It is often said that food is the language of love … and with good reason! Preparing and/or sharing a meal with someone is a special thing, and the case of your wedding, there are so many decisions to make! What to serve? When to serve it? How to present it?! To help this season’s brides take the stress out of the process, we sat down with the talented folks at 12th street catering, and they shared the many delicious ways to creatively and meaningfully planning your wedding menu!
The modern bride and groom want to create a personalized experience for their guest – how can they use food to achieve this goal?
One way couples can really put their personal touch on the menu is by incorporating dishes that are important to them and their relationship! This could be having something they ate on their first date, or their go to favorite meal to cook together. Another way they can add personalization is by incorporating family recipes into the menu, as that can make the day that much more special.
Often couples are gravitating towards the “stations” style of dining for their wedding, as this allows them to showcase some of their favorite foods (tacos, bao buns, grain bowls, etc.), while also keeping the parents and grandparents happy with some more “traditional” wedding dinner options (such as a carving station).
For certain weddings where the couple does opt for a more formal plated dinner, they might look to their dessert selection to incorporate their favorites, with a donut wall or churro bar, so they get to showcase their personalities while staying traditional!
Everyone is familiar with the plated sit down dinner, and it is popular with good reason – people wants their guests to be fed well! But, can you tell us a little bit about other options for wedding meals?
Plated dinners are certainly still well-received! The classic alternative of buffets allows guests to select which options on the buffet they want to try where everything is presented in one line. Often with a buffet, couples may opt to have a pre-set salad before the buffet opens so guests have something to snack on when they sit down, and potentially have introductions or speeches during this time.
Dinner stations can be one of the most fun for wedding dining styles. There might be 3-5 different styles of stations, where guests can try different small plates at each station. This means you can really diversify your menu by having a variety of cuisines (think tostada bar, noodle soup bar, barbecue station, and more), or you can stay traditional with a flair, and have all “traditional wedding foods,” but displayed at multiple stations, small plates style, so guests can pick and choose which they want.
Some of the stations might be chef attended, where they can cook each dish to order for your guests. This style of dining both is the perfect vibe to encourage interacting amongst all your guests, while also making sure all of your guests are happy with the menu and well fed!
The fourth style of dining we see is the family-style wedding dinner. This style is similar to a plated dinner as the guests typically have assigned seats, and servers at their tables. But instead of individually plated entrees, servers will fill the tables with large portions on serving platters for guests to help themselves. This style of dining is also very fun, and encourages guests to interact! This is also helpful in allowing guests to pick and choose what they actually want to eat.
What food trends you are seeing this season?
We are very excited about food trends as we enter the new decade. People are definitely opting for more sustainable and plant-based items, which also means they are considering healthier dining options to have on their wedding day, such as grain bowls. They also are taking greater consideration to seasonal items and making sure they are locally sourced, which makes for even more delicious menu options. We are also seeing a trend to place more emphasis on visually pleasing hors d’oeuvres, to go along with more theatrical and dramatic food stations, as mentioned people want the experience! We’re also seeing more and more North African flavor influences, from b’stilla, to harissa, to shakshuka, which is great!
What are some exciting/new options you offer in 2020? (Be it food offerings, presentation style, serving size, etc)
We have been working on some really fun stations that we are thrilled to add to our new menus that are even more interactive for the guests, as we love to create a full experience with our events! We are excited for what’s in store for 2020!
Images courtesy of Afrik Armando Photography