sliders and lots of little tapas-style treats. We got so much positive feedback on the simple items, and continue to do so to this day. So glad we resisted the urge to serve uptight "fancy" selections!
If I can go to a local BBQ joint, spend $10 on a pulled pork sandwich and baked potato, and feel like I had a 3x tastier meal than the $40+ you spent per plate at the wedding (or whatever crazy number it is nowadays), then I think you screwed up.
And I am not a picky eater at all. There are a lot of people much much pickier than me.
When you try to get super fancy then a lot of people won't care for it, because they don't have the same palates that you do (when you average people out, they collectively have a very boring palate, it seems to me).