Ah, welcome, mon cheri, to Chez Zazzle – where, for one night only, our team of writers moonlight as Michelin-starred chefs and caterers. Our aim? To present you with a whole host of culinary delights, and serve up a list of wedding food and drink trends that are a feast for the senses!
In other words, if you’re planning a wedding and want to treat your guests to something special, this top-tier list of wedding refreshment trends is your recipe for success. Whether you want guests to savor every delectable course or document their experiences on Instagram, the following article should provide you with much, um, food for thought.
Grazing Tables
Aside from the happy couple, the main topic of conversation at a wedding is the food (particularly, “When can we eat?”) While a clear wedding program is one way to help manage guests’ expectations, another way to keep them fed and entertained is with a grazing table. Set up a long countertop decorated with refreshments – think cured meats, cheeses, and crackers – and allow guests to munch while they mingle. Keep things casual and cost-effective by swapping a sit-down meal for a party platter, or borrow the concept for an upcoming baby shower or birthday party.
Late-Night Snacks
Once your guests have kicked up and off their heels for a while, you may begin to hear their bellies rumble again. Luckily, you’ve been reading up on how to curb those end-of-the-evening hunger pangs and will be prepared with grilled cheese sandwiches, French fries, and baked pretzels. Serve savory food for best results – mouthwatering with a drink in hand – and schedule your late-night snack for a couple of hours after the wedding table décor is put away. According to the wedding guests we interviewed for this post, that midnight junk food “just hits different.” You can’t argue with that, right?
Local Produce
At the other end of the spectrum, we have local farmers and produce. In a world where eco-friendly practices are becoming increasingly common – and important – engaged couples are now opting for authentic farm-to-table food. So, instead of store-bought ingredients, work with a caterer to deliver locally sourced fruit, vegetables, herbs, and wine. Admittedly, there’s a little more preparation involved – those crops won’t harvest themselves, and it’s also dependent on the time of year. Any of your guests on a vegan or plant-based diet will find much to sustain themselves, however!
Global Cuisine
Of course, while some couples look to their own neighborhoods for inspiration, others are searching further afield. Many couples now opt for a menu that integrates their cultural background and travel experiences into the wedding. For example, you could stir-fry a batch of Asian street food, get guests hooked on Mediterranean seafood, or heat things up with Latin American cuisine. Trendiest of all is ‘fusion cuisine,’ whereby elements of several different cuisines combine to create new dishes, e.g. Latin-Asian fusion. The help of a chef or catering company is recommended for dynamic (and totally on-trend) results.
Food Stations
To the uninitiated, a ‘food station’ sounds like a public service – somewhere you run to or call up when you get too hangry for words. And in the context of a wedding, that’s almost exactly what it is: a pop-up bar or vendor that serves or sells food and drinks on-site. Recruit a food truck, for example, and the proprietor can dish up wood-fired pizza, steamed dumplings, or gourmet burgers for guests. Alternatively, set up a candy favor station or movie theater-style popcorn stand, and attendees can make pit stops throughout the reception. You can even choose a food station that corresponds to the season – hot chocolate is popular in winter, and ice cream in summer.
Interactive Food Experiences
This next one is an evolution of the food station concept. If you want to get guests involved in the big day – and hey, to help spread out the workload – why not provide an interactive food experience? Arrange for a create-your-own taco counter, allow guests to fashion their desserts, or hire a mixologist to give them a crash course in blending cocktails. The immersive, bespoke experience will impress everyone in attendance, and they may even acquire new skills or insights. This trend is best suited to smaller weddings, where there won’t be crowds of friends and family swapping garnishes and comparing toppings.
Storytelling
Finally, the most exciting and popular trend is the idea of storytelling. Couples want to choose food and drinks that tell the guests something about themselves, and to weave a narrative throughout the day with their menu choices. Pick a starter you and your partner always rave about; serve dinner items you had on your first date; hand out desserts you and your betrothed learned to cook together. You could even decorate your cake with fun accents and props! Here at Zazzle, we love to hear that one-of-a-kind menus are all the rage – personalization is our bread and butter, after all.
Have you developed an appetite following all that talk about food and drink? We can’t exactly provide you with a DoorDash delivery, but we can plate up some articles to go! For more general information on curating your menu, read “What to Consider When Planning Your Wedding Menu.” Or, if the only word from this article you caught was ‘wine,’ then consult “How to Choose Wine for Your Wedding.” Feel free to grill us further on these trends in the comments below, or to poach any of our suggestions!
Eoin is a Content Specialist at Zazzle in Cork. He’s recently bought a house with his fiancée, and thus most of his time these days is spent trying to keep the walls from caving in and the wolves from the door. Still, he’s always open to book, game, and movie recommendations, so if you have some, let him know: he’ll add them to a very, very long list.
