By Kate Cohen
A great wedding is made up of many parts.
As a wedding guest, one of the biggest elements of a memorable wedding is the food.
While many people love a traditional steak, fish, or chicken dinner, many couples are starting to rethink their wedding menus to reflect their personal palates and playful personalities.
If you’re trying to figure out what to serve for your celebratory first meal as a married couple, Rosen Weddings is here to help you find your inspiration.
Start by Reviewing your Wedding Contract
One of the best places to start when planning your wedding menu is your venue.
Depending on where you choose to host your wedding, there may be certain expectations or restrictions in place regarding vendors you can hire for your event.
For example, if a venue has an in-house catering department, they may require you to exclusively use their services or reach a certain food and beverage minimum with them before you’re allowed to bring in outside vendors.
Other venues may request that you choose your caterer from a list of exclusive or preferred vendors with whom they’ve established a trusting professional relationship.
Before you go dreaming of a food truck promenade or a specialty ice cream cart, check with your venue to go over their policies on external food vendors.
Let your Menu Reflect your Personalities
Your wedding is the next chapter of your love story. It should be a celebration as unique to you and your partner as your relationship.
Gone are the days of making wedding decisions because something is expected or traditional. Instead, let your unique personalities guide stylistic choices, from aesthetic details to your menu.
If Taco Tuesday is a weekly hit in your house or you kick off every weekend with pizza and ice cream on Friday nights, try incorporating those personal touches into your menu. Your guests will love sharing a glimpse into your everyday world – especially if it’s a glimpse as delicious as pizza.
Buffet vs. Plated
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when it comes to wedding catering is the choice of a plated dinner or a buffet.
Plated dinners feel more formal and typically offer your guests the option of a single entrée that will be served to their seat.
Buffets allow everyone to be in control of what ends up on their plate, though it may require them to stand in line before serving themselves.
While buffets seem more cost effective due to their less formal nature, they are typically the more expensive option. Since guests take varying portions, more food is needed to ensure everyone is well fed, increasing overall costs.
Your preference for a plated or buffet dinner can influence or be influenced by your menu, which impacts the cuisine you decide to share with your guests.
Non-Traditional Wedding Menu Inspiration
Farm to Table
Every season brings a new bounty of fresh, seasonal produce. Treat your guests to a dinner that showcases local ingredients with rustic dishes that let herbs, fruits, and vegetables take center stage.
A farm-to-table menu will typically feature simplistic recipes using sustainably sourced meats, seafood, and produce. The result is an authentically fresh-tasting and colorful wedding menu that your guests will savor until the last bite.
Did you know Rosen Shingle Creek has an onsite culinary garden? Ingredients from Emma’s Creekside Farm are used in dishes at our fine dining establishments, Cala Bella and A Land Remembered.
Talk to our catering specialists to see how we can incorporate fresh ingredients from Emma’s Creekside Farm into your farm-to-table-inspired wedding menu.
Pizza
You can’t go wrong serving pizza at your wedding.
Whether it’s a make-your-own pizza station where guests customize their toppings or a selection of gourmet woodfired pies served by the slice, nothing says “party” quite like pizza.
If the pizza vibe is a little too informal for your wedding, consider rolling it out as a late-night treat to refuel guests who have been grooving on the dance floor all night long.
Charcuterie
Opting for a menu of traditional cocktail hour grazing fare doesn’t mean your guests will go home hungry. Consider making elaborate charcuterie and cheese displays the main event for your wedding day.
Use long tables and counters to create beautiful arrangements of international and domestic cheeses, cured meats like salami and prosciutto, colorful dried and fresh fruits, flavorful spreads, and crunchy raw veggies. Take your displays to the next level by incorporating florals and greenery.
Accompany your crowd-pleasing charcuterie selection with an array of freshly baked artisan breads or decadent desserts and cakes. For a special touch, create a dessert bar with a variety of unique s’mores ingredients or fanciful treats to be dipped in a chocolate fountain.
Breakfast for Dinner
Breakfast for dinner may be the last thing people “egg-spect” at a wedding, but everyone will love this topsy-turvy take on wedding food.
Push your imagination beyond a continental breakfast buffet; imagine chef-attended omelet and pancake stations and perfectly cooked eggs benedict straight off the griddle.
Heartier brunch fare like chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and steak and eggs can round out your morning-inspired meal.
Don’t forget about freshly baked pastries, muffins, and donut walls for a sweet finish!
A mimosa bar with a variety of flavorful juices is a unique twist on drink offerings. Its base of sparkling wine can save pennies in the long run if you’re looking for an alternative to an open bar.
Feature Family Recipes
As you blend two beautiful families, honor your heritage and family members with special family recipes and cultural dishes.
Curate your menu with inspiration from past generations. Whether it’s using someone’s favorite ingredient, sharing an old family recipe with your catering team, or going all-in with a cultural culinary theme, your menu can be a beautiful tribute to the family you’re creating together.
Similarly, keep things cozy with your favorite comfort foods. Incorporate your favorite feel-good foods into your wedding day, like creamy mac and cheese, grilled cheese and tomato soup, or freshly made lasagna.
Late Night Snack
If you’re planning a more traditional wedding menu, consider adding some personal touches with a late-night snack.
After your guests have spent a few hours on the dance floor, they’ll be grateful for a pick-me-up snack – especially if they’ve been enjoying the bar.
This is the perfect time to roll out casual, simple, and delicious eats like sliders and fries, pretzels, ice cream, popcorn, and yes, pizza.
While late-night snacks aren’t required (or even expected), it can be a fun opportunity to share your favorite guilty pleasures with your favorite people as your night of celebration comes to close.
Switch up your Sweets
Not a cake person? Swapping wedding cake for other delicious desserts is becoming a trend.
Cookies, cannoli, and cake pops are all popular with couples looking to cut cake from the menu.
Check out our blog about wedding dessert alternatives to see if one of these celebratory sugary treats sparks your sweet tooth inspiration.
Let Rosen Weddings Help You Customize Your Wedding Menu
When you host your wedding at one of our spectacular resort venues, you’ll work with a phenomenal culinary team to curate a menu you and your guests will love.
We can craft everything from show-stopping steaks and perfectly prepared seafood to beautiful brunch displays served any time of day.
Let us help you make your first meal as a married couple as unforgettable as the rest of your wedding day.
