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When planning your wedding food and you want something that looks good, is tasty, different and less costly than a full dinner think about a fabulous taco bar and all the trimmings.

You can put it together yourself, have fun doing it and save the cost of a caterer. It leaves you with maybe some extra money in the budget to use elsewhere.

There are a few things you need to do before the preparation of the food.

1. Rent enough chaffing dishes as you will need them for both hot and cold food. Rectangular sterno chaffing dishes for the items you need to keep warm. Usually these dishes require two sterno units. For the vegetables and salsa you need to put ice in the water pan and, of course, no sterno units.

Start the sterno at least 20 minutes before placing the food in the chaffing dish to make sure it is very hot and at a safe temperature.

Note that you can find these at a event rental store or you can purchase them at a restaurant supply store. It is cheaper to rent them if possible.

2. Be sure to have purchased or rented your plates and any flatware you will want to have for the guests.

Now to set up the table in an easy and appealing way.

1. Start the taco bar line with plates, napkins and flatware arranged in an attractive way.

2. Next have corn and flour tortillas in baskets for the guests to select their favorite. Also, give them a choice of hard or soft taco shells.

3. The next offering is your meat using ground or chopped turkey or chicken, ground beef or shredded pork. Any and all of these make great tacos.

A good idea is to have a hot chaffing dish of refried beans or black or pinto beans for the vegetarians who would be attending you wedding reception. I know they will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

4. Place your vegetables and cheese next in line. This should include tomatoes and onions finely chopped, and lettuce and/or cabbage shredded. Olives also chopped fine is a nice touch and all of this can be done a day or two before the wedding.

You can now buy your cheese already shredded in at least 16 oz. packages. Serve from a large bowl with tongs to pick up the cheese.

5. Salsa and guacamole are a must and see if you can get half pans so they may be served side by side. I would think most would prefer a mild salsa, but go for it and get some salsa a bit spicier for those who like it hotter. Be sure you mark them each for their degree of spiciness.

6. Side dishes to go along with your tacos. Refried beans and Spanish rice are quite traditional. Include a bowl of tortilla chip which are especially good warmed.

You might want to have a green salad with a choice of dressings instead or along with the beans and rice.

7. Another ideas is to have a nacho fountain, rather like a chocolate fountain. Have nacho cheese flowing from it and serve chips, vegetables, pretzels, bread and things like that with it. This also is a nice treat for the vegetarians attending.

8. The drinks you serve should be along the same theme such as sangria, tropical fruit smoothies, and Mexican beer or margaritas if you wish and the budget allows.

Have a lot of water handy for drinking as this kind of food makes people especially thirsty.

9. Tips for a successful wedding bar include keeping the dishes always looking bountiful.

Aside from napkins have a basket or bowl of handy wipes on the table.

Be sure and label the meats so your guests will know what is in each chaffing dish.

The table linens for the buffet table should match your theme or be something compatible with a great taco bar.

So I hope this is helpful in your planning a wedding taco bar and it made me hungry for a taco and the trimmings as I wrote about it.

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Source by Tiffany Cole