Food & Drink
The Wedding Menu
Seasonal, regional and served hot, the 3 things that matter.
The WedCanada Collective
The menu is the part of the evening your guests will describe to other people, in detail, months later. It is also where the most money is spent and the least imagination is usually applied.
3 principles carry a wedding menu. Cook to the season, because a February wedding serving cold heirloom tomato is telling on itself. Cook to the region, because guests who flew in want to eat somewhere specific. And serve it hot, which is a staffing question rather than a cooking one.
That last point is worth pressing your caterer on. Ask how many service staff per guest, how many plates go out per pass, and how far the kitchen is from the room. Plated service at one server per 10 guests looks entirely different from one per 18, and the difference shows up as lukewarm food and a long, dead half hour.
Tasting notes: bring the person whose palate you trust, taste at the same time of day as the wedding if you can, and ask for the exact wines you'll pour. Ask what the vegetarian plate is, and then order it yourself. If it is a plate of the sides, keep looking.
“Serving food hot is a staffing question rather than a cooking one.”