Saturday, April 11, 2009

Choosing your Wedding Menu




















The 5 Ws to consider before you choose your Wedding Menu


What is your budget?

Usually this is the first questions couples are eager to get answers to. Your budget will determine the style of menu you have for your reception. The more formal the menu the bigger your budget needs to be. Formal sit down dinners for evening receptions are great but consider buffet style vs. plated if you want to save some money. More popular, less formal options are cocktail, afternoon tea, or dessert receptions.

When is your wedding?

The time of day you chose can determine the cost of your reception. As most formal sit down dinners usual take place in the evening, considering an earlier alternative and a less expensive brunch can save you tons. The time of year you choose can also allow you the use of less expensive indigenous foods to jazz up your menus with dishes like breadfruit au grotten, vs macaroni pie or pickled green bananas and sweet potatoes salad as your salad alternatives.

Where will your wedding be?

Your wedding style is determined by your wedding location. For a less formal beach wedding your guest certainly won’t be expecting a formal sit down dinner, so don’t give them one. Remember the more formal your ceremony location the more formal your reception and the more you’ll spend. Garden weddings are an excellent go- between, you can opt to have a formal ceremony and an in-formal cocktail reception.

Who will be attending your wedding?

Considering a menu without a vegetarian option is practically unheard of. So when you and your hubby to be are planning your menu, consider who will be there to enjoy your great food.
Keep things simple and as all-inclusive as possible, choosing to have one fish dish one red and non-red meat is a smart way to go. And most importantly ensure your menus compliment your guest list ethnicity.

Why not break the rules?

It’s nice to follow with tradition but rule are meant to be broken, so there's nothing wrong with stepping out the box and having a beach wedding and a formal dinner under a tent or as we did, have a family full of diabetics and having a dessert and champagne cocktail reception.