Wedding Breakfast Menu - What's on yours?

We had: Starter Buffalo mozzarella, plum tomato and char-grilled courgette tower splashed with a lemon dressing Main Course

Chicken breast wrapped in parma ham and stuffed with basil, tomato and cream cheese

Mini minted new potatoes and seasonal vegetables

Dessert A trio of mini desserts: crème brulee, chocolate mousse and pavlova with chantilly cream and raspberries

Honestly? I'd ask people to choose. We're having two options for starter and main and there's definitely not a 50/50 split. At a wedding we went to recently there was 2 desserts served in the way you propose and I found it quite odd, and poor OH missed out on a chocolate dessert which he'd have loved!

We're having

Starter

Chicken liver pate served with plum chutney, or

Tomato and Basil Soup

Mains

Roast Beef served with Yorkshire pudding, or

Pan fried breast of chicken with a mushroom and white wine cream sauce

This was our menu:

Starter- Cheddar cheese & spinach souffle OR chicken Caesar salad ( this was just for the fussy folk)

Mains- Confit duck leg, lyonnaise potatoes and green beans OR grilled halibut, chips and minted pea puree

Dessert- Raspberry macaroon with lemon curd cream and fresh raspberries

Nicky x

We not decided ours but this is an example of some of the menu choices

https://www.dorchestercollection.com/london/the-dorchester

As an ex caterer I would avoid doing a mixture at the table as it can cause some very annoyed guests when they don't get what they want.

Thanks everyone - keep them coming!

If we don't do the half and half option we're just going to serve one of each course - we don't want to ask people really as it's too much of a faff/admin. Surely, the option to potentially swap is better than no option at all though?

But what if there's 6 people on the table and 4 want the beef, how do you work that out? And swapping plates around the table? That just seems such a faff, I want to be served to my place setting.

I've done a wedding website with options, only admin I've had to do is transferring it to a spreadsheet-took me 5 mins.

Not heard of this swapping thing but sounds like a potential minefield. It would be really weird if you were sat next to someone who wanted what you were having a no one on the table wanted to give their's up *awkward*

I don't think i've explained this very well.

So, table of 6. It would go for example; Pate, Soup, Pate, Soup, Pate, Soup - so alternate.

No one would get a choice, it would be served to them - then if they wish to swap they can do or not. Obviously, if they have dietary needs they'd be different.

Sorry, I do understand what you mean but of those 6 people if 4 want pate but there's only 3 on the table what happens? Are people going to end up swapping with tables next to them?

As a guest I'd be confused if there were 2 meals but not given an option.

We're having a fairly small wedding so most people on the table would know each other - friends,family or partners so it wouldnt be like approaching a stranger as such.

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Sounds simple, but trust me it doesn't work in practice, people get very narked when they can't have what they wanted and someone else has particularly after a few drinks, every venue that allows this to happen i have witnessed the same and not many venues will allow this set up for this reason.

Scenario

Waiter puts down plate,

Guest "No thanks I want that one" pointing to alternative choice

Waiter "unfortunately sir/madame only half and half of each type of menu has been ordered"

Guest "But I don't like xyz"

Waiter "Sorry but this was the bride and grooms choice, might I suggest asking someone on your table to swap"

all guests divert eyes or maybe offer up their already half eaten plate of food or

Guest "fine I will go hungry!" "What awful food and service this has been" sulk, sulk, sulk, (real cut of the nose to spite the face mentality.

If it was all that was offer they would eat it but instead it becomes the caterers/staff fault for not having enough of each choice for everyone...Usually followed by drunken rant/abuse of catering staff.

Meanwhile your be tucking in to food at the top table looking out at your perfect wedding completely oblivious. (Ignorance is bliss and all that)

Sorry probably not what you want to hear but I spent 8 years of my life working in catering and covered many, many weddings, I've seen the above scenario many times.

Thanks Funky, it's good to hear other peoples experiences. It's my mums idea - gotta love MOB eh? She went to a wedding and it worked like a dream apparently.

I think we'll stick to one starter for everyone, but perhaps let the top table have a choice as happened at my OH's brother's wedding.

Alipops x

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No probs, you know your guests better then me so if you think it will work go for it, I just had a few very bad experiences

Jules1982 - your menu made me dribble a little. Lovely.

We had

starters:-

Smoked salmon on a big blini with dill creme fraiche (Spinach and Ricotta roulade for the veggies)

Chicken stuffed with peppers and mushrooms on a white wine tarragon risotto or a mediterranean mille fuille (sp?)

Mango Charlotte for dessert, with a little shot of dessert wine for extra happiness.

My friend's daughter had a swapsie thing going on for dessert, and thought it worked fantastically. I had never heard of it either.

Why not just limit the swapsies to the dessert? They had a heavy choccy pud dessert and then something light and moussey.