Wedding Food Ideas

Planning and organizing a wedding is a huge venture and as a prospective bride you want everything to be just perfect. With so many things to oversee, from choosing a wedding dress to wedding decorations, it is important to remember, that the most memorable thing for your guests will be the food.

Bad food or bad service at a wedding reception can be disastrous and there is nothing worse than watching the guests go unfed. So plan your wedding food with care and make the right choices while putting together a menu.

Yes, putting together a menu for the wedding sounds intimidating, but with a bit of organizing you can come up with a menu that is both delicious and manageable. While there are many wedding food ideas, there are a number of factors that you should consider before finalizing a menu.

Some important elements to consider before choosing a menu for your wedding are; the number of guests, the time of the reception, the theme of the wedding (if any) the style of food presentation and of course the budget.

Choose caterers for your wedding reception after thoroughly reviewing their services and select caterers that have been recommended by trusted friends. After you have finalized the food for the wedding, it is best to ask for a tasting menu to make sure that the food matches your expectations.

Discuss with your caterer the kind of food presentation you want. Food presentation in a wedding is essentially of four types.

Classic seated service, where the food is presented by servers course after course, buffet where guests serve themselves, station service, where several food areas featuring different types of food are set up, and cocktail service where bite sized appetizers are served to guests.

Once you have decided on how you are going to present your food, you can then decide on the kind of food to serve.

If you're having your wedding in the summers, then you can select a wedding menu that features fresh summer fruits, vegetables and the choicest cuts in meat. For a formal sit down dinner, you can plan to serve a four course or seven course dinner, depending on your budget.

For a more casual cocktail dinner you can serve a three course meal and dispense with the dessert by serving only the wedding cake as the dessert. For a buffet dinner, you need to have a more varied menu with lots of choices for your vegetarian guests. Given below are some wedding reception food ideas for a summer wedding.

Appetizers

• Potato Gaufrettes with Salmon and Dill Sauce
• Deviled Quail Egg Canape
• Mini Beet and Goat Cheese Salad Hors d'Oeuvres
• Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail
• Zucchini-Mint Soup

Entrée

• Rack of Lamb with Gremolata
• Glazed Ham with Apricot-Mustard Sauce
• Scallops with Wilted Spinach and Arugula
• Salmon with Tangerine-Lemon Hollandaise Sauce
• Wild Rice Pilaf With Baby Carrots

• Grilled Eggplant Provolone
• Lemon-Buttered New Potatoes
• Steamed Carrots with Garlic-Ginger Butter
• Green Asparagus with Morel Hollandaise Sauce
• Roasted Peppers with Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

• Caramelized Pear Terrine
• Chocolate and Strawberry Parfait
• Mini Tiramisu
• Hazelnut Praline Torte
• Passion Fruit Soufflé

If you are having a fall wedding, then your wedding food menu should feature seasonal vegetables and fruits. You can opt for a more rich menu with lots of gravy items and delectable desserts. Some of the best ideas for serving food at a fall wedding are hot soups and side dishes having root vegetables.

Appetizers

• Bacon-wrapped Shrimp with Basil-Garlic Stuffing
• Crab Cakes with Chive Aioli
• Marinated Beef Wraps with Pepper Relish
• Mini Lamb Meatballs with Mint Sauce
• Sweet-Potato Soup with Prosciutto Crisps

Entrée

• Marinated Lamb with Orange Chimichurri
• Fennel-Crusted Pork with Roasted Artichokes
• Grilled halibut with Dill Mustard Glaze
• Wild Mushroom Ragout
• Roasted Breast of Chicken with Pinot Noir Sauce

• Grilled Fennel with Coriander
• Sautéed Mushrooms with Fried Sage
• Sautéed Radicchio with Shallots
• Braised Lentils with Chopped Herbs
• Mango and Red Cabbage Slaw

• Raspberry Sorbet
• Pumpkin Cheesecake with Brown-Butter Pears
• Pineapple Granita with Chile and Mint
• Chocolate Panna Cotta with Spiced Brittle
• Bittersweet Chocolate Puddings

If you are having a beach wedding, then keep the menu unfussy and casual. Barbecued sea food, spareribs and lots of cool drinks and granitas should feature on the menu. For a themed wedding, the food should revolve around the theme of the wedding. When considering different wedding food, make sure that the selection is classy, presentation is perfect and the food is flavorsome.