Your wedding day is not just about saying “I do”, it’s also about celebrating your love with family and friends. And what better way to celebrate than with unforgettable food? Gone are the days of stuffy, boring wedding menus! It’s time to think outside the box and serve up some truly creative eats at your reception. From quirky food trucks to interactive dining, we’ve got you covered with our list of inspiring dining ideas that will leave your guests raving for years to come.
Through years of experience, we create and develop menus each year that we know will work well when catering for a larger number of people (at the same time and sometimes with smaller kitchens than your local restaurant). There is a big difference between serving people dining in a restaurant in groups of 2 to 10 over the course of an afternoon or evening to serving a whole marquee or wedding venue within minutes of each other. We really pride ourselves on our ability to deliver creative dining experiences seamlessly on this scale. Of course, we want your wedding dining to be a reflection of you as a couple and are more than happy to work with your ideas and desires to create your perfect menu, however we want your day to me memorable for all the right reasons, so use our knowledge and expertise to guide your dining creativity.
We are almost ready to launch our 2024 menu collection and with this in mind, we want to share the current trends we are seeing in wedding catering:
- Sustainable Weddings
More couples than ever are considering the impact of their wedding on the environment. Opting for charitable donations or eco offerings as favours instead of the standard heart chocolates or sugared almonds that often get left and go to waste. Think plantable paper heart seeds, so your guests can remember your wedding for years to come, and if any get left behind, you can create an area of your garden with all the leftover seeds and watch them grow, remembering your special day.
For us, acting responsibly and supporting our local community is really important. We like to use local suppliers as much as possible, employ local professionals and build brilliant partnerships in the wonderful Sussex we see around us.
We operate using the Red Tractor and MSC guidelines for all our meat and vegetables. And we source independent local suppliers based on their quality, proximity and price rather than relying on nationwide chain suppliers.
We think a lot about our menus and reduce wastage as much as possible. That’s why some of our menu items are designed in a particular way. For example, when portioning desserts these will be as a bar/log rather than rounds to ensure as little wastage as possible.
Furthermore, we incentivise our staff to car share to and from venues.
2. The Vegan Wedding
Hand in hand with sustainability is the rise in the number of couples who want to reduce meat consumption across the whole wedding, and we are more than happy to work with couples to provide an entirely vegan menu. Think Middle Eastern stuffed roasted aubergine followed by cauliflower steak with a curried cauliflower puree, tempura cauliflower florets, sautéed spinach, coriander cress & cauliflower cous cous all rounded off with a gooey brownie chilled almond rice pudding, berry compote and topped with a sugared almond tuile. Yum!
If you’re not ready to go full-on vegan you could perhaps consider a vegetarian starter for all your guests rather than the more traditional choice of meat or fish.
3. The rise of the “Station” Wedding
No don’t worry, we’re not all off to King’s Cross… It doesn’t sound very romantic, but it will be dreamy… Picture the scene… a beautiful wall of flowers as the backdrop and in front a feast of delectable desserts. Think mini banoffee pies, Eton mess shots and a classic gooey chocolate brownie in a fabulous display to wow your guests. Why have one dessert when you could have a choice of three?! Sure to be a hit with your guests and the photographer!
4. Street Food
Gone are the days of evening food being an after-thought or a quick bacon butty. More couples are bringing a sense of party and relaxed dining by hiring a street food truck in the evening to soak up alcohol and provide energy to continue on the dance floor. It really enhances the evening party vibe while also offering the opportunity to have a more unique bite to eat. We work with some great local suppliers and would be happy to share a recommendation.
5. Signature Cocktails
A great way to personalise your reception is to create your own signature cocktail. Something special for your guests to sip through the night. Think about your favourite cocktail and put your own special twist on it. Think Porn Star Martini renamed the Mr and Mrs Martini and made more fruity… add pineapple juice, fresh strawberries and a hint of lemon juice to the classic and serve with a shot of rose prosecco for extra love.
Whatever it is you are looking for when it comes to wedding catering, we are here to help guide you through. We love hearing couples’ ideas of how they envision their wedding and working with them to find a creative menu that works for their guests and budget to bring you a day that is truly unforgettable with all the wow factor.
Credits
Photos – Sarah London Photography
Venue – Balcome place
