We are finally getting undeway with our menu planning! We are hosting a wedding weekend for our guests, so we have quite a few meals to plan. Thankfully the venue will be deciding the menu for the breakfasts on the morning of the wedding and the morning after. I think they offer a selection of sausage/bacon, french toast, american style pancakes, eggs, fruit and bagels.
These are our tentative menus so far. What do you think? They are very American but we've tried to incorporate some English tastes (like Indian flavors and peri peri sauce). Do you think this will appeal to our guests?
Welcome BBQ
-BBQ Chicken, Beef Brisket or Burger (Depends on what OH chooses. Veggie burgers available), all day ribs.
-Jalapeno cornbread, New England style clam chowder, and local seasonal vegetables
-Garden salad with maple vinegarette dressing
-Homemade cookies and bars
We will provide lunch the day of the wedding which will be a deli style packed lunch our guests can take with them while doing waterfront activities (we're renting a camp for the weekend).
We are getting married in Vermont which is known for its local produce and cheese. Most of OH's guests have never been to New England (or the US) so I really wanted to highlight the local seasonal food in our reception menu. We're getting married in autumn which is why everything is maple syrup, cranberries, and apples.
Cocktail Hour (5:00-6:00)
- Chocolate Maple Chicken Wings (Sounds weird but it's really delicious. Think spicy Mexican chocolate!) (Stationary)
- Mixed platters - homemade hummus, guacamole, farm crudites, pita chips, tortilla chips (stationary) ( I really wanted a cheese platter but our caterer didn't offer one!)
- Peri peri prawns, portobello mushrooms roasted with butter and sea salt, Indian spiced vegetable fritter, mini grilled cheese with honey mustard dipping sauce (all passed)
Some people have mentioned ditching the mushrooms for a meat pie type option (like empanadas or a similar indian version). I think the hors d'oeuvres are already a little on the heavy side though and it's nice to have a vegetable option. Thoughts?
Reception Buffet
-Sweet cornbread with butter, mesclun salad with maple syrup/apple cider vinegar dressing, salt potatoes, brussel sprouts with cranberries and bacon topped wtih wildflower honey and dijon mustard
-Grilled pork loins brined in apple cider, grilled on applewood fire, with maple syrup BBQ sauce (carving station)
-Turkey breasts with white wine sauce, grilled on charcoal fire (carving station)
-Parmesan polenta pie topped with tomato, feta and butternut squash
-Dessert table of assorted tarts, cookies and brownies. We will probably have a very small strawberry covered NY style cheesecake as our wedding cake.
My OH's mother is concerned our guests will miss having beef. We were given a beef option which was the same as the turkey except in red wine sauce but we didn't want to have two almost identical dishes and the pork loin just sounded so amazing we had to include it. We are serving beef the night before so are hoping that will be enough. We originally wanted a plated dinner with 3 main options (2 meats, 1 vegetarian) for our guests to choose from, but it's so hard to pick just one so we thought a buffet would give everyone a chance to try a little of everything. Although I'm a little worried a buffet will seem less formal.
We are also having a late night bonfire where we will be roasting s'mores (chocolate and roasted marshmallow sandwiched between two graham crackers) but are wondering if we will need a savory late night option as well? How hungry will people be after drinking? Since we are staying on site for the weekend people may very well bring their own snacks so I suppose that is something to take into account too.
