The 13 Foods You Shouldn't Serve at a Wedding
It's not actually in your best interests to go super fancy with your catering! Discover the foods you should definitely avoid serving at your wedding
We’ve come a long way since the food options at a wedding were ‘chicken or fish?’, and now almost anything goes when it comes to wedding catering. However, there are still some foods you should definitely avoid serving at your wedding - whether it's because not all your guests will love them, or because they might cause a bit of a mess.
You might think as it's your big day you can serve your favourite meal and if your guests don't like it, they can lump it. But be careful - you are the host of the event and you want everyone to enjoy themselves and have a good time. It's important to think about who is attending and what they will enjoy when it comes to deciding on your wedding food. It's also worth considering your venue and overall wedding style - you'll probably want to avoid an elaborate sit-down meal with multiple courses at a more laidback venue, but huge slices of pizza wouldn't work too well at a stately home.
Read on to discover the foods you need to avoid serving at your wedding!
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13 Foods to Avoid Serving at Your Wedding
1. Messy Meals
This kind of goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway. Be conscious of the mess-factor of the meal you’re providing at your wedding. You might love a spaghetti bolognese, but do you really want to be navigating noodles in your wedding outfit? Same for drippy, juicy burgers and anything in a dark coloured sauce or gravy - if you opt for this, make sure you provide substantial napkins!
2. Allergy Triggers
Another one that kind of goes without saying - especially if you have a large guest list with lots of plus-ones. Avoid high-risk foods like peanuts unless you’re completely confident that you know everyone on your guest list can eat it.
3. Beefy Barbecues
Barbecues are popular options at summer weddings, and go down a treat at lots of outdoor wedding venues, but make sure your barbecue isn’t too beefed up - not everyone will want heavy burgers and greasy sausages (however, the next day is another story!). Be sure to offer a few light, veggie and vegan-friendly options to cater to everyone.
4. Raw Food
You might be total sushi-fiends in your day-to-day life, but think twice before arranging a sushi platter for all your guests. Not everyone will be comfortable with the idea of raw fish, and if it’s a warm day, it could turn nasty pretty quickly! Same goes for steak tartare and oysters.
5. Only Tiny Food
Look, we love a fancy wedding canapé, but we also love to eat. It’s very sophisticated to have waiters milling around with platters of tiny delicacies, but your guests are hungry and they need to line their stomachs before the evening festivities. Of course, if you are solely serving canapés at a fancy cocktail reception, perhaps your guests are not the ‘line your stomach before going hard’ types…
6. Performance Food
You know the kind we mean - when it involves a bit of a spectacle tableside. That’s all well and good when you’re out for dinner and want to be entertained, but having this kind of catering at your wedding will disrupt the flow of chat at your tables and means everyone will have to wait longer to eat, and no one wants that. Skip the flames and the knife-flipping - keep it simple when it comes to carving and serving.
7. Massive Meals
We did say no tiny food, but don’t go too big on your portion sizes either. It pains us to say it, because we love a substantial serving of delicious food, but no one will want to get up and dance after devouring a huge plate of pasta.
8. Strong Smelling Food
Yes, everyone does love garlic bread. But picture the scene - the dance floor pulsing with all your guests jumping around and shouting along to ‘Mr Brightside’, and the garlic fumes filling the air. No thanks!
9. Something New to the Chef
You might be all about that spaghetti alle vongole you had on the trip to Venice when you got engaged... but if it’s not part of the chef’s usual repertoire, it can be a bit of a risk to ask it to be mass-produced for your wedding. If your catering team is willing to work with you on a custom menu, follow their lead and listen to their expertise about what can be created easily - and deliciously - en masse.
10. Standard Wedding Food
Don’t just serve chicken. It’s your wedding - go for something a little bit extra for you and your guests to enjoy.
11. Anything Overly Complex
Don’t serve up dishes that require lots of details and components and for a server to pour over the jus with a flourish - unless you are marrying at a restaurant wedding venue that’s well-versed in those dishes. Your guests are going to be busy chatting to each other so the extra effort will likely not be appreciated!
12. Anything Challenging
While you might love an adventurous dinner and plan date nights around discovering new flavours, it’s likely not everyone at your wedding will share this passion. Try to keep your menu choices - or at least one of them! - in line with what you know your guests will definitely enjoy as you want them to delight in every bite of your wedding meal!
13. Ribs
Do we even have to say this? As much as it’s a joy to tuck into a succulent stack of ribs - saucy fingers, faces and fancy finery do not mix. No ribs without bibs - and no one wants to wear a bib at a wedding!
Don't let being considerate with your menu choices be one of the things you forget during wedding planning! If this piece has given you food for thought (get it?!), make sure you read up on the 34 questions you must ask your wedding caterers.
