After saying your vows it’s time to party, and your wedding reception is all about the food and drink! Feeding your guests while they chat, mingle and have fun is all part of the fun of a wedding, and is an element you will definitely want to get right.
Wedding menu template
Buffet
Cheap and cheerful crowd pleasers, you can’t go far wrong with a buffet. You could get caterers in to put this together for you, or simply make it yourself. You don’t need to best cooking skills to put together some buffet favourites- sandwiches, quiches, seasoned chicken. Check out sites like Pinterest for ideas. If you go down this route you can serve tasty food without breaking the bank, and since everything can be prepared in advance you don’t have to worry about food being served cold and getting timings right.
Three Course Meal
If you’re throwing a very traditional wedding, lining the banquet halls and having a three course meal could be the way to go. This will be the most expensive option but is also the most luxurious. You will choose the dishes your guests will be served before the wedding and they will receive a beautifully made starter, main course and dessert. Find out if your venue has catering options, otherwise you could book your own catering company to come in on the day. Make sure those with dietary requirements are covered, this could be vegans, vegetarians, gluten free or those with religious requirements with food. It’s worth going to a sample tasting before the wedding so you can pick out the dishes that you want to be served. Salmon, chicken and beef are all popular options but spend some time tasting and working out what fits your budget.
Food Stations
If you want a combination of the two styles above why not go with food stations? You get the casual buffet feel but you get to serve hot food so it’s on the more formal side. It’s also good if you’re having an autumn/ winter wedding and want to serve hot fare without the expensive of a formal dinner. There are all kinds of cuisines you could go for- from British roasts to Italian, curry stations, even a dessert station for afterwards. Guest queue up and are served their food before returning to their seats or can serve themselves, that way you save on costs for extra staff. These could contain things like big jars of sweets, cake pops, macarons, cupcakes. Displayed with balloons and flowers they look really impressive and are something that both adults and children alike will love.
Taster Menu
This isn’t the taster session you attend when you’re choosing the courses for your wedding food. With a taster menu your guests are served up to ten different mini courses- with complementing wine too if your budget can stretch further. Wedding taster menus can take a long time to get through all of the courses, so you could break them up with things like speeches and let them run through the evening. They’re a great choice if you have a bigger budget and your guests are foodies! It could be a mixture of different foods or all based on a theme, if the idea of the excites you it’s an interesting way to do your wedding food and something your guests might not have experienced before.
Hog Roast
Finally, a great choice for a sunny outdoor wedding would be a hog roast. Slow cooked pork with stuffing in rolls, these companies will also offer things like baked potatoes for the vegetarians. You can serve salads, corn and other things on the side too. It’s a casual, laid back and a great inexpensive way to serve a lot of guests. People can criticise hog roasts for being a little messy, but if you have outdoor seating you will be provided with plates and cutlery so it won’t be a problem. A hog roast makes a good daytime option too, something for your guests earlier on and then a buffet or sit down meal later on.
As with anything to do with your wedding day, the catering option you choose should be personal to you. Choose what fits your budget and the style and theme of your big day, don’t feel like things have to be done a certain way. It’s completely up to you.
What style of dining will you/ did you choose for your wedding day?
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