Wedding Food and Drink

With so many things to organise in the lead up to your wedding, it might just be a good idea to keep wedding food and drink uncomplicated. But to ensure your and your guests taste buds are satisfied, choosing seasonal and high quality food are the best things you could do. Not hard to do - and still affordable.

The hardest part of choosing what food and drink to have for your wedding is trying to suit everyone's tastes. You should choose a menu that suits a range of tastes so that the majority of your guests will really enjoy their food, looking back on your wedding day as quite memorable.

There are many options for food at your reception but we have narrowed it down to three, to help you make a decision more easily. You can have canapés - snack food -, a buffet or a sit down lunch or dinner, depending on when your reception is.

Financial crisis and food

During tougher economical times, a buffet could be a good option as it's most cost effective. There's a great range of foods you can choose if you opt for the buffet, so that it doesn't matter if your guests are vegetarians, vegans or meat lovers, they can select whatever they like.

Canapes

Canapes are usually the more expensive option so if you choose canapés you may like to look around before you decide on a menu. Remember that some guests may not have had breakfast, so it would probably not be a good idea for them to drink on an empty or near-empty stomach.

As a general rule, allow about six canapés per person (before lunch) and 14 or more per person (for a rinks and canapés reception only). A good combination of canapés to choose for your guests would consist of half hot and half cold canapés, with at least 30 per cent vegetarian and 10 vegan. Make sure that you have capable staff who can tell your guests what the canapés are. Make sure they are well briefed before they perform their role. Try not to select canapés that are hard to eat, as you and your guests could end up with quite a mess.

Entrees

Make your life easier by choosing simple entrees that are easy to eat and use seasonal produce. If you want to suit everyone, a cold, vegetarian dish is the best you could choose here. It's also easy to eat and can be served as soon as everyone is seated.

Main course

If you choose to have a buffet for your wedding it's a good idea to tell your staff when each table can go and collect their food to prevent overcrowding and consequential chaos. If you have selected to have a sit down lunch or dinner, a dish that is easily prepared and can be served on a single plate will make the job a lot easier for both chefs and staff.

Like the entree, consider the time of year your reception will be held to determine the best tasting produce. Your guests will definitely be satisfied with their meals if they are made from seasonal produce. Consider basic notions such as the fact most people probably won't want to eat a cold meal if it's the middle of an icy winter. Alternatively, a big pork roast might make your guests sweat glands overproduce if you choose this meal in the middle of a sweltering summer.

Be aware of any of your guests' food allergies to make sure you have alternatives for them. Chefs will usually cater to such requests. Also be aware of age. Elderly people and small children probably won't eat as much.

Dessert

While your choice of dessert will be appreciated if it is massively indulgent, try not to go overboard with your puddings and don't make them too rich. Generally individual plates served at the tables are the and easiest way to serve dessert.

Again be careful of seasons. If you're having your wedding during summer it's probably a good idea not to have puddings that may melt or collapse, or are incredibly rich and heavy. Sometimes couples choose to have their wedding cake as the pudding. This is both an economical and practical option, but there are many different pudding ideas you can have.

Desserts are also the perfect meal to be more decorative with. Add coulis, berries, or sauces to the desserts to make them just that little bit extra enticing.

Coffee and tea

Because not everyone will have coffee or tea it might save from making the tables less cluttered by not laying down cups and saucers. Having a separate table for coffee and tea is the best thing to do here. It will also encourage your guests to move off their table and circulate and socialise. You may like to add a plate of petit four or slices of wedding cake on this table.

G. Brown is a writer for Wedding.com.au, a Australian wedding directory. To read other articles on wedding catering and services or to find wedding-related Australian businesses please visit Wedding.com.au today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glen_Anthony_Brown