The Essential Guide to Gay and Lesbian Weddings (70 page)

Strawberries dipped in white and dark chocolate

Old-fashioned double-crust apple pie

Chocolate raspberry cake

Madelines, ladyfingers, and baby brownies

Almond torte

Heart-shaped pink petits fours

Kiwi, pecan caramel, and grape tarts

Cheese tray and french bread

Champagne, coffee, and tea

Lemon wedding cake

Food stations are a variation on buffet service, except that here different types of foods are offered on separate tables, each devoted to a specialty, sometimes with a live chef thrown in. Stations are set up around the room, in various rooms, or throughout the garden, which creates a great flow. Stations are a great way to get people to mix: imagine your Uncle Marvin striking up a conversation with your ex-lover Maria as they're waiting for the chef to complete their zucchini crepes.

Food stations can be ethnic by nature (tostada station, dim sum station, curry station), they can feature foods of the region (raw seafood bar, Southwest station), or can be based on how the food is prepared (grill station, crepe station). The idea is to offer a selection of foods that will complement each other or stand on their own.

Appetizers Through the Ages

THAT WAS THEN…

Deviled eggs

Celery stalks with cream cheese

Cheddar cheese puffs

Olives rolled in chopped dried beef

Mini egg rolls

Onion soup mix dip and saltines

Carrot and celery sticks

Mini drumsticks

Chopped liver on a Ritz

Pigs in a blanket

THIS IS NOW…

Vegetable-stuffed sushi

Spear of endive with goat cheese

Buffalo mozzarella with tomato and basil

Assorted tapenades on baguette

Fried tofu with sweet and sour sauce

Guacamole and blue corn tortilla chips

Crudités

Vegetable pâté on whole wheat toast points

Melon wrapped in prosciutto

Sliders with plum tomatoes

Also called butlered service, passed tray service involves hors d'oeuvres being passed among guests by wait staff and is often a staple of the catered affair. Don't be fooled into thinking that this is an inexpensive route; in fact, serving passed hors d'oeuvres at a cocktail reception can end up being more expensive than a sit-down meal. For one thing, people never put their drinks down, and that adds up. Also, canapés are not exactly cost-effective: at some hotels you can pay $30 or more for six little tidbits, which is what they figure one person will eat.

Yes, sit-down is what it says: your guests sit down, and food is served to them. However, there are a number of ways this can happen. Prearranged plates of food are set in front of them (“plated service”); or, seated diners are served individually from a tray of food, either by one waiter alone who both holds and serves (“Russian service”), or by two waiters, one who holds and one who serves (“French service”). Aren't you glad you asked? Sit-down meals tend to be the most formal, and they can also be the most elegant. They do not exactly encourage mingling, except as preordained by your seating chart; however, they are often preceded by a cocktail hour where the guests can schmooze to their hearts' content. Sit-down also means that your guests are at the mercy of someone else's schedule: they'd better be hungry when the food starts in, because if this is the salad, the entrée can't be far behind. Sites such as hotels lend themselves to sit-down, but don't rule it out for intimate home receptions too.

What to Serve When Hosting a...

Wedding breakfast
, 10 a.m. to noon

 
What guests generally expect:
Continental breakfast with pizzazz

 
What you can serve:
Fresh juice, coffee, tea, croissants, muffins, sweet rolls, fresh fruit, wedding cake

Wedding brunch
, noonish to 3 p.m.

 
What guests generally expect:
A bigger, better breakfast that they would fix for themselves on a weekday morning

 
What you can serve:
Buffet: Croissants, muffins, sweet rolls, quiches, fruit, cheeses, cold cuts, dim sum
Sit-down:
Fruit, omelettes, Eggs Benedict, crepes, huevos rancheros, toast, rolls
Beverages:
Fresh juice, coffee, tea, champagne, mimosas, Bloody Marys, screwdrivers
Dessert:
Pastries and/or wedding cake

Wedding luncheon
, 12–2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

What guests generally expect:
A light, elegant meal—not what kids take to school in their lunch boxes (un¬less you're doing a childhood theme wedding)

What you can serve:
Buffet:
Crudités and dips, salad (green, pasta, chicken, potato, fruit), cold poached salmon or chicken, cheeses, shrimp, crepes, cold cuts
Sit-down:
Passed hors d'oeuvres, then soup or salad; chicken, beef, or fish; rice; vegetables; rolls
Beverages:
Sparkling wines, full bar or soft bar
Dessert:
Sorbets, fresh fruit, wedding cake

Wedding tea
, 2–3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

What guests generally expect:
Not much. (That's why it's the least ex¬pensive type of reception.)