Menus and food preferences change a great deal from season to season. What is appetizing in the cold winter months may be comparatively unsavory come summer. Being mindful of changing palates from month to month is essential to good party hosting and savvy meal planning. Having a few seasonal wedding catering ideas at your disposal will ensure your menu aligns perfectly with the weather and the spirit, no matter the time of year.
A combination of factors should be kept top-of-mind when considering your seasonal wedding catering ideas. For one, food is more than its taste and texture (though these are important). There is also the cosmetic aspect to consider.
Ever wonder why certain types of cuisine are routinely associated with tropical environments while others seem to belong strictly in wintry setting? Tastes vary in response to weather and climate, and a skilled caterer is always attuned to such variations.
Fall Wedding Catering Ideas
Not quite associated with rich foods in the way that winter often is, the autumn months tend to invite a certain savory quality back to the scene once the heat of summer begins to wane. There are good reasons many coffeehouses start to reintroduce various pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg beverages onto the menu around this time of year. Something about the fall seems to configure the taste buds for sharp, distinctive flavors. In keeping with those themes, try building your fall catering menu around a series of spice-laden squash dishes.
The full taste of pumpkin purée coupled with cinnamon in the form of a tart or a bar will signal the return of fall climes and keep your guests satisfied all at once. Another variation is the use of acorn squash, which is also a versatile and can be prepared with pasta or in a chili form. A little bit of seasoning and sweetening goes a long way with these menu offerings, but work with a good caterer in determining the best balance.
Sweet potatoes, apples, and soup dishes are another popular choice once the tree leaves begin their descent. Whether as separate dishes or combined into a sweet potato stew, the medley of flavors born of that union is essentially October incarnate. Any wedding feast will be enriched by inclusion.
Winter Wedding Catering Ideas
Let the comfort foods reign supreme. Once the autumn days give way to their cooler winter counterparts, the entire wedding menu planning process changes immediately. Spices stick around but fat and carbohydrates take center stage. Cookies, pies, and eggnog are office place fixtures, and clever variations on these age-old favorites should be shopped past your catering consultant. They’ll likely have some inventive ideas for you.
Select cheeses, glazed ham, and vegetable soups are also at home on a winter catering menu. Whether served sliced on a platter or combined into a full entrée, ham and cheese complement one another very well and can be combined in an endless number of pairing options. Plus, the sandwich potential sells itself.
Soup is as blank a slate as any dish and leans as much or as little towards the spicy side as you do or don’t prefer. Vegetable-rich and meat-heavy recipes alike tend to benefit from select seasonings and generous doses of spice. Work with your catering expert on crafting the best recipes for your winter wedding menu.
Spring Wedding Catering Ideas
The pounds are fated to reveal themselves once winter gives way to a temperate spring. Where sugar and fat are rationalized and justified during the holidays, lighter cuisine in the form of salads, fruit dishes, and lean dishes take center stage in the following months.
Cruciferous vegetables and superfood berries belong on any given spring wedding menu, and for two good reasons. Firstly, they make for excellent meal designs and tasty culinary offerings. Secondly, they are an excellent source of food energy and bodily building blocks. This point is important for those taking on exercise regimens in the interest of shedding excess weight. Try a kale and strawberry salad for a flavorful meal rich in both antioxidants and vibrant color.
Poultry and various forms of ground fowl are extremely well-matched for spring catering menus. Endlessly configurable with infinite menu options, lean hen and quail is easily enhanced when coupled with berries or steamed broccoli.
Summer Wedding Catering Ideas
Winter in reverse. Once summer dawns, all bets are off where physiques and waistlines are concerned. Carbohydrates are a tough sell with beach body goals top of mind, but citrusy flavors and various types of melon are an excellent finger food addition to any wedding catering spread.
Lean beef and healthy cuts of fish are hugely popular for the grilling scene. Both of these are well matched with peppers and pineapple slices. Kebabs are easy and can be tailored to accommodate any number of dietary preferences. A gifted caterer will know just how to configure your summer meat and fruit spread for catered gatherings large and small.
Start Planning Your Wedding Food
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