Choosing your wedding menu sounds like it should be one of the easiest parts of planning a wedding.
After all, you like food (we presume!), your guests like food. So all you need to do is choose some delicious food, and it’s job done… right?
Well, not quite.
Once you start to think about it, you ask one question, then another, then another, and before you know it, you’re less decisive than you were when you didn’t know anything.
The good news is that’s precisely where we come in, because we sit down with SO many couples each and every week in exactly your position.
You see, at Kemp & Kemp, lots of couples come to us with little more than an idea of how they want their wedding to feel, and that’s actually a very good place to start.
Choosing your wedding menu isn’t really about choosing individual dishes first; it’s about deciding what sort of experience you want to create.
Start With The Feeling, Not The Food
Before you start debating chicken versus beef, think about the atmosphere you’re trying to create.
Do you picture everyone sitting around long tables passing generous dishes between them? Do you want something elegant and beautifully plated?
Would you rather people were outside in the sunshine, eating, drinking and chatting? Or are you planning a long, relaxed countryside wedding where lunch gradually turns into speeches, drinks and dancing?
The answers to those questions tell us far more than a list of your favourite foods ever could.
Sharing-style dining, for example, naturally creates a sociable atmosphere because people are passing dishes around the table and talking to each other. Plated dining can create something equally special, just with a different rhythm and feel.
Neither is inherently better, more expensive or less expensive, but they are different ways of creating a wedding day experience that you will love.
Think About Your Venue
Your venue has a big influence on what will work well too.
A barn wedding with long tables and doors opening onto the countryside might lend itself beautifully to generous seasonal sharing dishes.
A country house might suit something a little more formal, while a marquee wedding could open up opportunities for outdoor cooking, food stations and all sorts of lovely things.
Some venues have fully equipped kitchens while others have very little behind the scenes, which means your caterer may need to bring refrigeration, cooking equipment, prep space and everything else required to create your meal.
That doesn’t mean you’re limited in what you can serve, but it does mean that we need to know what we’re working with!
We’re also enormous believers in seasonal food because ingredients are generally at their best when they’re being eaten at the right time of year. A summer wedding might naturally lean towards lighter dishes, colourful salads, fresh herbs and food that feels wonderful alongside a glass of something cold outside.
Autumn and winter weddings can be absolutely glorious for slow-cooked meats, rich sauces, roasted vegetables and warm puddings. And spring brings its own abundance of fresh ingredients too.
You don’t have to build your entire menu around the season, obviously, but it’s a very useful place to start to get some inspiration.
How Much Choice Should You Give Your Guests?
Couples sometimes assume they need to offer guests lots and lots of choices.
You really don’t. Seriously, it’s your day!
In fact, too much choice can create unnecessary complications for everyone.
A carefully planned menu that gives guests something genuinely delicious is often much better than attempting to recreate a restaurant menu with endless options. Of course, dietary requirements are different…
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy requirements should be properly considered from the beginning so those guests have something every bit as delicious as everyone else.
Nobody should feel like an afterthought at your wedding table, and good hospitality means everyone feels looked after.
There are very few rules left when it comes to weddings, which we think is rather wonderful. If you love a traditional three-course wedding breakfast, have one, or if you want huge platters of food covering the tables, do that.
If there’s a dish you both adore or food connected to somewhere you’ve travelled together, talk to your caterer about it.
Your menu should feel like it belongs at your wedding rather than something you’ve selected because somebody told you that weddings are supposed to work a certain way.
That’s one of the reasons we don’t believe in forcing couples into rigid menus.
We start with conversations to formulate your ideas, then we add our experience and work out how to turn them into something that works beautifully on the day.
Don’t Forget About The Whole Day
Your wedding menu isn’t only the Wedding Breakfast; it’s important to think about the whole journey your guests are going on.
Evening food often gets left until last, but it can be one of the most popular parts of the entire day.
The important thing is creating a flow so your guests feel looked after from the moment they arrive until the moment somebody reluctantly switches the lights on at the end of the night.
Perhaps the biggest piece of advice we can give is not to choose your wedding food entirely around what you think everybody else will like.
You’ll never please every single person perfectly. Instead, think about food you genuinely enjoy, the atmosphere you want to create and the experience you want your guests to have. Then find a caterer you trust to bring all of those things together…
At Kemp & Kemp, we believe wedding food should feel generous, seasonal and welcoming.
It should get people talking around the table, become part of the atmosphere and be something you’re still hearing compliments about long after the last plate has been cleared away.
And if that happens, you’ve probably chosen your wedding menu rather well.
FAQs
When should you choose your wedding menu?
You don’t necessarily need to decide your exact dishes when you first book your caterer. Initial conversations can focus on the style, atmosphere and type of food you like before the final menu takes shape.
Is sharing-style catering cheaper than plated dining?
No. In our world, sharing-style catering and plated dining sit within the same price range. The difference is much more about the atmosphere and experience you want to create.
Should wedding food match the season?
It doesn’t have to, but seasonal ingredients can help create a menu that feels naturally connected to the time of year and often taste their very best too.
How do you cater for dietary requirements?
Tell your caterer about dietary requirements as early as possible. Experienced wedding caterers should be able to create appropriate dishes that still feel like a proper part of the menu.
Do you need to offer guests several menu choices?
Not necessarily. A carefully considered menu with proper provision for dietary requirements is often all you need.
If you want to talk through some options for your wedding, drop us an email at info@kempandkempcatering.co.uk and we’ll discuss how we can make your food dreams a reality.
