The third
question I ask all my new wedding clients, after I ask them where they met and
how they got engaged, is the one related to their wedding priorities. Everyone
has their own - for some it is décor and flowers, for some it is cars in which
the bride will come, for some it is music and for others it is lighting.
I remember exactly when I got
married and made a list of priorities for our wedding, food and wine
automatically took first place unquestionably, a couple of spears ahead of
everything else. For my wedding bouquet, for example, the florist was horrified
when I told her to just grab everything from that bucket with the rest of the daisies
and wrap it with rope. And the bouquet was perfect!
But for food,
eh it was already another pair of sleeves. The owner of the restaurant in a
rural household where our wedding dinner was held, said that only after our
wedding he can take his vacation! And he
took our wedding menu extremely seriously 😊, which we tried four times! Yes, you read that right,
four times, and we don’t even live in the city where we got married. Even
today, many years after that very happy day, when I remember food, there's not
the slightest detail I would change.
Given that my
two passions are weddings and food, today we're going to chat about a few tips
on how to create an ideal wedding menu. So, let's go!
Photo by Librecommel' Art, all rights reserved
1. TIMING - It is never too early to start organizing a
wedding. Do you have a date? Make sure that even your most important suppliers,
those at the top of your wedding priorities list, are booked a maximum of one
month after the engagement, even if you plan to have a wedding in the next two
years. The location and catering company must be determined at this stage. As
well as (of course) a photographer, band / DJ and decorator and definitely
additional locations if you are planning to have a day before and/or day after
the wedding. It didn’t happen once that we changed the wedding date because the
priority supplier was busy. Therefore, get to work – the sooner the better! When
vendors are confirmed, then you have some time to relax. 😊
2. LOCATION – with the location, things get complicated immediately, but
still at solvable levels. You love a restaurant but not their food, or vice
versa - a place with your favorite food also looks like a slightly better fire
station? There
is a possibility to have the best of both worlds and it is to have a wedding in
a location where you'll be allowed to bring your own catering or at least, chef
per your choice. In Croatia, these concepts are still in their infancy, but they are
developing slowly and safely. Good chefs are more and more willing to work with
restaurants where they are not employed and restaurants are flexible to bring a
part of the team, so they together make a menu from your vision. And if none of
that is really feasible and the location is fixed with your team, do it like me
- try the menu until you bring it to perfection, but always stay realistic!
Don’t expect or force a team of chefs in a rural household to make emulsions
and foams. The wedding should be harmonious, and here the balance of food and
location is extremely important.
Photo by Mihoci Studios, all rights reserved
3. BUDGET-
a good old, ever-present issue of money. Do your homework and gather as many offers
as possible from various locations to have a clear picture of the market and
the prices of wedding menus. Be realistic, how much can you set aside from the
wedding budget for food? And calculate that you will spend on average at least
10% more on everything related to weddings, including food. Almost never less.
If food is your priority, and the menu you like costs more than you can afford
with the current guest list, reduce the number of guests! The perfect excuse
for your wedding to be exactly as you have always dreamed of it - with really
your loved ones (ok, and mother-in-law, you can't help but invite her to the
wedding ;) ).
4. SERVICE
STYLE- everyone has a ready answer to this question- served menu or buffet
option? What is your choice? Why not a combination? People love dynamics in
food. For example, a buffet with homemade prosciutto, Pag cheese, vegetable
fritters and a lot of condiments such as olives, spreads and sauces, various
cakes and crackers while guests mingle and enjoy the evening in front of the
restaurant, then 2 served courses (ideally warm) and finally dessert at the
buffet. Midnight buffet with mini burgers and barbecue sausages with warm bread
also at a couple of stations. And you covered everything! Unless, of course,
you have imagined a wedding very formal, without too much dancing, then treat
your guests with seven course menu . This is ideal for smaller weddings, say up
to 30 people, when the emphasis is on hanging out at the table rather than
having fun. There is a solution for everyone 😊
Photo by Librecommel' Art, all rights reserved
5. SIMPLICITY
IS THE KEY – even if your chosen menu is one with a few buffet stations or with
seven courses, believe me when I tell you that simplicity is the key and for a
very simple reason- people are very sensitive when it comes to food. So, shoot
to the simple, universal and diverse. Don’t complicate but also don’t repeat
the foods on the menu. Choose the battles that matter to you! If you really
want the most perfect macaron cake in seventy-three colors instead of the
standard chocolate with whipped cream, then compromise with your parents and
let it be prosciutto and cheese as an appetizer. After all, it is both simple
and universal and very acceptable to most. Just let the food be top quality and
you’ve scored!
6. YOU WILL
NEVER PLEASE EVERYONE WITH YOUR CHOICE - related to item number 5, know that
you will never, but never, delight everyone. You may think you would, but it is
simply impossible. Unless you're just the two of you at dinner (which, now that
you're reading all this, you probably think it's not a bad option :D ), there
will always be someone who won't be pleased, and that's just fine! Accept it from the
beginning as something that goes "by default" and don't get provoked.
Photo by Mihoci Studios, all rights reserved
7. KEEP
VEGETARIANS AND OTHER 'TEAMS' IN MIND - good old saying says- everyone knows
best for themselves! Don't judge, be those cool friends who will make sure that
people with special dietary requirements are well taken care of, so much so
that (and believe me when I tell you this!), after your wedding, they will walk
around and talk about how well you have taken care of them. And that's such a
cool thing.
8. CHOOSE
LOCALLY AND SEASONALLY- especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables- you
don’t want to be served a Caprese salad at your January wedding, do you? Talk
to the chef of your catering company or restaurant and don’t be afraid to ask
where they get fresh groceries from, including meat. After all, it’s about your
wedding, which is very likely only once in a lifetime and you absolutely want
to know not only what you will pay for, but exactly what you and your guests
will eat. To the last detail. And then include that in the written menu on the
tables - for example Drniš prosciutto, Pag cheese or Baranja kulen - people
love such things and at the same time you promote the most delicious delicacies
of Croatia. Food experience guaranteed!
Photo by Librecommel' Art, all rights reserved
9. HEALTH
IN FRONT OF EVERYTHING- yes, we know that sushi station with a Japanese master
who throws knives is a big hit at events, but are you sure you want to serve
raw fish at your summer wedding? Leave those extravagances for a hen or stag
party, and for your wedding menu think carefully about food preparation
techniques and whether there is any and the slightest possibility of poisoning.
Remember that wedding when two hundred people became infected with salmonella?
You remember. Me too. And everyone else probably. You don’t want to be a part
of that statistic.
10. TRY YOUR
MENU until you are completely satisfied. And don’t settle for mediocrity or
excuses that something is now unavailable or out of season- there are ways to
make things right if you try, we all know that. You are their clients and you
have the right to try your wedding menu to the last detail. If you choose the
buffet option, have them show you pictures of their previous performances and
ask them to make the presentation as authentic as possible to what you liked
about the pictures. Also if you have chosen the served menu, there is
absolutely no reason why the presentation of each of the plates would be any
different from the one at the wedding itself. Make sure that the menu tasting
setup is identical to the one that will be set up for you and your guests at
the wedding reception itself. And don't be afraid to try more things - that's
what tastings are for- to find the best option that you will be satisfied with,
the guests will be delighted and the restaurant is sure that it can execute
with perfection.
Photo by Mihoci Studios, all rights reserved
That's it - ten tips that could help you choose a menu.
And you thought that was a simple part?
Good luck and
bon appetite!
