This month, one of Linda’s columns in Destination Weddings and Honeymoons Magazine will focus on Food Trucks.  While we love a good food truck, we also wanted to discuss and provide insight to couples planning their wedding feast and let them know, there are a lot of options.

The Traditional Sit-Down Dinner:

Great for a couple wanting to ensure that every detail is just so; the sit-down dinner begins early with the wedding RSVP asking guests to select preferences.

The plated sit-down gives you the opportunity to create your own dining experience and pace the meal into first, second, entrée, and dessert courses that wedding day speeches and toasts can be planned around.  Sometimes, formality ends up giving an event a structure that many couples need to feel more relaxed.

Here is a sample summer menu by San Francisco based chef Jennifer Miller that we especially liked:

First course

Tomato soup with grilled gruyere baton

Second course

Arugula salad with pickled nectarine, red onion, burrata, candied pecans

Entrée

Miso salmon, caramelized sugar snap peas, and spicy sesame noodles

Chicken frico, roasted wild mushrooms, and smashed potatoes  

Vegan option

Red pepper pasta with spinach, garlic, olives, pine nuts

Dessert

Pavlova with Chantilly cream and seasonal berries

If you love the power of a seating chart and connecting friends in a strategic manner, then the sit-down dinner may also be your best choice.

The Buffet:

A buffet is a great option that allows couples to serve many of their favorite foods to guests in a casual environment. A curated buffet can be announced with a custom sign or a couple’s favorite quote that names the buffet.

Make sure that your buffet has a good selection of sweet and savory options so that all palates are satisfied.  A few buffet options that we have enjoyed great success are:

The Taco Bar

Tips: plan on 3 tacos per guest, decide on your proteins: chicken, pork, beef. Add lots of vegetation options, sides, and garnishes.

The Pizza Bar

With BHR’s outdoor pizza oven, a pizza bar is totally an option.

Tips: Keep pizza hot on metal pans warmed on the cooker

Add great antipasto sides and salads to complete the meal.

Comfort food-inspired Buffet

Tip: imagine a buffet with all your favorite comfort foods like shrimp and grits, or macaroni and cheese.

Food Stations:

Food Stations differ from a buffet in that you can group foods in different stations, avoid the inevitable lineup of a buffet and create custom food experiences for your guests.

Some ideas we love:

1. Cheese and charcuterie station—a huge version of your home charcuterie board loaded with your favorite cheeses, meats, crackers, grapes, figs, and whatever else you love.
2. For the health-conscious, how about a “raw” bar filled with fruits and veggies and other raw food dishes like hummus and raw juice bar shots.
3. A cupcake table—cupcakes are so cute and decorative and can help add a special flair to your event.  Get as creative as you want!

In closing, whatever option you choose we are certain it will be the right one. Take your time and pick the right wedding food to fit the style and vibe of your event.