This article was originally published by Orange Blossom Bride on February 26th, 2018. All photos by Jordan Weiland Photography.

Participating Vendors:

Venue/Location: Loggia at Lake Mirror
Planner: Tampa Bay Food Trucks
Photographer: Jordan Weiland Photography
Florist: Taylormade Floral & Event Decor
Officiant: Rev. Rick Price
Dress: Ti Adora  from Malindy Elene Bridal Boutique
Makeup: Melissa Kinsey of True MD
Hair: Shannon Harvey of The Copper Penny Hair Studio
Men’s Attire: Nathan’s Men’s Store
Dessert: Craving Donuts
Rentals: A Chair Affair, Inc.
Invitations: Minted.com

To contact us about wedding catering and/or event coordination, please contact our office at 813-802-9119. Don't forget to check us out on Wedding Wire:

If you're anything like us, the first thought that comes to mind when attending a wedding is probably "when and what are we eating?!" Food is a huge part of wedding celebrations, setting the tone for the whole event. Great food can catapult you squarely into the "Best Wedding Ever" category, whereas lackluster eats can leave guests feeling unimpressed, disgusted and worst of all, hangry. We polled our team of foodies for what they wish they had known on their wedding days about our favorite part of the celebration - the food!

1) Your Guests Will Be HUNGRY...

The reward every wedding guest is looking forward to after sitting through a ceremony is the delicious meal afterward. Let's be honest, as happy as everyone is for you about your nuptials, yummy food is something they get to experience personally. Treating your guests to passed hors d’oeuvres post ceremony is a gesture everyone will appreciate, and helps make the transition from ceremony to celebration. It's not ideal to expect guests to wait for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and speeches to conclude, before finally enjoying a dinner served after 9:00pm.

You can also score a few bonus points by allowing guests to choose their entree on the spot (a food truck catering perk!), rather than a month in advance. Because the only thing worse than being hangry, is being hangry with a side of order envy once your entree arrives.

2) ...And So Will You. But You May Not Have Time to Eat! 

While your wedding day is one of the best days of your life, it can also be pretty hectic. You'll be swarmed with well-wishers at your reception, eager to compliment you on your new marriage, your rings, the ceremony, your dress, the venue, inquire about your honeymoon plans, reminisce about their own wedding...you get it. It's hard enough to answer all these questions between bites of food and thanking your guests for coming. Then there are the challenges of trying to eat without getting food stuck in your teeth, dropping anything on your dress, and trying to stay contained within any expertly fit shapewear!

We recommend eating a little snack as you get ready, and requesting a to-go box of your entrees in advance. You can find time to eat before you officially enter your reception or at the end of the evening. Also asking someone to stash to go boxes of cake in your getaway car is a MUST - you’ll thank us when you’re enjoying a nice little honeymoon suite snack!

3) Fancy Food isn’t Always the Best Food

Your wedding is a special day you want to cherish forever, so when the time comes to make decisions it's natural to want the very best of everything. That perfect venue calls for an equally perfect dress. Your wedding party needs to look as beautiful as you do, which means stunning gowns for the ladies you love most. Then there’s your handsome groom and his groomsmen channeling Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie” song with impeccable threads. Since the ante has been upped for every other wedding detail, you also need the fanciest reception food to blow away your guests, right?

The truth is, if your budget is on the tighter side, a luxurious menu can send you far beyond what you originally planned for. You don't want to disappoint… but does anyone even like snails or foie gras? We’ll let you in on a little secret: your wedding guests will be most impressed by great food that means something to you. We're huge fans of incorporating ingredients or dishes that carry special meaning for the two of you. Food truck catering easily allows for customizations like naming your food "first date pizza" to commemorate cute moments of your relationship, or the incorporation of ingredients from both families heritages. These are thoughtful ways to keep costs down, while making your event unique and personal.

Be guided by the food and flavors you love, and don’t feel pressured to select the priciest options because you feel like this is your "one chance" to host a fancy party. Our team of planners is here for you!

4) You Won’t Have Time to Micromanage Service or Staff

After months or even years of planning, it can be really hard to stomach the idea of handing responsibilities over to someone else. One of our recently married brides admitted, "I was kind of a control freak, I wanted to be involved in and handle everything. Then suddenly on the day of, I just didn't care about handling any of the problems that popped up. It didn't matter if the reception room blinds were closed, or how my relatives who drank too much were going to get home, or that my maid of honor suddenly decided she needed an alternate dessert because she wasn't eating gluten that week. I just wanted to enjoy myself. Thankfully our venue came with a coordinator, so she and her staff took over and handled everything to perfection."

We're all in agreement: save your sanity, and delegate! An on-site event coordinator can ensure trash cans are being emptied regularly, attend to any staff issues or guests who have unforeseen needs, and handle emergencies without tearing you or your family away from the festivities. Be sure to ask us if you’re interested in hiring an event coordinator, odds are they'll smooth any issues over before you even know there is a problem. So. Worth. It.

5) When It’s All Over, You’ll Be Hungry Again.

"When my husband and I got back to the hotel after our reception we immediately ordered a pizza. Which is funny when you think about how much money we had just spent on food," - we hear this all too often.

Your wedding appetizers and entrees may be wonderful and plentiful, but drinking and dancing throughout the night will keep your appetite at an all time high. We recommend a substantially stocked dessert table of doughnuts and cupcakes that guests can nibble on towards the end of the evening. Alternately, rolling in a food truck serving late-night snacks like mini pizzas or tacos is fun and unique addition to your event that will help fuel your guests into the wee hours of your celebration.

Interested in learning more about catering by Tampa Bay Food Trucks? Click here to chat with one of our planners.

Lizzie's Cucina Italiana is new to the Tampa food truck scene, but it's owners Joe and Elizabeth McComas are not. 

The couple launched their dessert-based food truck LizzieCakes in 2013 to resounding success, dabbling in light sandwich and salad entrees.  In 2016 they decided the time was ripe to expand their brand by adding a full fledged entree truck to the fleet, drawing once again from Lizzie's culinary talent pool.  Elizabeth is a first generation American, as her Italian-born father came to the United States when he was just 17 years old. Elizabeth has visited her family in Italy on several occasions, spending time with those who still live and work on the farm where her father was born and raised. "I love the food, I love to cook and bake, and it represents an important part of who I am," she said.

This time, instead of dishing up blueberry pie cookies, white chocolate key lime pie and banana cheesecake, the focus would be on Lizzie's heritage Italian food. "I wanted to try something that would open up more opportunities for us." We at Tampa Bay Food Trucks can agree that this was an idea whose time had come, as before Lizzie's Cucina Italiana was launched, there was a gap where no food truck serving true Italian entrees existed in Tampa Bay. 

The Lizzie's Cucina Italiana truck features menu items such as fried ravioli, parmigianas, penne, mozzarella sticks as well as some of the salads originally concepted on the LizzieCakes food truck. In their second venture dessert hasn't totally left the equation, be sure to try Lizzie's cannolis, which are especially delicious paired with her selection of Italian sodas or espresso coffee soda. 

We have awesome news! Thanks to The Pineapple Shack, the cult classic Dole Whip dessert no longer requires a trip to Disney World - you can find it locally roaming the streets of Tampa!

The Pineapple Shack has hit the area courtesy of Rae and Chris Bridges. The couple began toying with the idea of starting a food truck, wanting to serve something cool and refreshing that would bring a smile to the faces of their fellow Floridians. Ice cream fit the bill on all counts, but it wasn't until a trip to Hawaii that they stumbled upon their true inspiration. One taste of Dole Whip and they were hooked! Rae explains the transition from vacation to business; "We thought, why not bring the flavor of the islands here for everyone to savor and enjoy? That's when the wheels started to turn. For the non Dole Whip devotees, the treat is a creamy Hawaiian pineapple soft serve, however diehard fans claim that oversimplified description lacks some of the magic represented in the treat itself. Dole Whip can be ordered by itself, or as the base of Pineapple Shack's signature items such as the Aloha Colada Whip and Dole Whip Shortcake. In addition to Dole Whip treats, The Pineapple Shack offers a variety of local handcrafted ice cream, and delicious dipped cones such as toasted coconut, chocolate, birthday cake, etc. Sundaes and other unique sweet treats are also available.

The pineapple on their truck doesn't just represent the main flavor of their signature ingredient, but has been a symbol of hospitality for many generations. "We carry on this tradition at The Pineapple Shack Island Creamery with the warmth, charm and style of the islands. We love traveling to new places for events and meeting new people from all walks of life. One of our favorite things is watching a customer's reaction when trying one of our delicious treats for the first time."

Follow The Pineapple Shack to see where you can catch them next - and be sure to try the famous Dole Whip for yourself!

The Pineapple Shack will be present at the following upcoming events:

April 7th 2017- Riverview Food Truck Rally
13050 Summerfield Blvd Riverview, FL 33579 from 5-9pm
 
April 13th 2017- Lakeland Food Truck Rally 
Munn Park 6-9pm

AND MORE!!

We wanted to take a moment and introduce our Food Truck Fans to one of the newer members of the Tampa Bay Food Trucks family: The Poutine Truck!

Owners Sherron Coletti and her husband Shaun Lacroix hail from New England and Quebec, and after tiring of the brutal northern winters, hatched a dream of moving down south to open a food truck. Sherron explained, “the dream was mostly for our retirement years, but it’s a good thing we didn’t wait as it’s a lot of work!”

In June of 2016 Sherron’s second father passed away leaving her mom solo in Florida. While it was a difficult and life-altering decision, this event proved as a great catalyst and they grabbed the chance to make a major life change. With the support of their family, Sherron and Shaun paired her kitchen skills and his mechanical experience with welding, motors, and equipment repairs to open their truck. Their skill sets have expanded even further as a result of this venture “my husband is a people person....what I found out though is he is also a good cook! My mom is actively involved in the business as well. She helps prep and sets up for events and will be helping with the bookkeeping.”

A true family business, there was some discussion over what type of food they should serve. In consulting with Tampa Bay Food Trucks, Sherron originally pitched the idea of doing kebabs, but mentioned the truck would need to be outfitted with a small fryer to make Poutine, one of their favorite foods, for certain events. Pronounced “puts in”, CEO Michael Blasco said “Poutine is absolutely what you need to do!” Until Sherron and her family rolled into town, Poutine was missing from the expansive roster of food trucks in Tampa Bay. “My husband was so excited as this is the food from his country. My daughter considers it a food group.”

For those unfamiliar, Poutine is a Canadian brown gravy, fresh curd cheese and french fries. You can create different variations with different toppings, keeping the fries and cheese curds as your base. Shaun makes the gravy daily from scratch (no canned or powdered mixes here!) The cheese is shipped in fresh weekly, with a two week shelf life to ensure maximum freshness while the fries are fried once to precook and then fried a second time to order. The truck currently features four types of Poutine, with a goal of featuring a weekly special very soon.

“We are huge foodies and lovers of Pinterest, which keeps the ideas flowing. We are excited to be open for business and it’s really giving us a chance to get to know the Tampa area and meet new people.”

Have you always wanted to attend a food truck event, but weren't sure what to expect? One of our most popular events is the monthly Downtown Lakeland Food Truck Rally in Munn park. Here, we are answering some of our most frequently asked questions regarding this event!

1) What is a food truck rally?
A: A food truck rally is a gathering of food trucks in a public space, where the community is encouraged to come check out a variety of cuisines and socialize. It's a great way to try something new, while supporting local small business owners!