the art of menu planning

Our wedding is just around the corner and as many times as I’ve done this for other couples, I can’t help but get super excited as the anticipation grows. One of the things we are most looking forward to is the food, an element that we chose to give great importance and one way we plan to show our guests how much we appreciate that they are taking part in our special day.

Now, I can’t reveal the details of the menu without spoiling the experience, but I can give some background into our thought process. You’ll have to keep coming back here after the wedding to find out exactly what was served – I promise it will be worth it!

Like any couple, when considering our meal options, we had to decide between seating and serving styles. Some of the most common include the formal “plated” or “seated” meal, buffet service, and cocktail hour style with butlered or stationed heavy hors d’oeuvres. What we chose is a hybrid that incorporates the best of all of the styles. Many dishes will be butlered throughout the evening and we will feature stationed and themed beverages and desserts, as well as a seated meal served family style. No matter what their previous experiences, our guests will find something familiar along with something exciting and new, with more than a little hospitality around every corner.

Our caterer has a unique approach to menu crafting for events like this. She will never serve fewer than ten (yes 10!) butlered items at a wedding of our style. She loves the “Wow Factor” as much as we do, and coming out with a new food item every 30 minutes really engages guests and keeps them guessing what will come next. When we first heard her describe this, we weren’t totally convinced, but once she described the “fancy feeling” that guests feel as they enjoy something new throughout the evening and the expressions of gratitude that she loves to receive, we embraced the concept and were sold! Now it’s one of our favorite aspects of the wedding.

Our menu is heavy on comfort food and regional favorites, perfect for our Southern-infused wedding. It’s a delightful “family-dinner-meets-swanky-occasion” mix that is guaranteed to appeal to everyone. We’re certainly setting the standard high for future entertaining! As I’ve shared before, guests can plan to eat from the time they arrive to, literally, the time they depart. We are even offering mini-sliders as “Aftertizers” to give them a snack and a treat after hours of mingling, dancing and drinking. Everyone will leave with a delectable reminder of our amazing celebration.

There are still lots of details to attend to between now and our Big Day! Worry not! I will keep you up-to-date with our progress and with the continued adventures of a “Planner-Turned-Bride” as the weeks pass, and make sure that you have the best possible front-row seats to our wedding of the year!