Weddings don’t always have the best reputation when it comes to food. Far too many receptions have served guests bland, uninspired dishes—think of dry chicken breast with sides of cold mashed potatoes and overcooked carrots. Your special day deserves so much better.
If you want your wedding’s menu to really impress, follow these tips.
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Consider Dietary Needs and Restrictions
Your wedding menu should be inclusive. Vegan and vegetarian guests shouldn’t have to feel left out just because they don’t eat certain animal products. So, don’t just give them the option of a garden salad appetizer, followed by a stuffed red pepper for dinner.
Choose a catering company that offers a variety of exciting plant-based dishes—not just one or two. The catering company McEwan Catering has a wide selection of vegan and vegetarian-friendly menu options, from appetizers to entrees. For passed appetizers at cocktail hour, send out sweet potato tempura, mushroom poke and chickpea panisse. For the first sit-down course, choose a roasted squash and caramelized apple salad or an asparagus ribbon salad, followed by entrees of sweet pea falafel or crispy oyster mushroom.
Knowing your guests’ special dietary needs will help you plan your menu. So, when you send out your wedding invites, have guests RSVP with information about dietary considerations. You need to know how many guests are vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free. You’ll also need to know about major food allergies that should be avoided for a guest’s health and safety.
Match Your Menu to Your Wedding Style
What type of wedding are you hoping to have? Are you picturing an elegant seated wedding reception? Or are you hoping to have a party where people are up on their feet and dancing for the entire night? Your menu should align with your wedding style.
For an Elegant, Seated Dinner:
You should choose plated meals with multiple courses. These courses can go beyond the standards of salad, entrée and dessert. You can add soup courses and pasta courses to give guests the impression that they’re enjoying a tasting menu at a fine-dining establishment.
For a Casual, Party-Style Wedding:
You’re planning a wedding reception that’s a bit more casual. You want your guests to be out of their seats, chatting to other guests or showing off their best moves on the dance floor. So, sit-down dining is not your ideal choice.
In this case, choose more interactive dining options where people can nibble on gourmet food on their feet. Get grazing stations with selections of oysters, fine cheese and antipasti. Or book hot food stations for gourmet tacos, baos, pizza and savory pretzels.
Go Extra with Dessert
Wedding cake doesn’t have to be the only sweet treat served at your wedding reception. To really impress your guests, add more dessert to the menu.
An easy way to do this is to set up dessert stations after dinner wraps up. See what exciting dessert stations your caterer has to offer. You might be able to get a churro station, a dessert poutine station or a donut bar. With these additions, you can dazzle the biggest sweet tooths in attendance.
Following these tips are sure to make your wedding menu stand out for all of the right reasons. Guests will want to leave your wedding with to-go boxes. There might not be any food leftover once the reception is over.
