Vermont Wedding Articles » Wedding Planning
One of the features of the wedding reception is the dinner. This is where various toasts and salutes are made to the newlywed couple. The honored couple and their guests have the opportunity to break bread together for the first time and celebrate the new union. Choosing a wedding reception menu helps to properly frame the importance and solemness of this occasion. The menu can be rich of the foods you crave for your wedding and reflect what you want to share with your guests on this special day.
Planning the wedding menu begins early in the process as you prepare for your wedding. Knowing approximately how many guests you plan to have and the type of wedding hall facility you plan to hold the reception dinner are key. You want to make sure that you order enough food to ensure that all of your guests are well fed and in good spirits.
Some wedding halls, such as those in a hotel, require you to use the on-site catering staff. This could be a service that is either in addition to or part of the cost for the hall. In your initial negotiations for costs, try to have the catering services rolled in as part of a package deal. This will help you save costs and streamline the process.
A standard menu will consist of several meats, such as chicken and beef, a vegetable, a starch, bread and assorted appetizers. Depending on your family there may be specialty items to reflect either cultural or ethnic preferences. Your wedding choices should reflect you desires and tastes but also represent your guest’s tastes. You should also make allowances for guests with certain food allergies or sensibilities and vegetarian and vegan tastes.
A professional caterer or wedding planner can help you with the choices associated with the wedding menu. Their experience and expertise allows them to provide you with unbiased and objective advice and provide you with good tips for shaping the menu. You should also seek advice as to the types of place settings and tabletop arrangements. Make sure that the names on the tent cards are spelled correctly. If you have any gifts such as wine glasses or other keepsakes, have those placed near the guest’s names.
You can also choose a more casual approach to your wedding menu by hosting a barbeque or beach party. This type of out-the-box thinking helps your guests relax and ease into the celebration of your next life as husband and wife. The advantage of moving away from a more traditional wedding menu and putting together a barbeque or clambake is that it forces you and your guests to relax and truly celebrate the day.