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Written by Ingrid Martinez

Take it Down a Size

Everything is cuter in miniature form.   Serve up shooters for the appetizer, main course, and dessert!  Try Chilled Melon Shooters alongside miniature shrimp cocktails for an appetizer. Mini Surf & Turf for dinner with beef sliders and petite lobster cakes.   A mini dessert station will satisfy everyone’s palette or bring back childhood memories with mini pop tarts on a stick.

Drop the Fork

Finger food isn’t just for kids! Say no to flatware with skewers ranging from fun to elegant. From fruit to coconut chicken skewer to mini pizzas…get creative.  Anything can be served on a stick.

Do Brunch

Brunch is so SD. Brunch weddings are trending nationwide because daytime weddings are less expensive then dinner or afternoon receptions. You can also do breakfast for dinner –like an omelet station or pancakes.  How fun would it be serve guests crepes with their mimosa and bloody Mary’s?

Great Gatsby

While the Roaring Twenties have had a major influence on recent wedding style, the theme has finally made its way onto dinner plates too. The Great Gatsby period is inspiring champagne towers, seafood bars and ice carvings at weddings. Spruce up you reception with an oyster chucking station, and small plates passed around by waiters in white gloves.

Food that can come out of that era are tea sandwiches, oysters Rockefeller, petit fours, deviled eggs Warldorf salad and don’t forget to include a champagne cocktails. Champagne towers are make a big comeback and what a different way to elevate the toasts.
 

Food Stations

Do you want pulled pork sliders but your finance wants Thai food?  Food stations bring the best of both worlds by letting you have as many cuisine variations as you like. Don’t forget the beverages.  From a mimosa bar with a variety of juices to a hot chocolate station, your guest will be impressed while having their thirst quenched.

Edible Escort Cards

Send your guests to their tables with a one-of-a-kind treat—edible escort cards! Mini potted herbs like basil and mint are always a crowd pleaser and your reception will smell define. Mini bottles of homemade jam or have your calligrapher hand-letter Kraft bags with each guest’s name and table number before filling them with rip cherries, or berries.

Food and Drink Combinations

Curate your favorite foods with a corresponding drink for an extra-special flair. You’re having your wedding in San Diego so let your guests enjoy your favorite local beer with freshly baked pretzels. Tacos and Tequila go hand-in-hand so offer up fish tacos alongside margaritas. The options are truly endless for planning a unique wedding day menu that will impress your guests and leave them talking about your celebration for weeks to come.

Keep it Fresh

Couples are turning to fresh, locally sourced organic foods. These days, you can serve something as simple as a fresh salad made with organic greens to start, Showcase this option at your wedding with a fresh produce bar with locally sourced farm fresh veggies.

Inform your cater know you want your reception menu to feature of organic and farm fresh foods. It may cost a bit more but you will be supporting a local family owned farm and caring for your guest’s health. This is one eco-friendly trend that’s here to stay.

Delicious Significance

If you’re planning on including cultural traditions in your ceremony, have them extend to the menu as well. Even if the two cuisines aren’t enjoyed together traditionally, Brothers Signature Catering can “marry” the cultures through food and come up with a few fusion dishes. You can also include dishes of significance by serving items you’ve tried at a restaurant on your first date or a dessert that you had after your engagement.

Healthy and Delicious

There are endless options for healthy and light, yet flavorful and satisfying, fare are practically endless.  Chef Augie recommends Farmers Market vegetable crudité’s, Ahi Poke or an Asian stir fry station. Even though these bites are healthy, you might be surprised to hear they won’t break the bank; you’re actually spending less since you’re incorporating a lot more fresh produce into your menu. What are you planning on eating on your big day? Let us know in the comments below!

Make your Reception an Experience

A big cocktail hour trend is Instead of passed food make it more of an experience like an interactive food station. One popular idea is to have a chef shucking oysters from locally sourced seafood.  In Addition, a gourmet slider or taco station are always big crowd pleasers.  They will appreciate the wide variety of choices and this meal style promotes a lot of interaction among guests.

Get Comfy

Comfort food is always a crowd pleaser, but it’s all about the presentation.  You don’t want to serve French fries out of a fast food bag, instead present them in a monogram bag. From mac and cheese in a martini glass to tomato soup shooters with mini grill cheese… get imaginative.

Have a Snack

The food portion of the evening definitely doesn’t have to end once you cut the cake
 This part is all about satisfying mid-party munchies with your favorite comfort food. Send out trays of fun food – like pizza, tacos or a sundae bar. Place your late-night snack stand close to the dance floor for easy access:  Dance, eat and repeat!

It’s all in the Family

Put the “me” in your menu with family-style eating. Instead of traditional, formal sit-down dinners, create more of a personal and relaxed atmosphere for your guests. Go for bright big dishes like Burrata and Roasted Beet salad, Roasted tri-colored fingerling potatoes, and seafood paella. Guests can interact casually as they pass around gorgeous dishes, which means more mingling and a better chance that everyone will have an unforgettable night.

Color it Up

Color is a crucial element in the coordination of wedding linens, flowers and bridal party attire. So why not in planning the menu? If you’re having a black and white wedding, ice cream sandwiches and Oreos would fit your theme perfectly.  Red and green in your theme?  Have your caterer whip up shot glasses filed with layers of edamame and lobster bisque. Chef Augie will come up with unique way to infuse color into your food to match your wedding theme.

Local Inspiration

Local offerings can inspire your menu and create one memorable meal! Source ingredients from San Diego and make them the focal point of your food setup. Brothers Signature Catering and Events will work with your menu ideas and local suppliers. You’ll get the green thumbs-up for minimizing your dinner’s carbon footprint and expose guests to the most flavorful way to eat.

Perfect Pairs      

Shrink down your Favorite dishes to bite-size canapés accompanied by mini sips to delight your guests during cocktail hour. Some miniature pairing ideas to consider: Mini grilled cheese sandwiches with a virgin bloody Mary shooter, Mini Ceviche taco with a mango and papaya aqua Fresca, or a warm salted pretzel with your favorite local beer. Think about shrinking your dessert too with a late-night serving of mini pop tarts on a stick or a mini dessert station.

Satisfy the Foodies

Tasting menus are a foodie favorite, and it has made its way at the newest wedding menu trend. So what exactly is a tasting menu and how would it work at your wedding? You’ll be served anywhere from five to seven mini courses (and even though they’re “mini,” we promise no one will go hungry). One menu idea created by Brothers Signature Catering and Events is to start with a shooter of tomato basil soup, followed by a crispy pork belly over a polenta cake, finished with basil pistou. Move on to a Burrata and roasted beet salad, then indulge in a Midwestern filet mignon prepared with fig jus and honey shallot jam before enjoying cake and mini gourmet dessert bites.

Rustic Style

Rustic weddings are very popular right now. BBQ chicken, baby back pork ribs, and ranch style baked beans are traditional rustic menu items. The food is usually served family style, with farm tables instead of round tables.