Your menu on your big day is arguably the priciest and most important part of your wedding. It can be hard to do it right.

How many appetizers? What hors d’oeuvres to serve at cocktail hour? Should your food compliment your signature cocktails? Do you go with a set menu or buffet? This is enough to drive any bride bananas! But don’t fret, the experts have some killer advice to keep you from pulling your hair out during the planning process.

Wallnut Hills

Photo Credit: Walnut Hills Golf Club

Appetizers

Its your call as to how many appetizers to serve at your wedding, but experts say the lucky number is around 5. Why? Those picky eaters out there we call our friends and family. It’s simple, the more choices, the higher the chance that you’ll satisfy everyone. We’ve all been to that wedding where we see a handful of servers walking around with that same tray of mini quiches and ask ourselves why. Avoid this at all costs: switch it up!

Buffet Style Dining

The good thing about buffet style dining is that the menu is not so rigid. Everyone at your wedding is going to have different preferences. From grandma Sue to your college roommate Becky, everyone can find something they like. The downfall to buffet style dining is the waiting in line. This can be a major interruption in the movement of the wedding. Because guests will be waiting in line, they may not be able to break bread with their table mates at the same exact time. Not to mention, who wants to wait in line again if they forget something or want seconds.

Wedding salad

Photo Credit: Amber J Photography

Set Menu

This is the most traditional option. Each guest gets to choose between two or three entrees and the rest is uniform. The good thing about going the traditional route, is that all guests will be served at the same time. Also, it’s easier to estimate how much food you’ll need because guests select their protein choice ahead of time. The downfall to this method is staffing. If you want serve people in a timely fashion, you’ll need to splurge on wait staff.

Go big or Go Home

Not having the most elegant centerpieces is a problem. Not having enough flowers? A bummer. Not having enough food? A disaster. First things first, worry about your guests having enough food to fill their tummies to their desire. Then, you can worry about pleasing their taste buds. For food, if you have to overestimate or underestimate, remember more is best.

 

Spotlighted Vendor: Walnut Hills Golf Club

Walnut Hills has been around since 1921 and has offered event spaces and Copper restaurant for the public for 5 years. They have several venues to choose from and help with their own event planner. On average they cater around 200 events a year ranging from tailgates and personal parties to baby showers, corporate events, and of course weddings.

Here are a few things the experts at Walnut Hills have to say about food on your big day:

  • Make food a top priority: Weddings are about love and family. Most of our fondest memories take place around a table full of amazing food.
  • Make sure your caterer has an expansive knowledge of all types of cuisine. Look for reviews on social media sites to confirm this.
  • Don’t go crazy trying to be creative. Have fun with your choices but play it safe on some of your sauces and protein choices. It’s a good idea to have at least one entrée that’s more traditional. That way if you want to be adventurous on your second entrée, you can.