Food, glorious food.
While wedding food has always been a key element in a couple’s planning, these days catering is seen as, not just a means to feed your guests, but also as a way to show a little personality, and set the tone for your celebration.
And wedding food stations are one way to take it up a notch (and then some.) While we have been seeing the rise of the dessert table for a while now, we’re predicting couples and caterers will get more and more creative with their food station offerings in 2017.
So, to help us know our Buddha bowls from our brunch station, the wonderful Emma Riddell of event caterers, Goose & Berry (who you may remember from this great cocktail hour post), is sharing her food station ideas, along with hunger-inducing pictures of her creations.
Over to you, Emma…
One of the key wedding food trends we are bound to see feature heavily this year is food stations.
Informal dining seems to be the way forward and is something that we have seen requested by couples more and more over the past couple of years.
Sharing platters have been huge but now, couples want more variety and less formal structure to their wedding food. They want yummy food in abundance and food stations are such a great idea to provide this; used in the reception, evening food or the main showcase of the day.
The wider foodie world has seen a culmination of cultures and street food has had quite a moment recently. These have all influenced wedding and event catering and couples are wanting in on the action; from personal tastes and dining habits to providing guests with something a little different and fun.
There are several types of food stations that you could have and we at Goose & Berry can create. Here are a few ideas to whet your appetite.
Antipasti
Incorporating lots of different materials such as wood, marble, glass etc. will give your antipasti station the ‘wow factor’ it deserves.
Traditionally served as a first course in its country of origin – Italy, why not serve in replacement of a seated starter?
Think bountiful amounts of charcuterie, pickled veg, fruit, cheese, breads and dips. Dress your station with herbs and green foliage; add a splash of colour with beetroot dips and various delicious fruit. (Blood oranges, raspberries, figs).
Cheese Stations
The cheese station is an oldie but a goodie and there is such a variety to choose from, that there is bound to be something that everyone will love.
Pair your cheeses with items that will enhance the tastes – go crazy with fruits (dried or fresh), chutneys and crackers.
Stack rounds of cheeses with some huge doorstopper slabs and surround with all the other edible goodies. You can keep the styling fairly simple, much like your antipasti, wood and marbles look great – make it all about the cheese!
Raw or Sushi Bar
Why not opt for a sushi bar at your wedding? Particularly fitting if you’re lucky enough to be tying the knot on beach or you’ve chosen a nautical theme, your guests can graze upon fresh, vibrant flavours whilst enjoying a glass of bubbles.
Prawns, mussels, oysters and crab are great to add in if you want to make it more of a seafood station and think about serving ceviche with a seaweed salad – so on trend now.
Serve your sushi in Perspex trays filled with crushed ice, use whites and metallic to compliment and draw attention to the sushi. Brighten up your stall with fresh flowers.
Dessert/Patisserie Station
Did someone say dessert? The most versatile of all food stations, make it all about one dessert whether that be cupcakes, waffles or ice cream.
Alternatively choose desserts that you and your partner both love, let your guests indulge themselves in your favourite sweet treats.
Endless Food Station Ideas
If they don’t tickle your fancy, we can be as creative as your taste buds want us to be.
We love trying out news ideas and foodie themes. Some other food station ideas we love are:
Canapé Grazing Station – canapés beautifully presented on a stationery platform as opposed to handed round to guests.
Afternoon Tea/Scone Station – Scones, tea and jam.
Brunch Station – think salmon, bagels, crushed avocado, bacon, eggs.
Chilli/Taco Bar – Construct your own chilli/taco bowls.
Buddha Bowls/Poke Bowl – a slightly healthier option to a chilli/taco bar.
Street Food – Go wild with flavours and food from certain countries – Asian food is so now, those steamed buns, noodle boxes and salads would be perfect.
Best of British/Picnic – Imagine yourself outside on a summer’s day where you can help yourself to pies, sausage rolls and Scotch eggs.
Colour Trend – mix a selection of food but style and theme it with a particular colour or trend – we love copper and would love to create one using copper props.
The options are endless and food stations provide such a wealth of variety, tastes and combinations for you and your guests to feast on.
How To Set Up a Food Station
Once you have choose a theme or food selection which may be linked to the overall style of your wedding, think about how you want it presented or served.
Firstly where would you like them to be; outside, near to the dining tables, in different parts of the venue?
You could use a simple table and dress it to the nines, perhaps an old cart or create a stall out of old crates and wood depending on your style. Dress with linens, florals and props; adding depth by using different sized cake stands, boxes and objects to create height and textural elements.
Food could be self-service or served by waiting staff.
We can’t wait to create some food station magic for our couples this year and beyond and love the options available.
Have you thought about having a food station? We would love to hear more and be able to help with your wedding catering if we can – yummy and good looking food is our speciality!
Goose & Berry are a luxury catering, wedding & event company who specialise in weddings, social and corporate events.
They are based in Marlow & London and cover London, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and the Home Counties.
Visit their website, or check out their beautiful work on Instagram.
