My wife’s nephew was married in a country inn in upstate New York recently and we don’t miss weddings in my wife’s family. It’s against the law of my in-laws.
I’ve been to quite a few weddings in my day, including a couple of my own and, as we all know, the highlight for many of the guests is not the ceremony or the love between the happy couple. It’s the food.
So, being in the food business as I am, I always take an interest in seeing what other caterers are serving these days. Additionally, my daughter just happens to be one of the premier wedding designers and planners in New York, so there is extra interest. And by the way, that’s not my own prejudice speaking. She just designed the biggest event during Bridal Fashion Week for TheKnot.com, the most highly regarded site for weddings on the Internet.
As in almost any endeavor, one can spend a fortune or not. And while the focus of the event really shouldn’t be on how well you were fed or if your thirst had been quenched with top shelf liquor or grandpa’s home-made wine, that’s usually the measure we hear about.
I have no idea who planned or paid for our nephew and new niece’s wedding. But we do know that they planned it themselves, following many of the instructions they found on the aforementioned TheKnot.com. Bravo to them. That’s how they found this country inn. It’s also how they found the caterer. Bravo again.
Cocktails following the ceremony were accompanied by three different food stations. One had very nice canapes. One had “growin’-up comfort food” like three different types of sliders, sweet potato fries, onion straws and deep fried mac-n-cheese balls. And there was a raw bar with delicious lying cake fresh seafood.
The sit-down dinner was great, too, but I won’t bore you with the details. The caterer was clearly experienced in these matters. Kudos again. That goes for the cake maker, too. My sister-in-law, also an aunt of the groom, has a small wedding cake business in another part of New York, and she was very impressed.
On the other hand, I’ve been to weddings where it’s quite clear that money does not necessarily beget taste. Self-serve spaghetti and meat balls pre-ceremony – really? Saltines out of the box and dips still in their grocery store containers?
Are you kidding me? I put on a tie for this?
I was very happy for this couple, but felt sorry for the guests, myself included. Yes, I know the focus really shouldn’t be on the food … but in the true example I just cited, that’s what happened.
As a caterer, I’ve accommodated both big and small budgets. You can still make a great impression on your guests without spending a fortune. The essential quality is taste – the kind that can’t be quantified. Either you have it or you don’t. And if you aren’t certain, my guess is that you know someone who does.
Ask. Then after the officiant does the pronouncing, have fun at your party and don’t worry about what you’ve provisioned for your guests.
I’ll be talking about and remembering my nephew’s wedding for some time. I’ll also talk about the other wedding.
But my memories will be jogged by entirely different reasons.