How to Plan Wedding Food
Wedding guests expect food at the reception regardless of the type of wedding you’re hosting. A morning wedding calls for a light brunch buffet, while an evening wedding requires a heartier meal. The choices for wedding food—from the theme to the way you serve it—can overwhelm many couples. However, you can use your interests and wedding style to create an appropriate wedding menu.
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Instructions
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Use the time of your reception to guide your general food choices. If you are having a mid-afternoon reception, guests will not expect a full meal. In this situation, hors d’oeuvres, such as shrimp cocktail or egg rolls, would work. An evening reception, however, requires a full dinner or heavy hors d’oeuvres substantial enough to replace a meal.
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Consider the formality of your wedding reception. A reception at a country club calls for more formal food than a backyard wedding reception does. Prime rib and salmon might suit the country club reception, but barbecue and ribs works well for a relaxed backyard reception. Let your reception guide you in your food choices.
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Talk to your spouse-to-be about food choices. Wedding receptions typically offer two types of meals—buffet, where guests serve themselves, and plated, where guests select a meal in advance and receive it from a server. Buffet weddings give guests more options and let them choose their portions, but your venue might not support a buffet. Plated meals, on the other hand, limit guests’ choices to two or three entrees, like a beef, chicken and fish dish, but give a sense of formality that buffets do not. Ask your caterer about vegetarian options as well—most will provide them; all you have to do is ask. Also, consider food that is meaningful to you as a couple. For example, if your first date was at an Italian restaurant, you can serve an Italian buffet. Choose food that reflects you as a couple or defines your relationship history.
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Use your geographical location as a menu guide. If the part of the country where you’re getting married is famous for a type of food, consider incorporating that into your wedding menu, as suggested by The Knot. Serve lobsters in Maine or mini cheesesteaks in Philadelphia.
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References
- Photo Credit buffet 3 image by John Keith from Fotolia.com
