r
r
Let's start with this article. Some of the items I agree with, some of them I don't, and two of them I'm guilty at from my own wedding.
To the horror of Chesapeake ides, the author of this article suggests nixing both the raw bar and crabcakes from reception menus. The first one I can understand -- there's a lot of risk involved by serving a raw bar, but most venues in the area have so much experience serving one that I wouldn't necessarily be concerned. But no crabcakes? Bite your tongue!
Some others I don't agree with -- I love shrimp cocktail and I adore uschetta, even if maybe it is kind of messy. And, I am guilty of the cubed cheese and crackers and a carving station at my wedding. Just to recap, we served the following menu:
Appetizers
Bacon-wrapped scallops
Kalamata olive and artichoke tarts
Cheese display
Dinner (Stations and buffet mix)
Pasta bar: Your choice of penne or tortellini with marinara or alfredo sauce, and chicken, shrimp or veggie mix-ins, sauteed to order
Prime rib carving station
Asaparagus
Garlic mashed potatoes
Garlic eadsticks
Caprese salad
Caesar salad
Dessert
Four types of cupcakes: Chocolate-cherry, lemon, chai ... and a fourth flavor I can't remember. The top tier was lemon, though, and the chocolate-cherry was most important to me.
We actually weren't going to have a cheese display at the wedding, but a couple people commented about how much they love cheese. So I went for it, and I don't regret it.
I've had a lot of very standard meals at weddings. They're not necessarily bad -- I love steak and prime rib, so I'm always happy to be served that as an entree. I also adore any type of pasta dish, so I'm sometimes known to order the vegetarian entree. But it's always nice to be served something a little different. My good friend Jenny and Chris were married at the Phoenix Zoo in May 2010, and they served a Hawaiian barbecue buffet, which was delicious and unexpected.
However, the top prize would have to go to a wedding that my husband and I attended on Long Island in July 2008. This wedding was likely the most expensive nuptials I will ever attend, but it sure was one heck of a party -- just to experience it was a pleasure. The cocktail "hour" (which actually ran about 2.5 hours) included -- if my memory serves me correctly -- a sushi bar, fried shrimp and fries served in cones, and cold salmon, to name a few. Around 11 p.m., we began dinner, starting with a seared tuna appetizer and salad served in a martini glass (uh-oh, even that eaks on of Bon Appetit's rules!), then had our choice of entrees. I had the macademia nut-crusted fish. I don't remember the side dishes, but dinner ended with a buffet of desserts. It was quite a spread, though clearly not something everyone will do at their wedding.
What was the best and worst meals you've ever been served at a wedding?
