FOOD! GLORIOUS FOOD-ORANGE COUNTY WEDDINGS
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE MENU
Wedding food has gotten more sophisticated and gourmet. Interactive stations and decadent dessert buffets or candy buffets allow you to create a very personalized menu for your guests. It can be one of the things that your guests will most remember about your wedding. Making an effort to create a thoughtful menu and selecting a vendor or cater to carry art your culinary vision is a must. Envision your menu and what kind of meal you want to serve? What kind of food do you like? Your culinary statement should be a statement about the two of you.
Some of the best wedding food I ever had was from a taco truck. I've also seen tasted amazing food at a wedding from a barbecue truck. Another wedding I photographed treated their guests to a late night, after-party nosh treats from a "In and Out" food truck. Perhaps you're a foodie. Passed apps are great! Mini bites like sliders or skewers. I photographed a destination wedding that took place at a full-on "fine" dining establishment. There were 35 guests and 18 courses. 12 WINES! Wow what a journey. Another idea is to go with the traditional fare through your caterer or venue but then go crazy with a candy bar or a dessert bar. People absolutely love, love, love these options-especially the latter. It kind of lets the kid out and you go right back to the candy store. It also creates a real photo op for your orange county wedding photographer!
Let's talk about ways to save. Tuna tartare and filet mignon? Sounds great but it's obviously going to cost you a lot more than a salad and chicken Milanese.
Honestly I've had a lot of catered food and it's all just... okay. Unless you're feeding a very small crowd of under 50 at a fine dining establishment the food was prepared several days in advance and is just warmed up. Seriously, how could connect could possibly be? So don't spend a ton of money on the fancy and pricey menu items. Invest that money into a fine art wedding photographer (Ha ha — seriously, I'm not kidding). Go for the standard items and maybe one less course or menu item. Then go for the dessert bar and/or candy bar option. You can also save money by limiting the number of menu options for your guests. If you want to have a high-end entrée your caterer may cut a deal if you only serve one item. This way there's no need to order extra food that may not be served. Always eat seasonally. The price and quality of many foods especially vegetables changes from month-to-month. Work with your caterer so that you're serving seasonally fresh food as well as economic food.
Another way to save at the bar is by serving a signature cocktail. Chic fun and also you reduce the number of liquor bottles opened because everybody's drinking a signature cocktail. Along with your signature cocktail offer beer and wine and you have a party! Your wedding does not need to be standard. There are a million options and choices. Get creative and have fun.
