Wedding Catering - 5 Ways to Make your Menu Memorable

Need inspiring ideas to take your wedding reception beyond the ordinary? When it comes to building a menu that will excite and entice, couples are steering away from the traditional chicken-and-beef cliché and venturing towards something more contemporary and memorable. You are only limited by your imagination. Do something daring, and feature a reception menu that will and tantalize all the senses. Here is a list of the hottest menu ideas and catering trends:

Go Ethnic
Gain inspiration from our friends across the border or overseas, and feature an ethnic menu. It's a great opportunity to honor your heritage or just an excuse to serve something fun. Consider an Italian pasta station or a Chinese wok station. How about a build-your-own taco bar? Or take your guests on a world tour, and serve a little bit of everything.

Comfort Food Goes Chic
Pay homage to your family upbringing and serve comfort foods, straight up with a chic twist. Everyone loves macaroni and cheese; add some pizzazz to an old favorite by adding gruyere and fontina cheeses. Stuff mini sirloin hamburgers with blue cheese and top them with caramelized onions. Comfort foods can also be served family-style, setting a relaxed and festive mood for the wedding reception.

Reflect a Theme
Tie it all together, and choose your reception menu based on the season, theme or color of your wedding. Feature apple-maple glazed chicken with pumpkin cheesecake during the fall, or try lemon grilled salmon with a steamed fresh vegetable medley during the summer. Stocking a buffet with all food from the same family on the color wheel can make for a fascinating presentation (albeit, a little rough on your caterer). One of our favorite menu ideas - connect your guests to the wedding celebration and recreate your first meal has a couple or revolve your cuisine around your honeymoon destination.

Buzz on Bars
They’re not just for drinks anymore…Take your guests on a culinary journey of the senses with strategically placed food stations. Dynamic bars with bite sized samples allow guests to mingle and savor a number of flavors. So when you think catering – think tiny and scattered.

Cocktails & Appetizers
Looking to break the traditional five course mold? Base your entire wedding reception on cocktails and appetizers. This catering style allows for more variety and affords ample opportunity for creative presentation ideas. Serve a signature drink at a customized drink station. Feature shrimp and grits martinis. You're only limited by your imagination. The constant flow of stimulating culinary works of art and eye-catching spirits creates an intimate social atmosphere for your guests.

---

Name Change

If you are planning on taking your husband's name after your wedding, you will need to change your name on all important documents. The Complete name change kit for new bride will make this process very simple.

Official New Bride Name Change Kit - Click Here!

---

For a complete guide to planning your wedding reception menu, visit Elegala.com's complete Catering guide. Cori Locklin is editor-in-chief for Elegala.com and Elegala Magazine (and a recent bride!). Elegala is a new wedding planning resource offering the most comprehensive portfolio of superior wedding reception sites and wedding services, along with planning tips, photo galleries and checklists to keep brides in-the-know on today's wedding trends and styles.Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cori_Locklin http://funweddings.blog.com http://weddingsbyashlee.blog http://merrybrides.wordpress.com

15 Tips For a Better Wedding

By: Jacqueline Wild

Tip 1: Make sure you weigh a single invitation before applying postage. Invitations can sometimes sneak over the minimum postage and be returned rubber stamped.

Tip 2: If you are ordering unprinted invitations, order 25 extra - it is cheaper to order a few more now that a single batch later on. Order extra envelopes as well to allow for mistakes.

Tip 3: It can be a nice idea to celebrate your first anniversary with a piece of your wedding cake. Wrap the top layer in plastic wrap, and then aluminium foil. Don't just use aluminium foil, as it can leave the cake with a metallic taste. To keep a good flavour, store the cake in the back of the freezer where the temperature is constant.

Tip 4: If you are doing your own makeup, don't accidentally leave your makeup kit in your car overnight. If it's a hot day it will melt!!!

Tip 5: It might be your last night of 'freedom', but don't blow your big day by drinking heavily the night before. Arrange a celebration at least 48 hours before your wedding day.

Tip 6: If the bride or groom is nervous about making a speech, just remember that on this particular day, the guests will indulge whatever you have to say - so just have fun.

Tip 7: Try and seat your older guests away from the speakers. They will typically want to socialize with family and friends, and be away from the centre of the buzz.

Tip 8: Most couples submit a list of song requests to the DJ. Consider also submitting a list of songs that you would prefer the DJ not play.

Tip 9: Every bride tries on her dress before the big day. However, the men often feel that a tux is just a tux, and don their outfit the morning of the big day - sometimes to find a surprise lurking. Two left shoes, enormous slacks, etc. Politely insist that the groomsmen try their outfits on just once the day that the outfit arrives. It can save a great deal of trouble later on.

Tip 10: If sending out directions to the wedding, do a quick test run of the last five miles of approach to make sure that the directions tie up with the roads. Give as much detail as possible, naming any structures that your guests may pass ('turn right at the Old Crow pub' is better than 'take the third road on the right'.

Tip 11: Before the service, ban anything that can stain, like wine, fruit juice or dark lipstick from any room in which you may be wearing your dress.

Tip 12: Wedding costs can start to run away with you. It is important to keep track of how much you are spending. Consider ordering a separate credit card to make your wedding purchases.

Tip 13: When addressing your invitations try and avoid writing 'and guest' wherever possible. If you are unsure of partner's names, make a quick phone call to find out. They will be touched that you want to know.

Tip 14: It is easy to be caught out by hidden charges at your reception. Make sure you ask your caterer if there are any other charges that haven't been discussed, such as corkage, serving fees, or napkin fees.

Tip 15: On your wedding day, you want to feel like you are the only bride in the world. When making inquiries with reception venues, ask whether the venue host more than a single wedding concurrently. When a venue hosts more than one wedding at a time, mix ups can happen, including gifts going astray and guests drifting from one reception to the other (a major concern if you are having an open bar!).

---

Wedding Advice

To look picture perfect on your wedding you will need to make sure you wear good quality undergarments under your gown. Here are a few online lingerie sites you might want to check out:

The Bridal Necessities: Everything you need to know about bridal underpinnings - Click Here!

Figleaves.com - The Best Online Source for Lingerie, Bras & More...200 Brands - Click Here!

---

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesBase.com About the Author: Jacqueline Wild is part of a team that has designed the award winning wedding planning software product 'Perfect Day'. Learn more about the software here: www.perfectdayonline.co.uk http://merrybrides.wordpress.com/ http://weddingsbyashlee.blog.com/ http://funweddings.blog.com