Summer Wedding Buffet Menu Ideas

Summer is one of the most popular seasons to have a wedding: the beautiful picture perfect weather, balmy temperature that is fit for outdoor activities. When you are planning a wedding, it is customary to provide food and refreshments to your guest. Naturally, catering for wedding is an important aspect in guest entertainment. If you are looking for ideas, here are some points to consider with some menu ideas.

1) Budget

Budget is a big factor when you are planning a wedding buffet menu. Hors d’oeuvres are dainty and easy to eat, but they require servers to carry trays of food around, which can be costly. To keep the cost down, you can opt for a grazing table for guests to help themselves. Big servings such as slices of pizza on individual plates can help reduce time to prepare and cook, make-your-own-hamburger can be great fun while keeping the costs down. 

2) Are you indoor or outdoor?

If you are choosing to have a wedding indoors, then you have more freedom in your menu ideas. Cold things such as ice-creams and cold drinks will melt when you bring it outdoors. For wedding catering Essex, garden weddings can be an issue if you have wasps or other flying insects, hence you may need to consider buffet tray with covers. While you cannot predict the weather, you can plan your food to suit the venue. 

3) Are your guests sitting down?

Summer wedding is a time for people to walk around and mingle, or your plan on a more intimate sit down event. This decision will affect your decision on what to have on the buffet. Foods great for walking around includes sandwiches, canapes or a skewer of roasted vegetables. When you have tables for guests to sit, your options are limitless. 

4) Day or night wedding?

Most summer weddings are during the day, but you can also choose to have a beautiful reception in the evening. Your buffet menu should take the meals into consideration. While desserts such as ice- cream and gelato are great for lunch and dinner, you may offer something more substantial than a sandwich as a dinner menu. During the day, opt for more hydrating choices such as salad or acai bowls; at night, a pork roasting on a spit will be an attractive and welcome dish. 

5) Allergies and dietary requirements

The benefit of a buffet is that you can cater to dietary restrictions easily. You can have a vegan table, or have selections of food that are gluten- free. However, it will be important to know about these requirements when you book catering for your wedding. 

Your wedding will be a beautiful and memorable day, and the food should celebrate the joys of union. A wedding buffet takes the stress of menu planning, and you can easily scale it to the size of your attending guests. A good caterer can provide ideas for the summer wedding menu, as well as the backup plans should things do not go according to plan (such as the weather).