The menu that is selected for a wedding is incredibly important. Have you ever attended a wedding where the buffet is covered with dry, stale dinner rolls and overly saucy pulled pork? Guests take one look at the available food and go straight to the bar, taking their chances with the drinks instead. No bride and groom want to leave their guests hungry at their special day. We often time worry about wedding decorations, welcome signs, your dress, the gifts, but what about the food?
When a wedding has high elegance and class, in design and aesthetic, the menu must equal the level of the style.
I would like to highlight some of the hottest wedding food trends that have been on the rise in the last year.
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Charcuterie Boards
Food bloggers all over have had a massive boom in the art of arranging cheese and salami. It is not only beautiful, but a tasteful way to bring a variety of flavors together, and allow the pallet to be pleased with small amounts of a large variety of foods. It is no surprise this trend has also moved to weddings. Caterers hired to feed large amounts of guests, definitely have a challenge with this sort of menu style. Making sure guests are full off of cheese, deli cuts and fruit can be a challenging task. However, I would argue it is the most beautiful kind of menu for photographs and looks very pleasing and impressive. Layered high quality cold cuts from deli’s all over the world. Dominoed hard, aged, and soft cheeses. Olives and pickled vegetables. Varieties of dried and fresh fruits. Crisps and crackers to complete the bite. And of course, the correct wines that must pair flawlessly with the flavors layered out on the boards. Weddings with this sort of food style invite their guests on an adventure of sorts. It adds fun and interaction with the food. Caterers in the wedding industry who have attempted these kinds of menus and have succeeded are chef Bryan Clark from Joel Catering and Cheese Board Catering.
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Steak Dinner
Weddings that choose to have a candle lit, sit down dinner often chose steak as their main entree. And rightfully so. There are few things that scream luxury and elegant like a perfectly cooked steak. Especially when it is done consistently and in high quantities to accommodate for larger weddings. From the thick, amazingly delicious filet minion, to a more humble flank steak served with a side of creamy mashed potatoes. The perfectly seared meat will steal the show, and the sides are easy to add because many things compliment it. Steak dinner is a timeless choice, and a favorite one for wedding dinners through the generations. An excellent example of this kind of catering done flawlessly at weddings is Micheals on East bestfood.com.
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Dessert Only
For more adventurous couples who chose to elope or have a smaller, shorter wedding, a ‘just dessert’ menu has been a go to. Three or four options of fruit tarts, cheesecakes, mouse cups, are easy to combine to create a beautiful display. Many wedding caterers have been know not only to produce beautiful desserts for weddings, but also use quality, locally sourced ingredients. For weddings like these it is less of a challenge to create high quality over quantity. Guests can enjoy dessert with a hot cup of coffee or tea and will appreciate the festivity of it. A wonderful example of “just dessert” catering done well is Peppers Artful Events
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Outdoor Cookouts
Rustic weddings that take place at outdoor venues or barns often go with this sort of country style barbecue. A step up from hot dogs and burgers, yet still a picnic feel. Barbecued ribs, perhaps smoked in a large smoker that is standing outside. Heaps of corn on the cob seasoned and garnished beautifully. Grilled zucchini and mushrooms. Fresh squeezed lemonade in large glass beverage dispensers. A relaxed setting, where beer and other beverages stand in tin buckets of ice. This sort of menu matches so perfectly with outdoor weddings that go for a country, rustic feel. Some amazing catering is done by Two Shoe BBQ Catering , where they bring their smoker and serve the guests straight from the grill.
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Rice and Lamb
Lamb has always been a fancier, more festive meat that isn’t entirely common at wedding celebrations. It takes skill to cook it correctly so many steer away from choosing a more delicate meat. But lamb is absolutely delicious and when done correctly, really adds quality to the over all menu. Wether it’s a rack of lamb, or a leg, cooked with wine and garnished with rosemary, there’s few things that look more appealing and beautiful on a plate. Rice is the perfect side to lamb, and is loved by many. This versatile menu goes well for a large variety of wedding styles. It encompasses many cultures and brings an ethnic feel. It goes well sat a more classical rustic barn wedding, an indoor sit down, fancier wedding or even a elegant garden party or picnic wedding. Lamb adds a depth of beauty and class to a table. It has been a lovely choice for weddings of all kinds. Caterers like Deru Market have been leading the way in this style of menu.
To conclude, food has endless variety. And along with the choices of menus, there any so many beautiful ways to feed your guests and create a festive environment for you wedding.