Your wedding is a special rite of passage from one life stage to another; a day that feels at times like a fairy tale. It’s a day that many young girls and boys dream about and plan for years before they meet their beau. In many ways, planning your big day can feel like producing a Hollywood movie because it takes a lot of preproduction before the event ever begins.
Your bridal production includes making many decisions, including choosing the perfect dinner menu for your special event. Attending a wedding tasting is a great way to help you choose just the right dishes. In fact, a wedding tasting is a delicious and fun way to discover the best dishes for you and your guests.
What Happens at a Wedding Tasting?
Similar to a wine tasting, a wedding tasting presents a caterer's food options. You sample foods and decide which ones you want for your wedding.
A chef and team focus on the culinary styles and dishes that they have mastered. The selection should include dishes that have proven popular at previous events plus new and trendy choices.
Although a caterer will naturally have certain areas of strength, an extraordinary culinary team remains flexible and ready to satisfy special requests. Every wedding dinner needs to accommodate issues like food allergies or religious dietary traditions.
Types of Wedding Tastings
There are two general types of wedding tastings. You either have a small intimate tasting with a caterer you've already hired or attend a tasting hosted by a caterer or wedding and event venue.
During a small wedding tasting, you and the chef will fine-tune your menu. You'll make a final decision about the main dishes, sides, and salads. You also might adjust some things like a sauce's seasoning.
Larger wedding tasting events are meant for multiple couples to attend and consider their food options. These hosted tastings can be a lot of fun, and you get to meet other couples who are also planning their wedding.
You can expect a buffet format that presents many dishes. The portions will likely be small because you'll be sampling many different foods.
A wedding tasting at an event venue also gives you an opportunity to:
- Tour banquet facilities
- Examine china, drinkware, and linen choices
- Consider decorations
- Discuss options for wine, beer, or cocktails
Quick Tips About Wedding Tastings
If you're planning on attending multiple wedding tastings during your search for a caterer, try not to schedule them too closely together. You'll need time to ponder several points, including:
- Food selection
- Food quality
- Food presentation
- Food budget
Give yourself the mental space to evaluate the variables before diving into your next tasting event.
Consider who, other than your betrothed, will attend the tasting. Try to keep that number small, so you don't have to juggle and consider too many different opinions. This could distract you from the best decision for you and your future spouse.
Time Invested in Food Planning Is Worth It
Your food decisions for the wedding are significant and not just for your satisfaction but also your guests. The best wedding dinner pleases the people who have taken the time to attend your event and wish you well.
Throughout many cultures, weddings represent a time for thanking family members, friends, and colleagues for the value that they have brought to your life. For this reason, part of the wedding dinner's purpose is to serve as an expression of gratitude.
Your effort to pick fabulous food will be worthwhile. It's not uncommon for people to remember a fine wedding dinner years later.
Take Notes As You Taste
You may have a sharp mind for details, but you shouldn't assume that you'll remember everything. Dishes you dislike might stick out in your memory more than the details of what foods should be on your shortlist.
Approach the process like a casting director trying to identify the best people for each role, except you are evaluating food.
To capture every detail during a wedding tasting:
- Take notes about your impression of each food
- Take pictures of dishes on your phone
Gathering information about everything presented ensures that you won't miss crucial details to make the right choices.
You may discover a dish that is really close but not quite right. When that happens, feel free to discuss the dish with the caterer. Communication is a big part of any wedding tasting. A chef can often change something that makes the dish precisely to your liking.
Planning for Dietary Restrictions
Most people have to take into account food allergies or other dietary restrictions when planning a wedding dinner. Catering chefs are well informed about this subject and ready to fulfill requirements. Ask your caterer if the food ingredients will be available for guests to see before they eat or pick out an entree.
You should find dishes designed to avoid the most common types of food allergens or dietary restrictions at a wedding tasting. For this reason, you may not see many options that include peanuts or shellfish.
Although you want to make options available for guests who have food safety issues to consider, you should feel free to plan the meal around your tastes. You deserve a special dinner on your big day, and you don't have to forgo a preferred entree to please a finicky sibling or cousin.
Go Beyond the Banquet Table
Choosing the venue for your wedding and reception is not limited to what will be on your plate. You may wish to consider the benefits of an all-inclusive wedding venue that offers:
- Beautiful settings for photos
- Guest accommodations and amenities
- On-site catering with full planning support
Bella Collina provides all of these things for happy couples planning their dream weddings. We've built a Tuscany-inspired club with the best amenities amid lush hills and lakes.
Our 1,900-acre country club community is an absolute jewel within Central Florida and is only minutes from Orlando. Throughout the year, we schedule wedding tastings that feature food and the latest trends for table toppers and floral displays.
Don't miss your chance to experience the luxurious surroundings of Bella Collina at our next wedding tasting. Our venue can host large lavish receptions or small intimate gatherings.
View our upcoming signature tasting events schedule and contact us today about your upcoming nuptials.
