Trending Flavors

Create a wedding day menu with your tastes in mind 

By Sara Santora

Thanks to social media, trend cycles are shorter than ever. What’s “in” now may be considered passé in months or weeks, and there’s no shortage of fads to participate in.  

Those planning a wedding know trends affect every part of the process, from hair and makeup to floral arrangements and decor. Even dinner and cocktail menus are affected, though SunQuest Beach Weddings’ Kristi Oliver encourages couples to think about “what makes sense to them” as opposed to social media algorithms when creating their wedding menu. 

“When I’m scrolling through TikTok or Instagram and see something go viral, I know I’ll have a bride ask about it,” Oliver said, adding: “But don’t just do a champagne tower because you’ve seen it on Instagram a million times. Let’s think of different ways to do it that feel true to your love story.”

The goal isn’t to buck trends, though you certainly can if you want to, but rather, it’s finding creative ways to rework trends so they meet your tastes, desires and needs. 

Say you love the idea of a drink tower but dislike champagne. You can try a margarita or espresso martini tower — whatever cocktail you and your partner love most. 

“We actually worked a wedding recently where the bride and groom walked around with champagne guns,” Oliver said. “That was definitely one way to liven up the dance floor.” 

Fortunately, many of the catering trends currently dominating the wedding space are customizable. For example, “build-it-yourself” food bars can be as intricate or casual as you prefer and feature almost any type of cuisine.

Oliver says shrimp and grits bars have been popular on the Emerald Coast, but they’ve also created bars centered around mac and cheese, tacos and deviled eggs. Dessert bars have also increased in appearance at receptions. 

“A lot of our couples aren’t cake people, but they love key lime pie or cheesecake,” Oliver said. “So, they’ll get a small wedding cake for the photos and cake-cutting ceremony, and then have a dessert bar or chocolate fountain available for guests to snack on.” 

Oliver has noticed couples opting to serve foods that honor their cultural backgrounds and relationship histories — an exciting trend that allows newlyweds to serve up a great story along with their meal. 

“We’ve been doing a lot of Korean barbecue and food with Asian or Hispanic influence and foods that remind couples of their first dates,” Oliver said. “It’s been really fun.” 

Traditional dinner service is being rethought in exchange for chef-attended stations, which gets the party started sooner, allowing guests to get up and mingle rather than stay seated for two hours Oliver explained. 

Experiential dining offers something truly unique. The idea of experiential dining is to expand beyond the traditional experience of simply consuming food and transcend into a memorable moment. 

“We just had an event with a roaming oyster shucker, and that was fun, especially for guests who’ve never had an oyster before,” Oliver said. “We also have a rehearsal dinner coming up where they’re doing paella. It’s going to be really fun for the guests to watch the chef prepare that.”

No matter what trends may be in style at the moment, your wedding is all about you and your partner — take what you like, leave what you don’t and create a wedding menu that you’ll enjoy. After all, you’re the one going home with all the leftovers.

Featured image by Kayla Nicole Photography