One of the toughest choices in organizing any event is selecting the menu. Almost every couple I work with reaches a point when they wonder whether the menu they picked is really the best option.
Unfortunately, most of the time they are contacting me after the contract with the wedding venue is already signed, and the menu is already agreed upon. At this point altering the choice is no longer simple and it may involve additional costs.
This is why I believe you should understand the pros and cons associated with each option before locking in the menu.
1. Selecting one of the standard menus that the venue offers
This is the most common approach. The event location will present you with several menus, tailored for different budgets and types of events.
Pros:
– The kitchen prepares these dishes frequently, which decreases the risk for blunders.
– The suppliers the venue works with have already been vetted, and the quality of the ingredients doesn’t usually vary.
– The kitchen and serving staff have abundant experience with the preparation, presentation and the serving of the dishes, so the whole process flows smoothly.
Cons:
– The menu might not reflect the preferences of the couple or the families.
– The couple might end up picking a more upscale variant of the menu which exceeds their means, which will invariably lead to cutting corners further down the road. You should always keep in mind that the costs associated with the meal are a major slice of the event’s total budget.
– Sometimes the venue might simply not have a menu suited to the season, the flavor of your event, or your culinary habits.
2. Combining dishes from several menus
Many wedding locations allow you to build a personalized menu by having you pick and choose items from two or three preset menus.
Pros:
– The kitchen is used to cooking these dishes.
– The venue already has suppliers for the ingredients, so sourcing them is simple.
– You get a menu which better matches your preferences
Cons:
– The cook time and techniques will vary for some of these dishes, which will complicate the workflow in the kitchen.
– Constructing a menu like this may result in additional costs, since the venue conceives it as a complete package, and not as a summation of individual items.
3. A menu designed especially for you
This is the most personalized and, often, the most moving option.
You may wish to go down memory lane with the foods of your childhood, recipes your grandparents cooked at home, or dishes that are a family tradition. I comprehend perfectly this desire on the part of the couples I work with, and I believe it often heightens the uniqueness of the event.
Pros:
– You will have a one-of-a-kind menu, which will tell a story about your lives.
Cons:
– The kitchen staff might not be used to cooking these dishes for so many guests.
– Some of the ingredients may be difficult to source or raise the cost of the menu.
– Organization in the kitchen grows more difficult and complex when the dishes cooked aren’t part of the standard menus.
– Both the tableware used, and the presentation and serving of the dishes may require adaptation.
Conclusions
After organizing events for many years, I’ve come to believe that a more complex menu isn’t always superior.
A flawlessly cooked dish will impress more than an elaborate one, which however is difficult to realize for several hundred guests.
For this reason, my advice is to discuss the menu not only with the location manager, but also with the head chef or with the person who will be handling the actual management of the kitchen at the date of the event. They are the ones who are most aware of the capabilities of the kitchen staff, and who understand what can realistically be delivered without compromising quality.
Another essential step is to always have a sampling of the menu ahead of the event. Taste the dishes, give feedback, ask questions and listen to the responses. It’s never enough to pick a menu off a printed page – it needs be directly experienced before the event unfolds.
The decoration and flower arrangements may be impressive, but food and memory are intimately intertwined, so when the day is done and dusted, the quality of the food will remain in the memories of the guests even after other details have faded away.
