Tips for Making your Favorite Eats Shine for Your Wedding Meal

Perhaps you hail from a town known for lobster rolls, your first date was over tacos, or you simply can’t imagine saying I do without your beloved (but not exactly wedding staple) bison burger or chicken vindaloo. Even if they’re seemingly too casual, messy or quirky, it’s definitely possible to include your dream foods in your reception menu. Here’s how:

Showmanship

It’s all about presentation: To make barbecue prettier and more approachable, consider creating stations with different cuts of meat and a variety of sauces (vinegar-based, chili-based, tomatobased), as well as a potato salad station with different ingredients that guests could select to build a custom side. (Macand-cheese and mashed-potato stations are crowd hits, and because people can pick what they want, it’s easy to include special flavors like duck confit or pickled asparagus.)

You also can make unique food part of the entertainment, such as a whole-pig roast, head included. Decorate the fire pit, have wine-barrel seating for guests to watch, and afterward you can turn the area into a cider pit for late-night drinks. You might also consider made-to-order grilled pizzas.

If sweets are your passion, a dessert station is a great idea. Pie displays (include mom’s own chocolate pecan or grandma’s perfect strawberry rhubarb) and late-night treats like a waffle and pancake station with all the toppings – everything from berries, whipped cream and salted caramel sauce to Gruyere and bacon. Feel free to have any size wedding cake in addition for a traditional cutting.

Downsize it

It’s best to stay away from serving dinner items that won’t please the masses or may be difficult to eat for well-dressed folks. Instead, rethink the cherished dish as a one- or two-bite appetizer. A few favorites right now include: mini-sloppy joes with milk shake shooters; mini-tacos with a margarita served in a small Patrón bottle; mini-Southern Belle cocktails with slow-roasted barbecue pork and Napa slaw on corn muffins; tomato soup with a minigrilled cheese; cocktail hamburgers with all the fixings; buttermilk fried chicken drumettes; and chicken and waffles wrapped up to look like a little ice cream cone. Naturally, Philadelphia-based Power is a fan of serving mini-cheese steaks.

These small bites allow you to showcase your favorite dishes while still having a dinner that’s appropriate for the formality and/or setting. It’s very easy to do cookiecutter weddings, but every app, station, main course and late-night snack should make people get excited!