How To Choose Your Wedding Menu

When people look back at your wedding they will remember many things, the food you serve will certainly be one of them. They will remember the wedding menu, how it was served, the service they received, the presentation, the selection and of course the taste.

Even though there are many options and choices to consider, I would think about the main course first as that course is the most important. Once you know what you are serving for the main meal you can then think about appetizers and desserts.

You will need to make a decision on how the meal will be served to your guests. Your choices are buffet style, family style or traditional meal service. How the meal is served affects your food choices and the atmosphere of your wedding.

Many brides and grooms are opting to choice a buffet style wedding reception meal. The buffet is easy to set up and it is usually cheaper than a traditional sit down service meal. Choosing a buffet allows you to offer a greater selection of both side dishes and a main entree. This allows your guests the freedom to mix and match their choices and only put on their plates what they want to try.

The most traditional meal at a wedding reception is one which is served directly to your guests. This usually means that you choose 2 different main meals and your guests decide prior to the wedding what they want. The positive of this is that the main course is usually something more expensive, such as steak or lobster, than you will find in a buffet style meal. Of course the downside would be that your guests have to stick to their original choices and they have no choice of side dishes.

Even though family service is not used a lot it is still an option that you can consider. The best way to describe what family service is would be a cross between a buffet and waiter service. The reception would still employ people to deliver food to the tables, but instead of individual meals being brought to your guests, large bowls and different types of plates of food would be brought to each table. Then your guests would pass the food around and take how much they want of only the dishes that appeal to them.

Now that you know how you want your main course served it may be time to think about the appetizer table. Many weddings have appetizer tables set up for their guests, this way they can enjoy a snack during the cocktail hour. These tables are usually stocked with finger foods such as fruit, vegetables, dips, cheese and crackers. Talk to your caterer about what is available and decide what your guests may want to indulge in.

You may want to also have a separate dessert table. Almost all weddings have a wedding cake or cupcakes, but many weddings also offer additional desserts for their guests to enjoy. Some choices for the dessert table may include cookies, brownies, puddings, gelatin, muffins, tart, truffles and more. You can personalize the dessert menu by adding family recipes to the table.