february2019

16 Fun Wedding Food

Ideas From Real Weddings

Add a little whimsy to the menu

As much as food trends continue to impress more

and more each year, wedding food still has a neg-

ative connotation: Expectations are often low,

with guests envisioning dry chicken cutlets and

under-salted steamed veggies on their plate.

We have LOTS of ideas on how blow your guests

away with your menu, but perhaps the first step is

to bend the rules and have a bit of fun! There’s no

etiquette book that says you have to serve certain

foods in keeping with age-old wedding traditions.

Instead, consider the kind of food you enjoy in any

setting—what do you really want to eat on the best

day of your life? Skip the huge, fondant-covered

cake and replace it with cupcakes in your favorite

flavors (it seems like wedding receptions are the

only places where fondant still rears its flavorless

head, anyway). Want to avoid frosting altogether?

Opt for pies instead. And a general PSA: Bite-

sized food is always fun and is not reserved for

children. Even at an adults-only reception, one-

bite passed hors d›oeuvres will be a huge hit.

From cocktail hour to cake-cutting, any menu

item that adds whimsy and fun to an already awe-

some day should be embraced. Without further

ado, here are our favorite fun food ideas, inspired

by real weddings.

Candy

Ratchet up the sugar levels with

some of your favorite childhood

candy. Cotton candy gets a

grown-up boost when

you use it as garnish

for cocktails or let

it float atop your

champagne coupe.

And if you want

to update the self-

serve candy station

trend for custom-

ized party favors,

set up the candy

on a bar cart. In-

clude your favorite

old-timey candy and

cutesy decorations for

a super-personal, mem-

orable feature at your

reception.

Popcorn

Snack foods dominate this list for good reason:

while you plan for guests to come expecting

dinner, you forget about the in-between

times when there are lulls in food.

Whether it’s between hors d’oeuvres

and the first course, or between

the entrée and the cake cut-

ting, there will always be a

few guests on the hunt for

food. A great way to keep

everyone fed all night is

to have snacks on hand.

Assorted popcorn (think:

the classic Chicago trio

of cheese, caramel, and

butter) is pretty close to

perfect.