What’s Hot for Wedding Menus in 2017
WeddingWire spoke with several of the nation’s leading caterers, from New York to Louisiana to Washington, for their insights on what they’ll be cooking up in 2017!
Photo: Naturally Delicious
As couples aim to plan less fussy and more fun atmospheres for their weddings they are asking caterers to whip up delicious menus that reflect their personal favorites, update classic dishes and create more interactive serving options. For cocktail hour, traditional stations of the past have been upgraded to customizable tables or passed options that may include modern versions of pigs-in-a-blanket and bite-sized gourmet mac-n-cheese, as well as street-food favorites the couple may have enjoyed on a date.
When it comes to dinner options couples are getting adventurous with the main course they serve, asking for ethnic dishes or even vegan meals that cater to their family heritages and dietary restrictions. As the reception takes on more of a dinner-party feeling, three-course plated meals are going by the wayside as family-style options are increasing in popularity.
And the wedding cake is no longer the only option for dessert! Dessert buffets, smaller ceremonial wedding cakes and tasting plates of various sweets allow guests to indulge in a few of the newlyweds’ favorite treats.
Whether or not a couple considers themselves foodies or not, they are taking steps to ensure that the meal served at their wedding is both delicious and memorable. WeddingWire spoke with several of the nation’s leading caterers, from New York to Louisiana to Washington, for their insights on what they’ll be cooking up in 2017!
Plated vs. Passed
Steering clear of a plated-only dinner, couples are looking for ways to create a more relaxed setting when it comes to their reception meal and part of that includes how it’s served. “A less formal dining experience with passed plates, small bites and family-style service are very popular right now,” says Jeremy Wachalter, owner of Cobblestone Catering in Brooklyn, NY.For couples hosting a black-tie wedding they can combine both a plated and passed element as Marcey Brownstein, owner of Marcey Brownstein Catering + Events in New York City recommends. “When we do family style we usually start with a plated first course and butlered proteins with side dishes served family style,” she explains. “We frown upon plunking the dishes on the table and letting the guests help themselves, as we feel it is a lot of work for the guests and gets very messy on the table.”
Fusion Menus
While older generations may anticipate a traditional option for their main course, millennial brides and grooms are looking for a diverse selection of foods that remind them of their favorite recipes, restaurants, family meals and even their first date. Fusion menus that highlight flavors from both families are increasing in popularity, as an edible version of the joining of two families. “I am most excited about the demand for ethnic and culturally diverse cuisine,” shares Emily Anderson, the Director of Weddings at Jay’s Catering in Southern California. “We are seeing more couples making a choice to showcase their cultural backgrounds in food.”A Modern Take on the Classics
Chicken, beef or fish was the mainstay at many weddings over the decades but not anymore, at least not in the same way. “Rather than doing a choice of beef and fish a lot of our couples are doing a super luxe single entree of say a “beef three ways” which is sliced NY Strip, short rib and house-made ravioli stuffed with oxtail marmalade and rather than doing a second choice with say a fish, clients are doing a really high end vegetarian option as the second entrée choice,” explains Brownstein.“We are doing culinary classics, such as coq au vin, porchetta, niçoise salad, with a fresh modern twist,” says Rocio Miranda, Wedding Director at Madres Kitchen. “And creating gluten free and vegan versions of old favorites too.”
Photo: Marcey Brownstein Catering + Events
Updating the Casual
Home-style comfort foods are also gaining momentum as couples look for food that they enjoyed growing up or as a couple. “I always think adding in something nostalgic or a nod to a family tradition is a nice way to make guests feel extra special,” adds Wachalter. “It's the thoughtful details that really count so bringing in the old to celebrate the new is always a good idea.”“Couples want a variety of simple and beautiful food. They don’t want extravagant and fussy,” explains Loren Michelle of Naturally Delicious in Brooklyn, New York. The company offers a number of elevated rustic dishes, such as braised short ribs with parmesan polenta and roasted brussels sprouts. For street food that is more wedding appropriate they can serve empanadas with chipotle aioli, or Thai lemongrass chicken satay. And for a truly home-cooked feeling, fried chicken and mini waffles with sweet hot honey."
Loving Local
Asking caterers if they use locally grown food and farm-to-table menus has been a key question for the past few years, and that trend isn’t going anywhere. “Many couples like to know that they are supporting local farmers and local food,” Caryn Roland, Director of Catering at Heirloom Cuisine in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tells us. “Here in Louisiana, we really pride ourselves on sourcing local seafood and/or produce as possible. We grow a lot of our own herbs on site and also buy local micro greens, Louisiana seafood, etc. We even offer a 'Louisiana' Bar, featuring spirits distilled right here in Louisiana.”At Marcey Brownstein Catering + Events in New York, they offer a “super locavore farm-to-table spread” for cocktail hour made up of hyper-local cheeses, house-made terrines, charcuterie from locally raised pastured pigs, pickles made from hand foraged ramps and vegetables grown at Firefly Farms, Marcey’s upstate farm in Upstate New York.
A Casual Cocktail Hour
To assist in creating a more relaxed setting, less formal food stations allow chefs to get creative with bite-sized menu items. “Street food style action stations can help foster a more casual wedding vibe,” advises Miranda. “We do delicious oyster bars with house-made sauces, ceviche stations, shrimp and grits stations, mezze bars and mini rice bowl bars.”“Our clients are gravitating towards interactive stations,” Anderson says. “Giving their guests the ability to make their own creation, whether it’s poke, sliders, or even a crafted cocktail, is a big draw for our couples.”
Michelle adds, “A glorified cocktail party with themed stations keep guests moving around and the party energy up.”
Photo: Marcey Brownstein Catering + Events
Tapas-Style Cocktail Hours
Tasting plates in a tapas style is trending across the country with several caterers flagging it as one of the bigger trends of the year. “We are serving a lot of tapas-style menus,” says Roland. “Some of the menu items are braised pork belly on a creamy potato cake, and beef tenderloin tournedos with a blue cheese crust. They are prepared and plated on 6-inch plates by chef attendants at stations throughout the room.”The Bar Menu
While named signature drinks are still served at weddings, many caterers are hearing requests for themed bars that serve one type of drink in a variety of ways. For brunch weddings, which are gaining in popularity, guests will find Bloody Mary Bars and Bubbly Bars, as Roland of refers to them, where you can enjoy Champagne in a variety of ways.“The trend in specialty drinks is super interesting, but not off putting,” says Brownstein. “Cocktails are being made with infused liquors, interesting fruit, and house-made bitters.”
You’ll find themed bars that specialize in Scotch, Bourbon and Whiskey are the most popular, with a full menu of liquors and garnishes for guests to choose from. “Everyone seems to be into brown liquor these days,” adds Brownstein.
For couples who don’t want everyone gravitating to the one bar in the room, Jeremy Wachalter of Cobblestone Catering has a new idea that is starting to attract attention. “I love the idea of a styled bar cart traveling the floor during cocktail hour,” he says. Rental companies may have themed carts that fit your wedding whether it’s Mad Men retro or more romantic and Victorian in style.
Dessert Tables
Ending the night on a sweet note was once limited to a traditional wedding cake, but not anymore. As couples delve into all the dessert possibilities more and more of them are choosing to offer a variety of dessert options in lieu of, or in addition to, a wedding cake. Couples who still want to have their cake-cutting moment and photo can partake in this timeless tradition with a smaller cake, also known as a ceremonial cake, which can be the centerpiece on a dessert buffet. “Couples are definitely opting out of the traditional tall one layered cake for all,” says Rocio Miranda of Madres Kitchen. “We do lots of detailed 6-inch ceremonial cutting cakes and then a different type of dessert for guests.” Some of their dessert items include: indoor s'mores bars, cookie tables, and deconstructed dessert tables.To offer guests a variety of desserts, mini bites of several treats can be plated at the table or passed while guests enjoy their time on the dance floor. “We love to have passed 'book-ends' meaning the evening starts with passed hors d’oeuvres and ends with passed desserts,” explains Marcey Brownstein of Marcey Brownstein Catering +Events. “Lots of minis: mini creme brûlée, chocolate pots, cobbler, mini fruit pies, churros with hot chocolate, etc.”
One dessert you don’t often see at weddings that’s finally breaking through is ice cream says Emily Anderson of Jay’s Catering. “Right now there is a lot of talk about ice cream, which we are very excited to explore more!”
