Late Night Food Experiences

When we begin our planning process with couples one of the first questions we ask is “what do you want your guest experience to be?” and nine times out of ten they express how they want their wedding to feel like them and having surprise elements that really differentiate their wedding from others.  There are so many unique ideas and vendors out there that offer interactive and fun options, but we wanted to highlight a few specifically when it comes to food and beverage.  Every venue works a little differently in how to incorporate these vendors whether you are able to contract them directly or you would need to go through their caterers/food and beverage team, but here are a few of our favorite ideas.

Dipsy Desserts

This amazing husband wife duo run company does the cutest, hand dipped ice cream bar treats.  They have a few different cute carts that can come in during your reception to add a piece of decor and your guests can go up and request different flavored ice cream bars with their choice of toppings and drizzles to create their own perfect treat.  One of my favorite things I have seen couples do with them are the custom printed white chocolate discs with their wedding monogram, date or even a picture of their pet.  It is just such a fun, personalized touch that will be noticed and thoroughly enjoyed by your guests.  

The Bubbly Truck

Who doesn’t love bubbly?  Nothing screams wedding like cheers to the newlyweds with a glass of bubbles.  This vintage champagne cart is such a fun way to get your guests to start the celebration with you!  It is such a cute piece of decor, and we have seen couples use it as a greeter when guests arrive at the ceremony, a first drink as cocktail hour begins (which also alleviates that initial rush to the bar to avoid lines) or as you walk into the reception space as your toasting flute.  It is such a fun way to greet your guests with the reason they are all there, to celebrate with you!

Spin Spun

We LOVE this gourmet cotton candy company!  First of all the product itself is to die for delicious, and it fits almost every dietary restriction ever.  Second of all it is just such a fun element to have cotton candy being made live during the dancing portion of your reception.  A few of our favorite flavors are the Margarita, Scotch, and Maple Bacon.  This is such a great addition to your late night snacks or when your sweets station opens.  It is interactive, and you can have multiple flavors throughout the time so your guests can enjoy whatever they prefer.  It smells amazing too in the room!  One of other fun thing that they do is that they add LED lights into the cone the cotton candy is on, and because there are no artificial ingredients the cotton candy, no matter what flavor is white, so the LED lights shine through and you can see the lights on the dance floor and throughout your reception.

Hubby’s in the Dog House

The perfect late night bite in Chicago is of course a Chicago Style Hot Dog.  Of course they are good passed but there is just something about that yellow and red Vienna Beef umbrella that feels so classic.  They also offer Italian Beef and Maxwell Style Polish Sausages to complete all of your Chicago classics.  Your guests get to go up and build their own or enjoy the classic while your reception is bustling.  The perfect kind of items to soak up the beverages they have been consuming that evening 🙂 

The Argonaut

If you love the finer things in life and so do your guests The Argonaut Co is a fabulous option for custom raw bar and caviar displays for cocktail hour or if you are doing more of a stationed style dinner.  They use incredible quality of product and really have show stopping buffet/station pieces for an interactive guest experience.  They can even shuck oysters live for an extra elements of of entertainment as guests continue to enjoy fresh raw seafood.  We love this idea with champagne to kick things off in the classiest of ways, Champagne and Caviar.  

These are a few of favorite interactive food and beverage experiences for weddings to bring that little element of surprise and uniqueness that will leave a lasting impression on your guests.  Chicago is such a foodie city, and we love these little touches that go the extra mile! 

Cheers!

The Storybook Team