How to choose the perfect wedding menu

• Print
• E-mail
• Comment
• Rss

• Published Monday, 29 March 2010
• 4 Comments

Canape food by Garyth Bevan

Fancy a wedding buffet, silver service or afternoon tea for your wedding breakfast? Read our pick of the best wedding menu ideas

The wedding buffet

Pros: Serving a buffet is great for giving your guests plenty of choice. Buffets work particularly well in the summer when you can offer a delicious selection of salads, cold meats, fish and freshly baked breads. Another advantage is that you're likely to need fewer waiting staff as you won't be serving guests at the table, so a buffet can be less expensive than more formal dining. So long as you provide a varied wedding buffet menu, guests will be happy as they can choose exactly what they'd like to eat.

Cons: Winter buffets with hot food need to be well-organised - there's nothing worse than serving luke-warm food to your guests. Equally, guests may have to queue which isn't an ideal scenario.

Do it well: Avoid long queues by having various 'buffet stations' around the room. For something a little more unique, give each food station a separate identity by serving different styles of food. If a lot of your guests don't know each other, it can still be a good idea to have a seating plan.

The formal dinner

Pros: The most traditional style of wedding breakfast, silver service dining means that your guests are served at their table. This will allow you to control the seating plan and is a great idea if you want to make sure you know who's sitting where. Silver service also means you can control portion sizes, cater for any dietary requirements and that your guests don't have to queue for a buffet.

Cons: This is often the most expensive option, requiring waiting staff and a relatively good kitchen facility. It will also mean that guests don't mingle while they eat, although there's plenty of time afterwards!

Do it well: Choose a menu that you feel will suit the vast majority of your guests. As a general rule, steer clear of anything too unusual or spicy, and be sure to offer a good vegetarian option. Consider cutting costs by serving wedding cake for pudding, along with a lovely fruit coulis or delicious chocolate sauce.

The quirky afternoon tea

Pros: For something completely different, consider serving afternoon tea - a great idea if you're having a summer wedding with an afternoon celebration.

Cons: Afternoon tea probably isn't a 'major' meal so it's great if you're having an early wedding and entertaining your guests in the afternoon, but if you're celebrating into the evening you might need to feed your guests again.

Do it well: A few curly sandwiches won't do. Provide a good selection of sandwiches, savoury tarts and delicious cakes and scones. Presentation is key (think floral china and prettily decorated tables) and you'll probably opt for Champagne and tea instead of wine.

The informal barbecue

Pros: Think of the barbecue as a slightly more exciting buffet. The barbecue itself is something of a 'show' and guests can help themselves to salads and breads. Perfect for a summer wedding and for encouraging guests to mingle.

Cons: This obviously isn't the choice for a winter wedding or if you want a more formal set-up.

Do it well: You need a little more than a few bangers and burgers. Offer a great choice of meat, and some good vegetarian alternatives. Another option is to have a more traditional wedding breakfast and spark up the barbecue for midnight feasts!

For more top tips, subscribe to Wedding and Wedding Flowers magazine from only £13.42 for six months!