Planning a wedding is one of the most difficult jobs one can do, because every detail concerning the wedding must be spot on, and when planning a wedding, no matter the size or taste of a clients guest list, one of the most important factors that require extra attention is what’s on the menu. The menu can consist of anything from the main course meal, to dessert, finger foods and cocktails. There are various factors to consider when planning a menu for a wedding. Here are a few things you need to consider and a few ideas to help you avoid any sticky situations.

How many people are coming?

First and foremost, you need to ascertain how long your guest list is, so as to plan the menu and what it will contain. This will also reduce the risk of excessive cooking or excessive food wastage.

What’s your budget?

The menu is usually one of the most expensive aspects of a wedding, because you never know what to expect from guests. One can’t take a wild guess and assume everybody eats everything, so its best to portion out a substantial amount in order to get a wide variety.

Allergies anyone?

Food allergies are one of the risky things that cause problems at weddings, its either someone is chocking on nuts or shrimps. The solution is simple, when sending out the invites and R.S.V.Ps, if you already have a cook lined up, then he should be able to draw up a range of foods and some of the condiments, attach this and have guests send back R.S.V.Ps of any likely allergies they might have.

What kind of food are you serving?

Typically, continental dishes dominate on wedding menus, but if your guest list is a more cultural or home bred group of people, the best thing to do, is switch it up a bit. By adding the more native delicacies, depending on the tribe. They will love you more for it.

Alcohol or not?

This is another tricky choice; many people don’t serve alcohol at their weddings to avoid the risk of guests gobbling down all the free alcohol and then winding up driving home drunk. The only way to curtail this, is to have a minimal amount of alcohol on every table. So that the amount of drunken people will be at a minimal level. Furthermore, the three best kinds of drinks to serve at weddings are mock tails, cocktails and champagne.

Do you want a buffet style menu or plate service?

Most people feel more comfortable with using the buffet service because it reduces the need for man power. At the same time, a lot of foods tend to get wasted this way. Plate service allows for servers to adequately apportion food to guests and then if there are any leftovers, it will be fresh and can easily be preserved for another day.

By Pamela Echemunor