Wedding Wednesday: The Food

This week we're talking food. M and I get pretty excited about delicious noms and knew we wanted a nice spread for our guests. The cuisine was one of our priorities (up there with good photography), so we handpicked our menu items and knew after the tasting that we were in for a treat!

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the chef at the clubhouse of the private neighborhood where the wedding took place, which made transport and logistics related to food much easier. We wanted a Mediterranean spread and had a variety of food preferences of which we wanted to be considerate (veggie bride, vegan MOH, kiddos, gluten-free and carb-conscious guests), so we favored the Italian region in our primary offerings, while still incorporating lots of fresh, delish veggies and a salad bar with toppings galore. We kept the protein separate from the carbs and veggies, so all palates were (hopefully) happy.

I sincerely tried not to nickel-and-dime our vendors to death, but this little girl was trying to pack max elegance into a (relatively) modest budget, so I didn't hesitate to brainstorm with our team for ways to spend wisely. For example, I'd much rather include premium cheeses on our welcome platter and spring for extra veggie options than have real silver serveware. So we switched out silver rental items for stainless and saved quite a bit. (I mean, we can't forsake the manchego budget, y'all.)

We rented white square plates for dinner (I just don't trust flimsy materials when people are noshing meatballs in their party clothes), while the cups, silverware and cake plates were purchased from Bgreen Today. I know there are fancier options out there, but we opted for sustainable party-throwing over aesthetics. (Though I have to say that their offerings are great and the materials held up nicely. Great company to work with, too!)

We offered a selection of beers, wine (red and white), soda, iced tea and water to accompany our spread. Like our flowers, we purchased the beverages from Costco. Our local Costco accepts returns on unopened wine, so we didn't have to worry about overbuying nor running dry mid-way through the evening. (A membership just for the wedding pays for itself.) For service at the built-in bar, we simply hired a TABC-certified bartender through our chef, and asked a few adults to keep an eye on the giant galvinzed trough near the dance floor that held our selection of beers, soda and water.)

Now the cake...oh, the cake. Our friend happens to be a baking goddess, so I was more than a little stoked when she offered to do our cakes. We wanted simple lines, elegant, but more than anything, silly yummy. And she delivered. Big time.

Wedding cake: lemon cake with raspberry white chocolate cream cheese filling, amaretto cake with almond buttercream filling, carrot cake with white chocolate cream cheese filling, all layers finished with Italian buttercream frosting

The groom's cake: chocolate mint with chocolate Italian buttercream frosting

While a full-blown dinner isn't necesarily expected at weddings these days, we wanted our guests to settle in and stay a while. (Especially since it was a decent drive to our venue, not to mention required shuttle service to the front door.) A hearty meal with lots of options is exactly what we would serve to guests in our home, so it felt only appropriate to scale it out and ensure our menu reflected our desire to make our nearest and dearest feel right at home.

All photos by: Kim Hayes Photography (DFW)

Chef: Wade Goodmay

Menu cards: Winnie (My sweet step-sister)

Venue: Private residence in Granbury, TX

{More of our wedding details}

The Flowers

Bridal Details
The Reception