By Christopher F. Ives, Founder & Executive Chef
Right now you may be sitting at the pool or the Jersey Shore basking in the sun, but soon, the weather will turn chilly and the fall wedding season here in NJ will be in full swing.
Clients rely on our Sir Ives wedding planning team to offer education and recommendations on up-to-the-minute catered wedding trends.
Everyone wants their wedding reception celebration to be unique and memorable. To do this, you need to be creative and surprise your guests with some original and unexpected flourishes.
There is no better way to accomplish this that with your wedding meal.
Worry no more—we’ve got you covered with these fresh and inventive ideas for your fall wedding menu, corporate event or special occasion:
Specialty Cocktail with Your Personal Stamp
The Hot Toddy.
Embrace a festive and warming hot toddy presented to your guests with sugared rims and a cinnamon stick for some swizzle. Still can’t part with champagne? Spice it up with super-slim cinnamon sticks and continue the crystalized sugar rim theme.
Reinventing the Salad Starter
Couples continue to forego the same-old salad course for more interesting options. For fall weddings, a popular alternative is soup. To carry it off, it’s all about presentation and flavor–consider squash bisque served in little hollowed-out pumpkins or butternut squash soup ladled over crumbled blue cheese.
Seafood-based starters are also very popular, but you can bypass the standard crab cakes in favor of flavorful smoked salmon or fish mousse.
If you do opt for a salad appetizer, add a seasonal element–aged cheddar, pumpkin seeds, grapes, or figs.
Entertaining Entrees
You can’t go wrong with the classics – filet mignon, roasted chicken, and salmon will always be crowd-pleasers. Also consider rack of lamb or thick, delicious pork chops. I like Cornish hens instead of chicken for a more stylish alternative.
Trending down: Dessert bars
It’s over. People are weary of the over-the-top dessert bars with more sweet selections than most stomachs can handle.
Wedding desserts are moving in a more simple and elegant direction. Yes, there is “the cake,” of course (which is a topic worthy of its own blog post).
But other feature desserts we are suggesting to clients for fall 2015 NJ weddings include:
- caramel-coated lady apples on cinnamon sticks
- an apple cider donut suspended on a demitasse spoon over a shot glass of milk
- small-scale warmed apple pie a la mode served in martini glasses
When you find the right wedding caterer to work with (and we hope it’s us!) impress upon them your desire to serve a few special items during your meal that are inventive and unexpected.
By doing so, you express to your guests how much you care about them and that you made a special effort to show your appreciation by serving a very special wedding menu.