To Be Beloved: Dinner Time!

Food at your wedding tends to be an important aspect that guests look forward to. Whether you decide to serve just cake or a full three course meal, you need to consider what fits your budget and your taste. Consider the theme of your wedding, the location, your budget, your guests, and the types of foods you want to serve.

There are many ways to serve your food. Some of the basic ways are: buffet, family style, stations, plated and heavy passed hors' doeuvres. The buffet style allows guests to get their own food at a main station that has all the food available for them to load on their plate. Family style serving is when each table is given their own bowl of each food item and they can load their plate from the bowls on their table. They don't have to get up and they can pick and choose what they want on their plate from your menu. At a stations style serving, guests can go to different areas to get different types of food. They have options and it's spread out so guests aren't waiting in a long line to get their food. In a plated serve style wedding, guests are served an individual plate of food already prepared by the caterer. You can also plan not to have a full meal served. The hors' doeuvres style serving allows for a more casual setting and guests are able to get as much or as little as they want in small bite-size servings.

Look for a caterer and ask them what they generally do. Often, their staff is accustomed to serving a certain way and the serving will run smoother if you do it their way. If you desire to serve it a certain way, discuss it with the caterer to make sure they can do it before you hire them for the job.

Also, when planning to serve food, consider guests' allergies. If there is a child who is extremely allergic to peanuts, either pick a menu not including peanuts or plan for a separate meal available for that guest. It would really put a damper on your day if an ambulance has to come to take someone to the ER for an allergic reaction.

Good luck in planning!