What’s Hot? What’s Not?
-By LatterDayBride
August 7th 2009
Thanks for coming back to visit our Blog. If you have a cool idea you would like to share with other brides, even something you are doing for your wedding click here to see how to submit your very own blog entry!!! If you are interested in seeing something in particular on our blog that you don't see, please don't hesitate in contacting us. See you next time!
You’ve just gotten married in the Temple, you’re on cloud nine and it’s time to start the celebration! We sat down with Mary Crafts, owner of Culinary Crafts, for some fun trends for LDS receptions.
A growing trend for LDS brides is to have food “stations” instead of a plated dinner or buffet. The goal of this type of reception is to have the guests mingle and talk to each other. And so the focus of the night is not to stay in your seat and eat your dinner, but rather to get up and visit the various food stations. Each station offers a small portion of the cuisine; only about 4-5 bites. Again, guests are encouraged throughout the evening to get up and visit all of the stations and to come back for seconds (or thirds or fourths). One station might have an Asian theme and servers are distributing small take out boxes of stir fry. Another booth might have freshly-made flaming crepes or even sliders (mini burgers) and French fries. The food then becomes a conversation piece and an ice breaker for those guests who might not yet know each other.
Another fun idea for an LDS reception is a drink bar. Custom-made or signature drinks (non-alcoholic of course!) are poured through an ice sculpture to chill them and served in gorgeous stemware. These drinks can be custom designed to fit in with whatever theme or color scheme would best fit the reception. Displaying different flavors (and colors) of lemonade along with cut fruit for garnishes makes for a lovely and decorative setup during your reception.
An appealing idea for a bride who knows she is going to have a receiving line is to have tray passed hors d’oeuvres presented to wedding guests as they wait in line. Or, if you would like to dispense with the receiving line altogether (which is what we see a majority of LDS brides doing), but you are worried about people lining up anyway, make sure the food in placed between you and the entrance. If the first line they see is a line to get some food, they will opt for that line instead!
There are culinary solutions to every bride’s wishes and desires regardless of her budget. Brides see pictures of stunning over-the-top events in magazines and assume they cannot have such a lavish event within their budget. “The trick for a bride with a modest budget,” says Mary Crafts, “is to see which parts to include giving the event an elegant feeling.” She continues: “Instead of having 10 staff circulating with butler passed hors d’oeuvres, you have just two staff passing—or instead of an entire dinner buffet, you have a stunning presentation of desserts and crepes.” It’s all about being creative and innovative to make your reception exquisite and memorable.
A major trend we are seeing is the importance of linens, chairs, unique place settings and trendy acrylic or bamboo disposables. The quality and taste of the food is still king, but the look of the entire reception plays a much more important role than in past times. “Over the last five years, we have gone from about eight linen selections to over 300,” says Mary Crafts. “We help the bride select linens that reflect her own style, whether that be a soft blush pink lamour or a zebra stripped linen.” A skilled caterer can assist you in selecting these rental items and know the number of tables, chairs and rental items needed for your reception. Mary reminds brides: “There are many new and eye-catching rental items available locally and I love to be able to recommend the perfect accent piece or lighting that will make the whole wedding-scrape perfect!”
China is always the most elegant and “green” approach to service ware; however, many brides find the costs of real china, flatware and goblets demand too much of their catering budgets. There are several nice upscale disposables which have entered the catering scene that look very real, right down to the metallic forks and crystal-faceted acrylic cups. “My favorite new offerings for receptions are the bamboo disposables,” says Mary Crafts. “Culinary Crafts has been focusing on ‘going green’ and these eco-friendly sustainably harvested bamboo disposables are certainly the wave of the future and they are really nice looking, too!”
If you are serving a menu with a more formal approach, such as a plated dinner or dinner buffet, real china is the best option. Salt Lake City is fast catching up to some of the more trendy choices you have typically only seen in bridal magazines. “Several years ago, we began to see square plates, which everyone loved, but now the choices are endless from Polka Dot China to Rectangle Sea Glass Plates to Hand-painted Iridescent Gold China,” says Mary Crafts. “You have to see all the choices to believe them!”
Every bride wants to feel her celebration is unique and not the rubber-stamp approach of decades prior. Look for ways to mix up the traditional display of placing your food flat on an eight-foot banquet table. Instead think “vertically displayed food” or on acrylic sheets that showcase the cuisine or perhaps present your food on popular “demi plates.” Old-fashioned chafers to hold hot food are out and creative open pewter trays are in. “We spend countless hours at catering trade shows and pouring over websites to find endless ideas for food display,” says Mary Crafts. “At Culinary Crafts, the food presentation and the food taste go hand-in-hand…one is not more important than the other.” Guests will eat with their eyes first, she adds.
Guests also appreciate signage that lets them know what is being served, which items feature local artisan produce or cheese, which are vegetarian, etc.
Always remember: The food is the best place to say “thank you” to your guests for being part of your special day!
Culinary Crafts
www.culinarycrafts.com
Culinary Crafts is a green pioneer. In fact, their business has been known for its environmental friendliness for years. “We feel a real responsibility to do everything we can to preserve the wonderful environment,” say owners Mary and Ron Crafts. Here are just a few ways that Culinary Crafts is trying to help out:
Local Love: Culinary Crafts uses locally produced foods and products, which reduces the environmental impact of transporting food and stimulates the local economy.
Carbon Conscious: By working through the Blue Sky Program, they are 100-percent wind powered, which means they purchase wind-power to offset all of their electricity use. Culinary Crafts also recycles their used cooking oil into biodiesel, which they use to help fuel their catering vehicles.
Old-Fashioned, All-Natural: They cook from scratch with all-natural ingredients, using organic ingredients whenever possible. By doing things the old-fashioned way, they employ more chefs and bakers, resulting in higher quality products and a positive economic impact.
Recyclable Options: All of Culinary Crafts’ cardboard, paper and aluminum is recycled. They also have two new lines of biodegradable disposable-ware, one made from corn starch and one from sustainably harvested bamboo.
* Photography by Pepper Nix Photography
Leave a Reply
