Image found on Bridal Musings, photography by Sarah Gawler Photography
As brides and grooms continue to shake up their big day plans to reflect their individual tastes and personalities, we’re seeing plenty of new dishes appearing on the wedding menu.
During the traditional three-course wedding breakfast usually the only choice would be chicken or beef, but with dining styles becoming more relaxed and couples keen to eat the things that make them go “mmmm” on their special day, the options being brought to the table are certainly expanding.
So is the formal meal another classic wedding practise that’s in danger of extinction in place of more quirky options, or should the sophisticated sit-down meal still reign supreme in the land of ‘I dos’?
Here’s our thoughts…
Photography by Joielala Photography
rachel says: mix it up
When editing the real wedding features for the blog one area I’ve come to pay particular attention to is what couple chose to serve their guests during their big day. From the welcome drinks and canapés, to main meal and evening reception, I love to see if they’ve put their own twist on the menu or stuck with tradition. As a foodie I’m generally happy with either (as long as I’m fed a good meal to help absorb the prosecco), but I do think what’s served up can make a real difference to setting the wedding apart and adds personality to the proceedings.
Following the rise in outdoor weddings, we’ve certainly seen more inventive choices from brides and grooms: from afternoon teas and picnics served in wicker baskets, to open air barbecues and cool street food vendors, such as fish and chips, burger or taco specialists. These styles of dining can not only help reflect brides’ and grooms’ individual tastes, but it can also help to enhance their chosen theme, whether it be a country garden, summer fete or festival style celebration.
Furthermore, not everyone is comfortable with the thought of a sit down meal – not only for the fear of not knowing which knife and fork to use next, but also the awkwardness of being seated with strangers. While we’d all love our friends and family to mix well and get along, not everyone reacts well to forced situations. More informal styles of dining mean that guests can still mix, but in a freer fashion, choosing where to sit and whom to approach (or avoid).
For those however that are fixed on having a sit down meal, there is still the option to mix things up a little with sharing platter style foods or by having a dessert that’s served away from the table, such as ice cream from a traditional style van, so that guests aren’t confined to their seats for too long.
Image found on Style Me Pretty, Photography by Daniel J Photography
julia says: stick to the menu
Whilst I’m all for doing your big day your own way, there are some elements of a wedding day that I just wouldn’t mess with. The formal dining part in particular: why on earth would you axe the best bit?!
As someone who has attended lots of weddings of all shapes and sizes, the sit down meal is one of the parts of the day that I most look forward to. And whilst I love a surprising menu, I would advise you to keep the overall format on the traditional side.
If there’s one thing that you need to keep your guests happy during a long day – especially the oldest and the youngest ones – then that’s structure. Your guests are expecting to be seated and be fed well in the middle of the day. A wedding can be a long affair and once the ceremony, drinks reception and photo calls are done, most people will be looking forward to a roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings.
Others will have equally important concerns: the sit down dinner is the chance to rest their Jimmy Choo weary feet, spend some time relaxing with the fellow guests that they know best and hey, let’s be honest here, finally get stuck into that table wine!
The wedding breakfast rests, refuels and adds a sense of tradition to the day. It’s the perfect platform for toasts, speeches and (if that wine goes down well) dancing on the tables later. A sit down dinner needn’t be boring either: why not add an element of fun by including table games, ‘guess the length of the speech’ betting slips, a designated ‘carver’ (complete with fancy apron) on each table or large sharing platters?
Serve them what you like, but I’d argue that your wedding day is the time to serve it on fine china, not out of a paper cone!
Image found on Etsy
what you said on facebook
Laura: “We are sticking with tradition. While I quite like the idea of paella and crepes I’m not sure that my grandparents would appreciate it.”
Sarah: “We’ve decided on an afternoon tea style meal as it suits our tepee wedding and is logistically easy to organise with having an outdoor wedding. Our choice means that we’ve kept costs down a little too as we have a lot of mouths to feed!”
Kelly: “We’re having the best of both worlds – a sophisticated sit down meal for the wedding breakfast, featuring our favourite dessert (sticky toffee pudding) and then a street food vendor in the evening who will be serving our favourite takeaway – fish and chips!”
