Wedding Dinner Etiquette
Your wedding day is your chance to shine. It is your day to spend with the people you love, doing things that you love. When planning the wedding day menu, most couples want their food to match either the theme of the wedding or their own unique personalities. However, there are certain wedding dinner etiquette rules you should follow to ensure that your guests are happy and satisfied.
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Cuisine
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Although it is your special day and you should be able to eat the foods you want, be considerate of your wedding guests when selecting the cuisine. Although you and your fiancé might love sushi, entrails or steak tartare, most of your guests probably do not. Compromise with your guests by choosing foods everyone can enjoy. Safe options typically include beef, chicken, potatoes, rice and vegetables.
Special Requests
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Even if you serve "safe" foods at your wedding, you will undoubtedly have to entertain special requests. Whether the special request is due to a food allergy or food preference (vegetarian, vegan), you will need to honor these requests. If possible, determine which guests will need a special meal before the day of the wedding. Then, speak with your caterer about meeting these requests. Although meeting special meal requests can be slightly frustrating, you do not want any of your guests to go hungry at your reception.
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Portions
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When planning your wedding day budget, the food budget will likely be one of the most expensive. Although it may be tempting to skimp on the food, try to avoid this option. When it comes to a wedding reception, food is fuel for your guests. If you want your guests to socialize and dance, you need to fuel them up. Serve enough food to satisfy your guests. Although you do not need to serve a five-course meal, give them enough to enjoy. Additionally, portion sizes are particularly important when alcohol is served at the reception. Guests will need food in their stomachs to balance the effects of the drinks.
Time Frame
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Although your wedding day schedule will dictate the time of your dinner, be considerate of your guests when planning the schedule. If you ask your guests to attend an afternoon wedding ceremony and then follow it immediately with the cocktail hour and wedding reception, they will likely be extremely hungry by the time dinner is served. Do not wait several hours into the reception to serve food. Be courteous and give your guests the fuel they need to fully enjoy your reception.
Seating
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Fortunately, there are few etiquette rules to follow when seating guests for the wedding reception dinner. Naturally, you should not seat feuding relatives at the same table. In fact, you will probably want to seat them as far apart as possible to avoid any commotion at the reception. As a general rule, only seat guests at the same table if you believe they will get along nicely. Also, only assign guests to a specific table; allow them to choose their own chairs at the table.
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References
- Photo Credit wedding dineer table image by Heng kong Chen from Fotolia.com
