Your Wedding Food Service

Your Wedding Food Service

It’s no secret that some of the most memorable weddings are the ones that feature incredible food.

Whether it’s appetizers that your guests can’t keep their hands off, or the main course that has them talking for months afterward, the food service at your wedding plays a significant role on your guests.

4 Tips for Planning Your Wedding Food Service

Here are five points to keep in mind when it comes to foodservice at your wedding:

1 – The Budget

Everyone has to work within a budget, and it’s crucial to figure out what your food budget is before you get into any detailed planning. Quite often, the budget will decide what type of food will be served, how many courses you will offer, and which caterer you will use.

2– Which Serving Style to Implement?

You have several options when it comes to serving style. They include:

• Sit down, plated dinner
• Food truck
• Banquet-style
• Different food stations
• Buffet

You’ll want to select a style that works with all the other factors, but also one that you love and that speaks to your personality.

3– The Theme

While a themed wedding isn’t necessary, some brides like to coordinate their reception menu to the style of their wedding.

You can choose from an elegant, stylish wedding that may work well with a classic dining experience, while a rustic, outdoorsy-type wedding might do well with a family-style comfort food kind of meal.

You may also want to include sentimental touches like foods associated with the place where you got engaged or where you first met.

4– Dietary Restrictions

There’s always a chance that one or more of your guests will have a dietary restriction. Whether it’s an allergy, a health problem, or some other issue, you’ll want to make the necessary adjustments to the menu to ensure your guests feel comfortable.

Remember You Can’t Please Everyone

Dietary issues aside, keep in mind that it’s not possible to please everyone, so stay true to what you want. If you follow your heart and keep these points in mind, you and your guests will remember the food from your wedding for years to come.

What to Do with Your Wedding Cake After the Wedding

Your wedding cake is a special feature of the big day, and it can also continue to create special memories over the coming year if you treat it right.

No one likes to eat stale cake. Luckily, you can keep yours fresh and just as delicious as when you received it from the baker.

Follow these tips to enjoy your wedding throughout the first year of your marriage.

Tips for Storage

First, you’ll have to decide how you want to eat the remainder of your cake over the coming months.

If you plan on having it slice by slice, then it makes sense to store individual slices. If you plan on eating larger sections at a sitting, then you can store them that way.

To store your cake:

1. Remove all of the ornaments and decorations from the cake.
2. Cover the cake board in foil if you are going to be using it to support the cake; this will prevent any cardboard taste from infiltrating the cake.
3. Place the cake in your freezer for around 20 minutes to firm it up a little.
4. Remove it from the freezer and wrap it 2-3 times in plastic wrap, so it’s airtight.
5. Wrap the cake with at least two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
6. Place the cake in the back of your freezer for a consistent temperature.

Eating the Rest of the Cake

When you are ready to eat some cake, you’ll have to defrost it first.

About a day before you want to eat it, remove it from the freezer. Let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to defrost a little, then unwrap it carefully and continue to defrost. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before you serve.

You can eat your wedding cake on whatever kind of schedule suits you. It was your day, and it’s still your day, so enjoy your wedding cake whenever the mood strikes.

If you want to follow a standard wedding cake tradition, you can eat a piece on your wedding date every month for the year.

When to Eat the Top

The top of the cake is unique all on its own and is often reserved for a special occasion.

Many newlyweds save the top for their one-year anniversary, then bring it out of storage and enjoy it together. How you choose to honor the top of your wedding cake is up to you, but if you follow the tips, you can feel confident that it will taste great whenever that happens to be.

Wedding Cake Alternatives to Serve at Your Reception

If you are a traditionalist and want to stick with what has made weddings work for decades upon decades, then you are likely going to opt for a standard wedding cake. There is nothing wrong with that. Traditional wedding cakes are works of art and have an elegance that fits in with a classic wedding.

However, if you like to think outside the box and aren’t interested in a wedding cake, then it’s time to set your creativity free. When you consider the range of wedding cake alternatives out there, you can celebrate your uniqueness and keep your wedding about you.

Pies

If you choose to serve pie at your wedding, you have many options.

• You can go with one type for all that fits your personality and taste.
• You can serve one that ties into the season, like apple pie at a fall wedding.
• You can mix it up and serve a range of pies to keep everyone happy.

Ice Cream

Dairy intolerance aside, it’s tough to find anyone that doesn’t appreciate a good bowl of ice cream.

As with the pies, you can serve one flavor to everyone or mix it up and have several. You can also opt for cones to add some style or even rent a soft serve machine for a different texture.

Providing a range of toppings will also allow your guests to personalize to fit their taste.

The Dessert Bar

A self-serve dessert bar is a great wedding cake alternative because it encourages the participation and interaction of your guests. There will also be less waste because you won’t have desserts being served that aren’t eaten.

Some suggestions include the ice cream mentioned above, a bacon bar, a popcorn bar, or a mix and match dessert bar with several items.

Sweet and Savory

Adding a bit of savory to your wedding desserts can be a nice change from the classic sweet-only wedding cake.

Things like salted caramel cookies, squares, tarts or brownies, chocolate tort with a pretzel crust, and bacon-infused brownies or other desserts make exciting choices.

If you are going to forego a traditional wedding cake, remember to let creativity be your guide and not to put any limits on your imagination.

Your caterer, wedding planner, or friends and family may have some ideas if you want to expand your options, but the main thing is to have fun with it.

Another area of your wedding reception where you can exercise some creativity and individuality is with your drink service. In our next email, we will look at your options when it comes to drinks, and some do’s and don’ts that will help keep everyone happy and safe.

Tips for the Drink Service at Your Wedding

Unless you have specific reasons for not including them, alcoholic beverages are likely going to be part of your wedding reception. While most people have heard some unsavory tales about drinking and weddings, that doesn’t mean your wedding will be the next one.

If you plan your drink service properly, address any potential issues before they occur, and keep the safety of your guests front and center, there’s no reason everyone can’t have a memorable time without being a cautionary tale for the future.

Here are some tips that will help ensure everything goes smoothly:

Pick up service

Let’s face it, after a 5-hour reception and an open bar; most guests are going to be a little drunk, that’s ok. Get them home or to their hotel safe with a scheduled pick up service from your limo company.

Signature Cocktails

Signature cocktails can be a fun and creative way to commemorate your big day. There is an endless list of possibilities and combinations, and it will likely take some thought and planning to come up with just the right drink.

You can opt for a favorite cocktail you’ve shared with your new spouse when you first became engaged or combine ingredients that speak to both of your personalities. Just be sure to sample first, so you know it tastes good!

Rules, Regulations, and Permits

Don’t forget that your venue will have rules and regulations regarding alcohol consumption. If it is commonplace for weddings, then everything should be straightforward, but it’s still wise to check, so you’re covered.

If you are having your reception in a non-traditional venue, then you will likely need special permits to serve alcohol, so make sure you take care of it in advance to prevent problems on your wedding day.