10 Wedding Catering Trends to Know

Weddings and receptions are becoming more modern in style. Today’s brides are doing more interesting things and making their big days more personal for themselves and for their guests as well. What better way to put a creative spin on your wedding day than being fun and interesting with your catering? Catering can be made to fit in with your theme and can bring lots of great details that can only add to your big day. There are many new ideas and trends for wedding day catering that can really make your family and friends have the time of their lives.

Utilize ColorWhile planning the wedding, there are so many ways to use your desired colors other than in the flowers and the dresses. Most good caterers can infuse your colors into your desired foods for the reception. For instance, for a black-and-white wedding, Oreos and ice cream sandwiches can be served for dessert. Red foods such as tuna tartare make a great appetizer, as does edamame or wasabi sauce if your color scheme includes green. Another great idea incorporating color is to match a small appetizer with a cocktail: When the guest takes a colored drink, they’ll get a single serving of a matching hors d’oeuvre. A soup shooter, a small serving of soup, can be colored using some delicious ingredients as well and served up during cocktail hour as a small appetizer.Healthy DietWith the incorporation of so many diet restrictions, and with everyone trying to “go green” nowadays, you can offer up food items at your reception that will accommodate most preferences. Heavy sauces and fatty foods don’t have to be served at a formal reception. You can make it lighter fare and offer healthy, yet hearty options for your guests. Another great alternative is to offer some vegetarian, vegan, organic, and gluten-free foods. A great chef can come up with an endless amount of healthier foods to offer your guests.InteractionA great alternative to being served your meal at a reception is to have it family-style. Your guests will make great memories if they have more interaction with each other. This style of meal allows guests who may not be familiar with each other get to know one another better. They have the bride or groom in common and can talk about the ceremony, the newlyweds, or anything else under the sun. Just remember to keep your centerpieces simple or have only the food be the centerpiece.Tasting MenusAs tasting menus are becoming a trend in restaurants, they are becoming big with wedding receptions as well. With between five and seven smaller courses, you will be able to offer great foods to your guests. You may even be able to have a different wine with each course, if your budget allows. Although most of the time will be spent eating and not as much on the dancing, your guests who may be foodies will really enjoy the sophistication and elegance of a tasting menu.Chef StationsChefs can have stations instead of simply putting out a tray of food. Food can be made to order for your wedding guests, so your reception will appeal to everyone’s preferences. A few ideas would include an oyster station, a sushi station, a hibachi station, a grilling station, and the options go on and on. This gives your guests more choices and allows them to possibly have a little of each item. The chef can either be stationary or have a rolling cart and travel to each table.Food Bars In keeping with the traditional wedding reception foods, you may choose to offer your guests a meatball bar with a cheese bar beside it. Cheese wheels can be made to look like a wedding cake by stacking them next to many different cheese choices for your guests. The meat eaters will enjoy the meatball bar with many different sauces from which to choose. The meatballs can be made into mini appetizers with the cheeses or just enjoyed on their own with the selection of sauces. Another great idea for a delicious food is having a doughnut bar for guests to munch on their favorite type of doughnut while they mingle.Carnival Snacks One of the best things about going to the carnival is the food. Incorporate these delicious and fun foods into your reception by offering them to your guests. Cotton candy, caramel popcorn, funnel cakes, and many other foods can show your guests a great time. There are many ways to make these more sophisticated snacks by presenting them in a more formal fashion.Childhood FavoritesGive your guests some good old nostalgic foods at your reception. A cookie with a shot of milk is a creative way to incorporate childhood favorites into your wedding day. Slushies served in chilled glasses will give your guests a refreshing treat. You could offer a sundae bar where guests can choose the toppings for their ice cream. A s’mores station is a great way to give your family and friends a special treat, especially if your reception is outside. People want to have a good time at a wedding reception, so give them some things that remind them of when they were younger.Breakfast and Cereal BarBreakfast is such a great meal, so why not incorporate it into your reception? You could offer guests bacon-egg-and-cheese croissants, bagels, hash browns, and pancakes. There are many creative ideas that caterers can do, such as breakfast cupcakes that guests can hold as an appetizer. French toast sticks and mini sausages are simple to serve as well.Sophisticated FavoritesEveryone loves fast food favorites. You can offer these foods at your wedding, but they can be dressed up so that they belong at a formal affair. Mini burgers in a cute wrapper will give your guests their favorite foods in an easy-to-handle way. Fries can be wrapped up in decorative paper containers and served alongside their usual counterparts. Fried drumsticks and onion rings can be served the same way. These foods can be dressed up just like any other high-class foods and served at your reception.