What Kind Of Food To Serve At A Wedding
After grinding through the many tough decisions to prepare for your big day, it’s time to begin planning what kind of food to serve at your wedding. Back in the day, couples pretty much had two choices when it came to wedding food ideas: a sit-down dinner or a buffet. But nowadays, the decision is much bigger than figuring out a plated vs. buffet wedding—there's plenty more to consider as weddings progress and become more innovative.
Haarlem Mill provides wedding services and a unique wedding venue. We’ve supplied for many couples during their big day and would love to do the same for you. For enquiries on wedding food and other areas of wedding arrangement, please contact us here.
The Classic: A Plated, Sit-Down Dinner
A sit down meal is an elegant option. Your guests will be waited on and won’t need to leave their tables, and this is a good idea if there isn’t much room in your venue to move around or you have guests with reduced mobility. A formal dinner is thought to be a more generous gesture towards your guests, especially those that have arrived from further away just to come to your wedding. A sit down dinner is a sophisticated choice for a formal wedding, and is surely going to impress your guests.
However, a sit down dinner can be a somewhat inflexible choice, usually involving a set menu. If your guests don’t like the food being presented, they might not be able to order something else. The main downside of a sit down dinner is that it can be quite costly, especially if you wish to have more than three courses. You are required to pay a fixed cost per head whether guests want to eat or not.
Banquet Anyone?
Banquet style wedding breakfasts are also increasing in popularity. Having your guests arranged along two or three large tables, instead of several smaller ones allows for more interaction. Serve food on large platters that are perfect for sharing, and serve finger food where appropriate.
We recommend using a banquet dining style for a vibrant and noisy wedding reception. It’s extremely family friendly, but keep your fine linen away for those big eaters.
Cocktail Bar
Cocktail bars allow your guests to create their own drinks and provide interactive catering. Set up a bar with glasses, various types of champagne or sparkling wine, liqueurs and fruit juices to mix them with, and a selection of fresh fruit and garnishes. Make the bar as colourful and varied as possible.
We recommend using a cocktail bar for those stunning outdoor summer weddings, or evening events. If you’re concerned about a guest overindulging (looking at you, grandma), it’s entirely possible to hire an expert bartender for an hour or two.