Planning Your Wedding

[Rosie]

How did you decide what to serve at your wedding? Was it easy to pick out a menu because of your knowledge of food? Or was it harder because you do know food? Any advice for people who are planning a catered event?

[Amanda]

i think our wedding menu was the easiest part of planning our wedding. we had hired a caterer (dan barber) whose work we knew well. we had complete confidence in him. he knew we'd want everything to be seasonal (which is how he cooks) and that nothing should be too fussy. we let him come up with a menu and we pretty much went with everything he suggested. for fun we played around with the utensils. the first course was served without any so you ate it with your hands. the second course was served with chopsticks. the third with a fork and spoon and dessert, which was layered in a tall glass, was served with a long thin spoon. on the menu, the first course was covered with a label with a picture of two hands, the second with chopsticks, etc, and guests had to peel off the labels to see what was being served.

i guess my suggestion would be to find a chef whose food you love -- it eliminates a lot of the anxiety. and i would always recommend seasonal cooking because it simplifies your choices. if you're getting married in december, then asparagus wouldn't even be an option.