Planning your Wedding Menu
There’s a lot you have to plan when you’re organising your wedding – but one of the more fun elements should be choosing your menu, Whether you and your partner are massive foodies or not, thinking about wedding menu ideas often leaves couples stumped so here are some tips
Wedding Menu Ideas from Chefs
To help you find the inspiration you need to create a killer menu, our wedding catering team have put together some of the best ways we know to get over a food-related creative block. Take a look through and see if you can find the idea you’ve been looking for & then let us inspire you, but to help all our confirmed couples we hold group tasting days, where you get to try around 50 dishes to help you choose, many couples come with a blank canvas & leave with their dream menu, we always offer a choice on the top table as we know how hard it is to narrow it down & whilst marriage is all about compromise it doesn’t have to start with your wedding breakfast.
Find your Favourites
Before you choose your wedding caterer, talk about any preferences you may have for your wedding menu and then if you have some set ideas, look for a caterer that already is an expert in the menu that you may want. And if you don’t have a set idea, think about your favourite foods, if it’s Thai find a Thai caterer! But if you are open then talk to a couple of catering companies & see who inspires you & fills you with confidence. Once chosen let your caterer open up some ideas for you to think about. The food is a huge part of the day and choosing the menu should be a fun part of the planning. Our couples always ask if they can back a year later and do the tasting day all over again! It’s lovely when couples choose a menu they never thought they would have done, and on the day the guests are so excited by the menu & the Bride & Groom just have to look at all the contented guests to know they got it right.
Reflect your Relationship
When it comes to foods to serve at a wedding, it can be nice to reflect your relationship in your menu. So, for example, if your first date was at an Italian restaurant, serve up the two dishes you chose (if you can remember!). Or, if you met in a different country, you could serve the native dishes but again ensure your caterer is comfortable with these choices. A lot of couples ask us to incorporate the dish they had after the proposal which is very romantic and a talking point at the wedding.
After all, your wedding should be a celebration of you two, so even if it’s something a little weird, it can be nice to incorporate that memory into your menu.
Seasonal Choices from the Locals
Seasonal fruit and vegetable always taste better – especially when they’re locally sourced! Most caterers will have seasonal menus so discuss what will work well for your wedding, with the English weather availability can change rapidly, so be a little flexible, but simple things like bowls of colourful beautiful salads served to the tables with your chosen meat are always a great success when we have a beautiful summer rather than steaming vegetables.
Vegan and Vegetarian
If you’re vegan and vegetarian, this is a bit more of an obvious choice of foods to serve at weddings. But, if you’re not, why not try it out? It can be super fun creating a meat-free menu and will put a different spin on your wedding! Try dishes you’ve never thought of and treat your guests to the diverse and flavoursome world of vegetarian and vegan cuisine.
(see our Vegetarian menu blog!)
Consider your Venue
A lot of couples like to get inspiration for their wedding catering from their venue and surroundings. For example, if you’re by the sea, incorporate some seafood or fish into the menu, with a barn wedding table, think long rustic tables with sharing platters & salads , or if you’ve chosen to have your wedding reception in a castle hall, serve up a whole joints for a guest to carve at each table. But at the end of the day, choose what you are going to enjoy on the day
Cater for Everyone
It is so important to add a dietary requirement to your wedding invitations, if your caterer is cooking all of your menu from scratch then it will be easy for them to adapt or offer alternatives if pre ordered, often we are catering in a tent in a field and to be told we have a vegan or dairy free guest that we were not aware of can be a little stressful at the time when the chefs want to just focus on sending out your wedding breakfast.
The main groups are
· Vegan
· Vegetarian
· Gluten free
· Dairy free
· Any Allergies or Intolerances (please write yours down)
Let them know that they have to get the replies back before a certain date so that you can advise your caterer at least 2 weeks before your wedding, remember they are also looking after other weddings and need time to organise, the more time you can give them the better, also remember to send a table plan with all the dietary requirements marked
At Chives Caterers, we’re a wedding catering company with plenty of experience in menus! We’ll work with you to create a menu you both love – and all your guests will, too!