At some point in your wedding planning journey, you’ll have to choose your wedding food.
Now, I’m sure someone, somewhere, has had a wedding where they served literally no food. However, this is not common. Across all cultures, across all history, just about every wedding has had some sort of food served. It’s just what we do. Whether our weddings have two people at them, or thousands, at some point, people will eat.
Some venues make it very simple to choose your wedding food. They may have limited options, and you can choose what speaks to you, or tastes the best. And, some venues leave it all very open. Either way, eventually, you and your partner will have to decide what you will serve at your wedding. And, this can be tricky for some people.
How To Choose Your Wedding Food
This post is going to share ways to choose your wedding food. The tips should apply whether your venue provides limited options, or you have carte blanch to serve whatever you like. When it comes to choosing the food to serve at your wedding, it’s all about narrowing down the choices to match your preference. It also involves a bit of common sense and working with your partner.
Let’s get into it!
DECIDE HOW IMPORTANT FOOD IS TO YOU AND YOUR PARTNER
When you start planning your wedding, it helps to start prioritizing really early. This includes looking at how important food is to you and your partner.
Once you know your wedding priorities, it can help drive how much money you will spend on certain aspects of your wedding. Start by talking to your partner. Discuss how important food is to you. Is it more important than other items you will spend money on? Where does it rank? Is it something that you would like to splurge on, or save on?
The answers to the above questions will help you determine how much money and effort you’re going to spend on wedding food.
SERVE WHAT YOU LIKE TO EAT
This seems like a no brainer, but I’d like to unpack this tip with you.
Serve what you like to eat. This could mean what you like, your partner likes, or what you mutually agree on. I know that people will tell you that you’re not likely to eat at your wedding, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, I ate a ton at my wedding. And, I wanted to make sure that the food I ate was what I enjoyed.
To sum it up, go with what you like.
PICK FOOD THAT MEANS SOMETHING TO YOU
Not everyone finds food meaningful, but hear me out.
If you have the freedom to have your food catered from anywhere, start by looking at restaurants that you and your partner enjoy. You may even want to look at places that are significant, like where you had your first date. You could also look for caterers who serve elevated versions of food that you like to cook at home. Think outside the box with this one.
If you have limited options with your wedding food, you can still use this tip. Perhaps your venue is giving you options of chicken, steak, or vegan food, and you can choose two of them. Before going strait for the meat options, discuss if the vegan one has any significance. Maybe you like to garden together? Or, you once made a vegan dish that you really enjoyed. I think you get the picture.
DON’T TRY TO ACCOMMODATE EVERY SINGLE GUEST
Everyone has different tastes, and it can be tempting to try and choose your wedding food based on what your guests like or don’t like.
However, this can be super tricky because not every food is for everyone. And, if you try to pick wedding food that everyone loves, you could find yourself very limited on options.
I recommend trying to serve wedding food that *most* people like. And, if you know that someone close to the wedding hates a certain type of food, try and make sure there are other items for them to enjoy. You don’t have to cut out every food that every single person has an issue with. Otherwise, you may end up serving only water (and maybe not even that).
HOWEVER, HAVE WEDDING FOOD OPTIONS
Alright, now that I’ve told you not to accommodate every single guest, I’m actually recommending having options.
I think we’ve all been to weddings where there is literally one thing served. You either eat it, or you don’t. I recommend that you make an effort to have some variety in what is served. Not only do you want to accommodate tastes, and minimize wasted food, but a good host always takes into account dietary restrictions. Especially when it comes to food that guests may be allergic to.
So, when you start to choose your wedding food, try and have some variety. This may make it even easier to make decisions because you’re not limited.
For more details on dietary restrictions at weddings, check out this post.
LOOK AT PREFERENCES FOR BUFFETS, PASSED, OR SIT DOWN
One way to help you choose your wedding food is to look at how the food will be served.
There are three main ways that food is served at weddings. They are buffets, passed plates, or sit down meals. Now, this isn’t always the case, but in general this is what you’ll see at weddings. Perhaps when it comes to deciding what to serve you can start with how it will be served. Knowing your vision for serving can help you also see what is on your guest plates.
For example, you may want to have a formal wedding with a sit down dinner. Chances are you’ll choose wedding food that is a bit more elevated. Or, you may want to have passed appetizers, in which case you’ll likely go for finger food and easy bites. On the flip side, you may want your food to be self serve or via a food truck, both of which can help you decide what it should be.
CHOOSE WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD
One way to narrow down what you choose for your wedding, food or otherwise, is to look at your budget for it.
I suggest that before you decide what to spend on your wedding, you have a specific amount allocated for each aspect of it. This means that you know how much you have to spend on food, among other items. When it comes to choosing your wedding food, you’ll know what can be possible, and what you absolutely can’t afford.
Now, if you’re not into getting that detailed with your wedding budget, no worries. Just have a general idea of what your wedding budget is, and allocate a certain percentage to food (usually 25% – 45%, depending on your priorities). This can help guide you to make decisions that will work with your budget in the long run.
CHOOSE YOUR WEDDING FOOD BASED ON CATERER REVIEWS
Let me give you a scenario here.
You’ve booked your venue, and they let you know that they have five preferred catering vendors that you can choose from. You have no idea where to start. You could do tastings with each one of them, but tastings aren’t always free and the costs can add up. Plus, who has time for that?
Enter looking up reviews.
I know that many of us look up reviews all the time, but if you haven’t, let me talk you into it. Reviews are a key way to determine if something is worth your time and money. If you have a list of caterers, food trucks, or whatever, do a little research. You may be able to rule out options or prioritize based on what other people say.
TASTE, TASTE, TASTE
When in doubt, when you have to choose your wedding food, go taste it.
In an ideal world, you could take all your possible wedding food options, lay them out on a table, and compare how they taste to each other. However, this isn’t always possible. So, if you have the ability, and are stuck between a few wedding food vendors, take some time to be intentional with your tastings.
For example, don’t just scarf down the food when you get a chance to taste it. Savor it. Look at it. Smell it. Write down notes. Bring your partner, and maybe a third party, for their opinions. And then go with what you like the most. For more details on wedding tastings, check out this post.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Because food is so integral to weddings, it can be a daunting task to choose what to serve. I suggest starting with what your options are, and slowly wildling them down. Do this based on your personal preference, budget, and the kind of wedding you see yourself having. When in doubt, go and taste the food, and look up reviews. And, remember, you’ve got this! Happy wedding planning!
More From Hummingbird Wedding Advice:
How To Build An Amazing Charcuterie Board
7 Tips For Serving Wine At Your Wedding
How To Host A Post-Wedding Brunch
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