Summer is the perfect season to host a small event. Dream Dinners is here to help with easy DIY small event catering menu ideas.
Baby Showers, Birthdays, BBQs, and more… There is a lot to celebrate this Summer. If you’ve found your way to this article, you’re probably considering hosting your own celebration this summer. DO IT! Hosting a party feels excellent, and it feels even better when you have a menu to impress your guest. Don’t worry about the catering menus; we are here to support you. We know how stressful hosting a party can be, so we want to make it as easy as possible for you. Why spend all of your party money on catering when you can do it yourself? Check out these 10 easy DIY small event catering menu ideas for any type of party you host this Summer.
1. Graduation Party Catering Menu Ideas
Graduation season is upon us! If you have a child graduating this year, celebrate their success by hosting a graduation party. From appetizers to main courses to desserts and sides, these easy graduation party catering ideas will have your grad and all of their guests feeling grand!
Early Summer Graduation Party Catering Menu Ideas
With this inclusive menu, you’ll hit all of your grad party guests’ favorite flavors! Start with our Vegetable Samosas with a Chutney Dipping Sauce for your vegetarian guests. The meat-eaters will love this appetizer, too. So, make sure you order a few large portions. Turn our Savory Grilled Chicken with Sesame Honey Butter into delicious Sesame Honey Butter Chicken Bites. Throw our grilled chicken breasts marinated in a blend of sesame, ginger, and garlic on the grill, and they’ll be ready to serve in under 30 minutes. Cut the breasts into bite-sized pieces and stick toothpicks in them to create the perfect graduation party appetizer!
Serve up our Charhouse Chicken Sandwiches and Blackened Cod Fish Tacos for the main course. Both dishes are ready-to-grill and cook in under 30 minutes, so you can spend less time on the cast iron and more time enjoying your party. Serve a variety of sides that complement each main dish perfectly. Heirloom Potatoes are the best sidekick for our Charhouse Chicken Sandwiches. Likewise, our Mexican Street Corn gives our Blackened Cod Fish Tacos the perfect kick. Order a few large portions of our Orzo Pasta Salad because this scrumptious side goes with just about everything.
Last but most certainly not least, Dessert & Drinks! Order 2-3 Peach Crisps to impress your guests with the dessert of the summer. Put together two lemonade bars, one for the kids and one for the adults. When your guests get thirsty, they’ll have a blast creating their own unique and tasty lemonades. We love these lemonade bar ideas by Half Scratched. Provide cute Mason Jar Drinking Glasses and Fun straws for your lemonade bar. The best part? These double as great party favors that your guests can take home!
Late Summer Graduation Party Catering Menu Ideas
Hosting a graduation party later in the summer? No problem! Swap out our May menu items with these delicious June items perfect for any graduation party. Grab a few large portions of each dish and get ready to impress your guests. Whether you are hosting your graduation party in early or late summer, Dream Dinners is the best solution for self-catering! Save time, money, and stress when you cater your party with our easy & delicious meals. If you’re hosting a graduation party this summer, place a Dream Dinners order, so you’re prepared to host your party with easy, mouth-watering eats.
2. Baby Shower Catering Menu Ideas
Summer is the perfect season to host a baby shower! There is nothing quite like celebrating the joys of a new family member in beautiful outdoor scenery underneath the warm summer sun. Throw a Baby Shower Brunch for a soon-to-be mama to make her summer extra sweet! If you’re hosting a baby shower within the next few months, place a Dream Dinners order to have quick & easy dishes to self-cater the celebration.
Early Summer Baby Shower Catering Menu Ideas
Host a delicious Baby Shower Brunch with meals from our May menu. Put out our Vegetable Samosas with Chutney Dipping Sauce and our Orzo Pasta Salad as a pre-brunch treat. When you’re ready to dig into your big brunch feast, let guests choose the main course of their dreams. Enjoy our Sausage, Spinach, Cheese Strata, and our Creamy Chicken Risotto. Every belly at the baby shower (including baby) will be filled with joy when you use this baby shower catering menu. The best part? These dishes are fully prepped for you, so you don’t have to worry about shopping, chopping, and preparing for this baby shower. Simply cook, serve, and enjoy!
Late Summer Baby Shower Catering Menu Ideas
If you’re hosting a baby shower later in the Summer, then place an order off our June menu to make sure you are prepared. Serve three delicious brunch dishes and tasty non-alcoholic mimosas. Indulge your guests in our brand new Ham, Pea, and Cheddar Quiche. Fluffy eggs with ham, green peas, and cheddar cheese fill a buttery pie crust. Order a few extra of this dish because every guest will be coming back for a second slice! For the guests who aren’t in a breakfast mood, serve our Italian Orzo Pasta Salad. Italian-inspired spices, a variety of veggies, and cheeses combine to create this beautiful brunch dish – ready to share in 10 minutes. Top it with the perfect summer dessert; our guest-favorite Peach Crisp.
3. Wedding Catering Menu Ideas
We all know that weddings can rack up a hefty bill. It is hard to put a price on celebrating two soul mates joining hands in marriage. If you’re looking for ways to save money for your summer wedding, then self-catering is a wonderful idea. A wedding of 50 guests can cost as much as $40 per plate for regular catering. Dream Dinners can cost as little as $6.50 per serving, making it the perfect choice to self-cater your wedding this summer. While catering your own wedding sounds stressful, Dream Dinners makes it easy with delicious, fully prepped meals. To help you self-cater your wedding this summer, we’ve created wedding catering menus with our Summer dishes to show you just how great self-catering can be!
Early Summer Wedding Catering Menu
These delicious items on our May menu are perfect for self-catering a wedding. Begin the feast with wedding-worthy Hors D’Oeuvres. Our Vegetable Samosas with a Chutney Dipping Sauce are the ideal wedding starter, and they’re great if you expect to have some vegetarian guests. Next, serve our Salisbury Meatballs in creamy brown gravy with sauteed mushrooms. Allow your guests to choose between two entrees; Steak Caprese or Central Park Garlic Chicken. Serve a variety of sides, including Oven Roasted Broccoli, Summer Grilled Vegetables, and Potatoes Au Gratin. After you slice the famous wedding cake, offer our Raspberry Lemon Tartlets as an extra dessert.
Late Summer Wedding Catering Menu
If your self-catered wedding is later in the summer, then place a June Dream Dinners order for this delicious wedding catering menu. Begin with our Turkey Meatballs in a Garlic Butter Sauce over Orzo Pasta. Serve our Surf & Turf Yakisoba Noodles and our Creamy Chicken Florentine Tortellini as the main course. For dessert, indulge in our peach crisp in addition to your beautiful wedding cake to make your wedding extra sweet.
4. Bridal Shower Catering Menu Ideas
Before the wedding bells ring, we have to shower the bride with love! Host a bridal shower for a bride-to-be this summer with ready-to-cook meals from Dream Dinners.
If you’re hosting an early summer bridal shower,
Then place an order for these satisfying small plates on the May menu to serve to your guests! We’ve got four delicious small plates that are perfect for any bridal shower. Order our Vegetable Samosas, Mini Turkey Meatloaves, Creamy Chicken Risotto, and Gaucho Grilled Pork Tenderloin (served as bites). With this variety, there will be a small plate for every guest to love; no matter how picky they are! Purchase plenty of Champagne to toast the bride-to-be, and create a fun cocktail bar where each guest can craft their own unique cocktails!
If you’re hosting a late summer bridal shower,
then we think you should turn this shower into a bridal fiesta! Place an order for these fiesta-worthy dishes on our June menu to host a creative and unique party for the bride-to-be. Serve our Vegetable Con Queso Enchiladas, Al Pastor Street Tacos, and a side of Mexican Street Corn to kick up each dish. Put together a fun margarita bar and get ready to have a blast at the best bridal shower of the summer!
Small Event Catering with Dream Dinners
No matter the type of event, Dream Dinners is the best option to self cater your party this Summer. If you’re planning a party this season, place a Dream Dinners order to impress your guests with your self-catering skills. If you’re looking for more small event catering ideas, stay tuned. Each week, we will be posting a new small event catering blog for every type of summer event! Each blog will include catering menus, recipes, drinks, games, activities, and more! Do you have a small event coming up you would like us to create a menu for? Let us know in the comments! We would love to give you all of our incredible hosting ideas.