Wedding receptions and celebrations are heavily centered around food and drink, whilst socialising and celebrating the start of your married life together.
Guests love to know what they are going to be eating throughout the night, what the alternate serve dishes are, and who they plan to swap a meal with if their taste prefers one dish over another.
Below are 5 things to consider when planning your wedding menus including a few questions to ask yourself.
FIRSTLY...
If your budget allows for it, consider a menu for each guest as they will refer back to the menu throughout the night and as each dish is served. Otherwise, a few menus per table of 10 will suffice.
Whilst this seems obvious, there are a few important details you need to include in the layout of your menus.
Firstly, list all of the dishes that will be served such as:
- CANAPES -
If you have canapes on arrival before your guests are seated, you may wish to leave these off your main menus as that course will have already taken place by the time they sit down. However, as it is your formal wedding menu, you may wish to include it as guests may still like to know what was served.
- FOOD MENU -
Whether it be a 3 or 5-course meal, a buffet, or a shared banquet on each table, be sure to communicate the full food menu that you have chosen with your venue or caterer, including all of the dishes and sides that will be served.
Whilst you don’t need to include the full list of ingredients, try and include the main ingredients for each dish so your guests can really understand what they will be eating.
- DESSERT -
You may decide to have selected desserts from the caterer's menu or you may choose just to serve your wedding cake. Or you may choose to serve both! Either way, mention all dessert foods on your menu, including your wedding cake that will be served for dessert or with coffee and tea as a nightcap.
- BEVERAGES -
Guests like to know what they are going to be drinking, mainly because people generally have a preferred drink that they will always choose over something else and even a preferred blend of wine or brew of beer.
Definitely list your chosen beverage selections on the main menu so your guests know what to choose when the drinks are served or when they head to the bar.
By all means, you don’t need to list all of the beverages available at an open/cash bar, just the selected beverages you have chosen as part of your wedding beverage package.
It will make servicing your guests so much easier for your venue/catering staff which in turn will make for a smoother wedding reception for your guests.
Please also make special mention of the non-alcohol beverages that will be available such as water, soft drink types, juice selections, and tea and coffee.
And if you are having an open bar between a certain time frame, a cash bar, or a selection of spirits or cocktails on offer, make mention that you have an open bar or cash bar available.
Be sure to make mention on how they will be served, such as if there will be an alternate drop of 2 or 3 different dishes for each course, a shared banquet of varying options on each table, or whether guests will be required to visit a buffet and self-serve.
Depending on the space available on each menu card after you include the full food and beverage menus above, below are a list of inclusions you can add to your menu card.
- GUEST NAMES -
This is a great way to combine your menu and place cards for each guest, saving room on the tables and providing a very personalized experience.
- WELCOME MESSAGE -
Some couples take the opportunity to welcome their guests via a small message on the menu, such as welcome to our wedding or we can’t wait to celebrate with you.
When looking to design your wedding menu, the common sizes are DL, 120x180mm or A5.
The size you choose will depend on the size of your selected menu and how many courses you will have, so please keep this in mind when ordering your menu cards. If you are unsure, ask your stationer for guidance.
When choosing the colours for your table stationery, think first about the colour of your tables or table clothes, the colour of your charger plates and cutlery and of course the colour of your florals and centerpieces.
If you have a lot of colour in the above elements, then choose a more neutral colour for your stationery so it doesn't clash and be too overpowering.
However, if your floral and table styling is more minimal, bold colours of stationery can really help enhance the overall style of your guest tables.
I hope this has helped you with the planning and creation of your wedding menus.
Thank you for reading and until next time
Bel x.
White Cherry Invitations
hello@whitecherryinvitations.com.au
www.whitecherryinvitations.com.au
