From Cocktail Party to Dessert Bar:
A Guide to Choosing Your Wedding Menu
By: Bruce Mullen – Director of Banquets
The Rittenhouse Hotel
You have been planning your wedding for months now, but you haven’t given a thought yet to what food you are going to serve your guests.
No matter whether your wedding is formal or informal, the food is a very important detail. And not only is the food important; but, who is preparing the food, and how it will be served is just as important.
The Cocktail Party
Within the last few years, the cocktail party has become a very popular part of the overall wedding day. The food could be seasonal in nature, or it could be a compilation of your all-time favorites. Talk directly with your culinary team at your venue and ask them to come up with menus and ideas that are not their norm, but rather creative.
The seating for this type of affair is not organized, and the guests are encouraged to graze, rather than eat in courses. Food can be organized in stations, and served on smaller plates so that guests do not necessarily have to be seated. Arrange to have seating scattered throughout the room, and secure some seats for your more senior guests, or guests of honor and your parents.
Ring the Dinner Bell
The traditional “chicken or fish” dinner is what most people think of when they are invited to a wedding. However, here is where you have the opportunity to exploit your chef’s strengths! Utilize your tastes and their flair to create an unbelievable gastronomic delight for your guests. The culinary selections you make here are very important because you limit your guests to what you have selected for them to dine on.
My Chef here at The Rittenhouse, Mary Lochary has been at the hotel for 13 years. Her creative talents are an extraordinary gift that she shares with many brides. She has an eye for the dramatic and produces dishes and food that is truly iconic.
“We are not your traditional hotel, and therefore not your traditional banquet food,” says Mary, “ We make sure all the food we serve is restaurant quality. We handle any and all special requests such as Gluten free, Vegan, nut free, dairy free just as serious as the guest does. It is important to me that it is handled seamlessly so the guest doesn’t feel as they are a burden because of their special diet”
That passion is what you want to see from your chef. After all that person is like your personal chef, for your night!
Four-Course is the New Three-Course
One trend we’ve seen increasing here at The Rittenhouse over the past several years is the introduction of a four course meal. This includes a hot appetizer, a salad, an entrée, and a dessert. People are moving away from the traditional three course meal.
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