Everyone knows that your wedding day is likely to be one of the happiest days of your life. You’re walking down the aisle and celebrating your love for the person with whom you want to spend the rest of your life. Wedding party planning, on the other hand, is easily one of the most stressful things you’ll have to deal with.
One of the biggest challenges you’ll encounter is which wedding food option to go with. Do you go over the top and elegant, or do you go low-key and casual? Read on to learn how to decide which delicious food options to pick for your special day!
Set Your Budget
Long before you sit down at a tasting table, you need to set the parameters of your budget. The average wedding in the United States costs $28,000 from start to finish.
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The biggest chunk of your money will most likely go toward renting out the venue. The delicious food that you plan on serving at your wedding reception is easily one of the biggest costs that you have to plan for. It’s important to do your research on party planning and catering expenses before you start planning your menu.
The size of your budget and the number of guests you’re planning on having at your wedding are going to dictate the type of food you can serve at your wedding. If your budget is tight, then you’ll have to give in one of these areas. Having a set number for your budget and a rough headcount of your guests will help you make the best decisions about your wedding menu.
Who Are Your Guests?
The next step in your journey to wedded bliss is to take some time to think about who is going to be attending your wedding. In order to nail down your food, you need to know what types of things your guests enjoy.
For example, are you friends with people who tend to have a lot of dietary restrictions, like vegans, vegetarians, and people who eat gluten-free? If so, then that’s an avenue you’ll want to pursue when meeting with caterers. On the other hand, if your friends are more into meat and potatoes, then you probably don’t want to serve a dish featuring seitan.
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Working with the best wedding caterer will help you navigate the dietary needs of all of your guests!
Do You Want Hors D’Oeuvres?
Many people on a budget find that serving rounds of hors d’oeuvres is much more affordable than serving whole meals. It also allows you more flexibility in meeting the preferences of your wedding guests. On top of all of that, it also allows your guests greater freedom to get up and mingle with other guests, making for a much more social experience.
There are situations in which hors d’oeuvres are not the best option, however. If your ceremony and reception are long, or if it falls during mealtime, your guests are likely expecting to get fed. A six-hour event with only hors d’oeuvres to nibble on will leave you with a lot of crabby guests.
What Kind of Beverages Do You Want to Serve?
Beverages are the highlight of the wedding reception for many guests. People love an open bar so they can kick back and cut loose. Having an open bar, however, is quite expensive.
Decide ahead of time if you want to have an open bar or a cash bar for your wedding guests. This will help you better sort out how much money you have to spend on the food. Another alternative is to purchase bottles of wine and allocate them to individual tables (just make sure the wine options match the food you’re serving).
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Plated or Buffet Options?
When it comes to serving food to your guests, you generally have two options: plated or buffet.
Plated meals are served by waitstaff to all of the guests at your wedding, and it gives your reception more of an upscale vibe. Buffet options are no slouch, either! Buffets allow your guests to pick and choose the food that they eat, and they are able to get their fill instead of relying on pre-determined portions.
Surprisingly, plated options tend to be slightly less expensive than buffets because the portions are already determined once you have a headcount.
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Going Formal?
If you want to impress your guests with an upscale affair, then going formal with your food choices is the way to go. Formal meals tend to come in three courses: a starter, a main, and a dessert.
Your starter might be something as simple as a nice salad, but you can also choose something like bruschetta or charcuterie for the table. Mains consist of a protein along with a side, and guests have the option to select their proteins. Dessert can be anything from cheesecake to molten lava cakes!
Think Outside of the Box!
If you want your wedding reception to be super memorable, then you should consider thinking outside of the box when it comes to your food.
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Think about renting out some popular local food trucks to serve your guests some super delicious food. You can also set up cupcake towers or an entire dessert table in lieu of a traditional wedding cake. Whatever you can do to set your wedding apart from the norm will make it a truly fun experience for you and your guests!
Which Food Option Will You Go With for Your Wedding?
There are a ton of considerations that go into planning your wedding. Selecting which wedding food option to go with is just one of them. As with all things that come with getting married, try to keep a cool head and remember that this is your day, and it is your opinion that matters the most.
After the wedding, you’re undoubtedly going to be looking for some great ways to live a happy and healthy life with your partner. We can help you in that department. Browse our online magazine for some more healthy lifestyle tips!
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