Are you setting up everything yourself on the beach or will you be working with a hotel/resort or some similar facility? That will make a huge difference in what you might serve. If this is a public beach, there may be numerous restrictions about what you can and can't do. For instance, many public beaches don't allow breakable items, such as wine or beer bottles or glassware, or even dishware other than paper and plastic.

Have you talked with the chocolate fountain people yet? They don't usually do outdoor events because the fountains attract insects. Also, any little grain of sand can ruin the motor or pump. Therefore, most chocolate fountain owners insist on being set up indoors away from an exterior door.

Personally, I would avoid hot dogs unless the wedding is very casual. There are a number of appetizers you could serve, including some that can be grilled on-site, which is fun for guests. With more information, surely viewers can make suggestions.

Hi Sweet Pea,

Thanks for the response. It's a private beach with a cabana, the chocolate fountain is being loaned by a family member. We can have glass and alcohol on the upper section of the beach by the cabana but not on the shoreline.

The wedding will be pretty casual, at the family beach, with only family and close friends approx. 30 people. Everything is being set up by the bride/groom/wedding party/family.

Beach weddings I have attended:

-- clam bake
-- crab fest
-- pulled pork & beef sandwiches
-- pig roast

All four were very nice! (and even though I am allergic to crab & clam, I did not starve...)

Hi Western,
Those sound great! What else did they serve beyond the main entree?

There were various side dishes... can't remember specifics. But like I said, I did not go hungry!

Oh... and they all had fruit (whole and/or cut up).

I really like the pulled bbq pork idea. Were they on big breads or on little appetizer breads?

small buns. very easy to grab and go!

My friend caters and she says chocolate fountains tend to splash chocolate too. So be careful.

I attended a party on a yacht for 100, and they served fruit, slices of bell peppers, and chicken on skewers.

You can serve just about any king of food. It the the style and preparation that is of concern.

Serve nothing that take two pieces of silverware to eat it with. No meat that needs to be cut with a knife and fork. No long pasta that needs a fork and spoon. Meat on skewers or small buns is good. Small pasta that only needs a fork.

Watch out for food that rolls off plate. I went to a stand-up affair and they served melon BALLS instead of squares. Many ended up on the ground getting stepped on. If you are serving raw veggies don't buy those baby carrots that are roly-poly on plates. Get big carrots and cut them in strips. Same with radishes, broccoli heads, pickled mushrooms, ect.

Don't serve things dripping with sauces either. Don't serve messy things that one has to hold in their hands like rib niblets that get BBQ sauce under the nails. Even though this is a casual affair people don't want to feel like pigs and be messy the rest of the reception.

If you are serving veggies with dip have it in little cups so people don't have to pour it on their plates and have it run off while they balance it. Have everything you serve properly seasoned when cooking so no one needs to pour on condiments and sauce. Avoid serving things that leave a pile of bones on peoples plates while they eat. They will get knocked off while they try to balance bones along with the food. Believe me. And it looks terrible when everyone is done eating to see all the piles of bones on plates everywhere. People are not apt to clean up after themselves at parties and just leave plates all over. Even if you hire a buffet attendent they can't get to everything all at once.