Weddings come in all different shapes, sizes and menus. Some are larger with extravagant décor and details, while others are more intimate and closer knit. Whichever direction you take for your ceremony and reception, food will be a must. When your closest family members and friends have traveled far and wide to celebrate you, it’s important to honor them with reception they won’t soon forget. Often couples make the mistake of ordering too much or too little of food. When planning your wedding, make sure you work with a caterer that’s the best in the business and will help you determine the right amount of food for your reception.
RSVP
Knowing how many people will attend your ceremony and reception is the first step to ordering the correct amount of food. It’s important to finalize your guest list as early as possible to get those numbers over to the caterer. Catering is typically priced per head, so you want to be able to give as accurate of a headcount as possible. This way, your guests won’t be left unsatisfied and hungry or you won’t have the burden of leftovers going bad in your fridge while on your honeymoon.
Now to the fun of planning the menu!
Cocktail Hour
Most often, the reception of your wedding doesn’t start immediately after the ceremony. Usually, the wedding party spends this time with the photographer taking portraits. If the vows are being said at a church, your friends and family will have to relocate to the reception venue and wait for the bride and groom to make their debut. While guests will be naturally hungry for dinner, many couples use this time as a cocktail hour and provide light appetizers and hors d’oeuvres before the reception officially begins.
Let your guests graze as they please at an elegant charcuterie platter filled with more types of meat and cheeses than you even knew existed! Perhaps have your catering team hand-pass various bite-sized hors d’oeuvres that give a sample of different flavors.
Dinner is Served
Onto the main course! Now that you’ve made your first grand entrance as a married couple, the reception can truly begin. When planning the dinner at your reception, there’s more to decide on than the menu. You must determine how you want it to be served as well. If going for a more casual, buffet-style, order a little more than expected for those who will want to go back for seconds.
However, if you’re looking for a more sophisticated, sit down dinner served by the catering team, you’ll need to decide how many courses the dinner will have. From one course to 12, the staff at Bradford Catered Events has executed it all.
Time to Cut the Cake
The last order of business at a reception is the cutting of the cake. In years past, we’ve seen the traditional tiered masterpieces—which the majority is often left in the freezer through the first anniversary. Recently though, we’ve noticed couples going with smaller, daintier cakes. This way, they’ll only be saving a small piece, instead of a whole tier, in their freezer. Couples are putting in more personality by even serving cupcakes, doughnuts, or really anything they please. It’s just dessert, right?
Late-Night Snack
A night of dancing and celebration at your reception may leave your guests hungry for more by the end. Recently, we’ve seen more and more couples provide their guests with a late-night snack toward the end of the reception. Late-night favorites range from personal pizzas to slider burgers and mini tacos. Whatever you choose to serve, we know your guests will be filled with surprise and appreciation as they watch their midnight meal come out.
Leftovers
On the chance that there is any leftover food from your reception, you’ll need to decide with your caterer what to do with it. Since you will most likely be leaving right away for the honeymoon, we suggest passing out to-go containers to let your guests take what they please. But we won’t let them take all of it. At Bradford Catered Events, we send our brides and grooms off from the reception with their very own to-go box filled with all the dishes they selected for the menu. We know that the leftovers are what they’ll be most excited for when they get back to the honeymoon suite.
When planning your reception, turn to the right team for help. At Bradford Catered Events, we have a reputation for being the “Best Wedding Caterer” in Knoxville. During your consultation, we will work with you and your soon-to-be to create the perfect menu for your reception. To book us for your next event, visit us online or give us a call at (865) 522-5552.
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