Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Keeping the price of your food and drinks reasonable

The mere thought of feeding a hundred guests makes some brides feel faint. Not only are there a multitude of decisions to be made, but also pennies to be spent. The truth is a few wise decisions can really cut the cost of your reception food and drinks without sacrificing the taste. Here's a list of tips to help make your reception affordable.


Serve simple foods
Beef and seafood entrees are usually the most expensive, so try chicken or pasta dishes. Watch the ingredient list as well. If you ask for dishes that require expensive or out-of-season ingredients (like asparagus during the fall), you'll jack up your bottom line.


Cut back on options
Choose one popular entree instead of two. This narrows your guests' options, but it is certainly less costly.


Scrap your dinner plans
A brunch or lunch reception can be just as festive at a fraction of the price. And people usually drink less at a morning or afternoon affair, so your bar tab will be significantly smaller.


Request a kid's menu
If you're inviting children to your reception, ask for smaller portions or more kid-friendly (and often less expensive) food. As your underage guests won't be toasting with champagne or downing a scotch on the rocks, ask that your bar bill reflect that as well.


Liquidate your assets
Put your cash into a tea or cocktail reception, elegant late afternoon or evening affairs without the hefty meal. For a tea reception, serve your guests tiny sandwiches, fruit and cheese, assorted desserts, a champagne punch and a variety of teas and coffees. At a cocktail reception, offer an assortment of hearty hors d'oeuvres, cake and fancy drinks.


Choose the right bar
If you're inviting a crowd of light drinkers, a consumption bar will save you money over an open bar (never, ever opt for a cash bar). If you're choosing a consumption bar, ask the waiters not to bus half-full glasses. Your guests won't have to keep going back up for fresh ones every time they rest their glass on a table, and you'll reap the windfall.


Just say no to champagne toasting
Don't serve champagne to everyone at toasting time. A lot of people don't like champagne and will be happy to toast with whatever is in their hand.


Lose the liquor
Cut back on alcohol costs by serving a delicious champagne punch or offering your guests a bar stocked with different types of wine and beer.


Try the short cake
Have your baker create a few simple tiers for the cake cutting, then stock the kitchen with additional sheet cakes.

Lose the sweet tooth
Eliminate the elaborate sweets table. Instead, choose a different flavor for each layer of cake. You can create a great selection of tortes, which you can complement with truffles, chocolate-dipped strawberries and a nice fruit display.

Cutting Your Drink Costs

Booze can suck up a considerable chunk of your budget, but there are ways to keep the bill in check.

If you've ever thrown a cocktail party, you know how easy it is to break the bank on drinks. Fortunately, with a little strategic planning, you can keep the bar tab within reason. Here's how:


Give hard liquor the heave ho
Full bars are quick to rack up a big tab, because they offer your indulgent guests too many choices. You're generally charged for each open bottle, so you'll end up paying for a whole bottle of top-shelf gin just to serve three martinis. And paying by the drink can be just as expensive. So host a wine and beer bar with plenty of tasty—but limited—selections instead.


Know your crowd
If your parents' friends love Merlot, order magnum bottles by the case and get a volume discount. And if nothing but Guinness will keep your pals happy, skip the Bud Light and order the finer brew in bulk.


Throw a brunch bash
Have a light brunch reception on a summer morning and serve mimosas or Bloody Marys. After all, most of your guests won't drink whiskey sours at 10:00 a.m. or guzzle beer for four hours in the summer heat.


Bartenders and baristas
Save money and lives by switching to a coffee bar for the last hour. Have plenty of whipped cream and shaved chocolate on hand. And ask your bartender and valet to keep an eye out for tipsy drivers.

Get creative with your drink options

It's cocktail hour at your wedding: Imagine frozen bottles of flavored vodkas (think: pepper, lemon, currant) displayed in molded ice and accompanied by chilled shot glasses or martini glasses. What a fun way to start off a party. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a traditional bar offering brand-name liquors and a selection of wine and beer. But as martinis, cosmopolitans, sidecars and other retro drinks have come into vogue, more couples are opting for a specialty bar or some other unique touch for their special day.

"Everybody was getting incredibly dull for about five years, and now they're getting over it," says Chef Rossi, catering director for The Metropolitan Building in New York, who explains that she's getting more requests for exotic themes ranging from sake bars to Cuban drinks. "Frozen bottles of vodka offered in shot glasses or as martinis and posed with caviar stations can be very sexy and fun."

With the price of liquor ranging from $10 to $60 a person, it pays to carefully plan your alcohol options. By getting creative with your drinks, you'll not only add a distinctive touch to your event, but you may end up savings some bucks as well.

Specialty Bars
With the plethora of funky martinis and other trendy drinks, it's no wonder some couples are choosing to offer a specialty drink or two at their reception. Some couples even nickname mixed drinks for themselves or some aspect of their relationship, such as where they met, and print up special drink cards or menus. Having a limited menu of drinks can save on liquor costs.
There are a number of ways to display specialty drinks. Frozen specialty vodkas look nice in ice sculptures garnished with fruit or flowers, or you may simply show the variety of bottles on the bar. Special tables or stations can also be set up, perhaps accompanied by hors d'oeuvres or appetizers. Creative caterers might add extra touches like providing retro shaker sets for bartenders and displaying festive cards at the bar describing novel cocktails. Microbrews at weddings are also popular. Some brands even offer the beer in kegs, which are less expensive.


Limit The Choices
Limiting the choices and keeping the bar as simple and basic as possible can also save money. You might opt for a beer, wine and soda bar, or a bar with only a few liquors available. Rossi of The Metropolitan Building remembers a summer wedding for which the alcoholic drink selection included just vodka, white wine and champagne. "I thought it was beautiful," she says. Some reception managers declare couples won't save much by skipping the hard liquor because a glass of wine costs about the same as a gin and tonic. If you're not offering the top-shelf brands, bottles can be displayed creatively so the labels can be hidden.

After-Dinner Drinks
Serving cordials after dinner continues to be a big tradition at weddings. This option can be as simple as having a waiter walk around with a bottle of cognac or as fancy as setting up cordial tables with a variety of finger desserts. And, as cigars continue to be popular, many couples opt to offer a selection of single malt scotches or different types of ports, both of which have become trendy accompaniments to cigars.

International coffee bars are another way to jazz up the end of a reception. "Cappuccino, espresso and other coffee drinks are very popular now," says Frances Dion, sales director of The Breakers in Spring Lake, NJ, who adds that prices can range from $3 to $5 extra.

A Taste Of Wine
This is the fun part - at least for the bride- and groom-to-be. Most reception sites offer a wine and/or champagne tasting in advance of the big day. Sometimes it's accompanied by a food tasting with a full menu, while in other circumstances, just hors d'oeuvres are served. Still other venues make a big party of it, inviting all prospective engaged couples to a tasting event. "About a month before the wedding, I'll do a formal tasting in a private room and have the butler and the maitre d' standing there," says Gary Merjian, director of catering at the St. Regis in New York.

Even if you're organizing the alcohol yourself, you can still throw your own wine tasting. "We had a fun time deciding which wines and champagnes we were going to choose - we made it an event," says Susan Copeland, who invited her wedding party over for a casual gathering and pre-wedding wine and champagne sampling.

And who says you can't offer a wine tasting at your reception? Have cards with a description of each wine printed up and displayed at a special tasting station. One couple whose chosen reception site did not allow hard liquor found a wine tasting to be a wonderful way to compensate for the limited choices offered to their guests. Couples who are offering just a wine, beer and soda bar might make the most of their liquor menu by having a wine or microbrew tasting.

Which reception noshing option to go with?

Can't decide which reception noshing option to go with? Pick the one that matches your personality.

You can't hire any of your vendors, order your invitations, or even sort out your guest list until you know rudimentary details about what the reception will be like. The food, drinks and site costs make up 50 percent of most wedding budgets, so this is no small decision.

Don't think that the Saturday-night special so favored by people in the U.S. is the only way to go. In fact, having your wedding any time BUT Saturday night is often the biggest stress-saving step you can make. Mull over this assortment of the most popular party types so you can find the one that perfectly fits your vision, your budget and your crowd. But never be afraid of getting creative on your own!


Breakfast or Brunch
A glorious greet-the-day event

YOUR STYLE: A get-up-and-go-getter, you can think of nothing better than starting a new day and your new life at the same time. To you, a morning ceremony seems somehow more spiritual, more reverential. Plus you get to spend the bulk of your wedding day cuddling with your new hubby and heading to the honeymoon.

WHAT TO SERVE: Delectable breakfast/brunch fare: croissants and fresh jams; star-anise-scented fruit salad; smoked salmon, asparagus quiche or scrambled eggs in brioche. Try an omelette station and order up butlered service for an array of coffees, teas and juices. For a festive touch, serve mimosas or bloody marys. A light white cake with fruit filling is the perfect finish.


Tea
A lighthearted, elegant afternoon affair

YOUR STYLE: You're a diehard romantic. Or maybe you're fiancé is an Anglophile who loves doing things with a royal flair. (You've both insisted that hats are required wedding-guest attire.) Or maybe you'd just love a garden party-and watching your honey say "I do" in the sunshine.

WHAT TO SERVE: Think English-finger sandwiches, savory and sweet tarts, fruit and cheese, scones and cream. Then pull out all the stops with an assortment of fine, butlered teas, champagne punch and a little coffee.


Cocktails
A bubbly, warm party of mingling

YOUR STYLE: You're a social butterfly who loves to flutter through a party. A cosmopolitan couple (who likes to drink Cosmopolitans), the two of you are fierce individuals who prefer the relaxed sophistication of a cocktail party to the formality of a sit-down event.

WHAT TO SERVE: Hors d'oeuvres are subject to endless variations: choose a few that reflect you and your groom's heritage or hometown, like Caribbean seviche, wild-boar enchiladas and more.

Since you're not serving a whole meal, you can indulge: caviar stations and iced raw bars; precious single-serving soups (butlered in Japanese miso spoons) and traditional favorites. Develop your theme at the bar-serve martinis, tropical drinks or a sampling of wines from every region.


Sit-Down Dinner
A traditional evening event with room for endless variation

YOUR STYLE: You're a conservative sort with a creative streak. You like the idea of being surrounded by friends and family-and being toasted (and roasted) by them. A carefully planned menu will be testament to you and your fiancé's fine taste, and dancing all night is definitely a must.

WHAT TO SERVE: The style of a sit-down dinner depends greatly on the location you choose, and so will the menu. You can go for tried-and-true, such as roasted chicken or pasta; to be more daring, try sea bass, Cornish hens, or even quail. For a more serious event, serve dinner and save the dancing for later. Otherwise, you can mix it up by having your first dance as the guests find their way to their tables.


Buffet Dinner
A relaxed (but not necessarily informal) affair

YOUR STYLE: You want your wedding to be perfect, but can't imagine telling people where to sit. Pleasing everyone, especially yourself, is your raison d'tre, and buffets are a great way to do both.

WHAT TO SERVE: Whatever you please-but with a bit of attention paid to the guests. If your family is Middle Eastern, serve a rich, Persian feast, and then have grilled chicken and salad greens on hand for the less-experimental types. This kind of meal service is also the best way to handle a huge wedding (which is why buffets are de rigueur in Texas!).


Dinner Stations
A foodie fantasy, where an unforgettable dinner is the main entertainment

YOUR STYLE: You just can't decide what you want, so you want it all. Or maybe you're a gourmet who would love to share that passion with your guests.

WHAT TO SERVE: Go wild! Serve all of your favorites and then some. Offer an array of pastas and sauces at one table, a carving station with prime rib at another, a seafood bar, a grill-you name it!

The guests will mix and mingle, exclaiming at each station.


Dessert Reception
An intimate, seductive late-night or afternoon event

YOUR STYLE: You have a big sweet tooth, a decadent streak and the imagination to go with it. You're also a little bit retro-50 years ago punch and cake was the treasured reception standard. If you don't like being the center of attention, or aren't planning on a lot of guests, this is a option that's often short...and always sweet.

WHAT TO SERVE: The cake, naturally. Add some chocolate-dipped fruits, tarts and tortes, candy and other confections. Top it off with champagne, dessert wines and a specialty coffee bar. The perfect masculine counterpoint is to serve single-malt scotches and cigars.

Reception Menu Roundtable

To get to the heart of the things you fret about most, I invited four brides-to-be to join me in a lively roundtable discussion about how and what to serve guests at the reception.

Reception options
Marcy: So, what sort of receptions are you planning?

Casey: We plan to seriously look at sites this summer. I want a fun cocktail reception. My fiancé thinks he may want something more elaborate, like a sit-down dinner.

Marcy: Cocktail parties are my favorite. They're shorter than the typical four hours a sit-down takes. And they're more festive. When a couple plans a sit-down, they think about what grouping of people would make a fun, conversational table. But the truth is you end up just talking to whomever is on your left and right.

Casey: I want people to mingle and talk all night. And I want to avoid how everyone gets up to dance between courses at a sit-down.

Cocktail choices
Marcy: So what's the cocktail hour all about?

Gena: We're going to have seven stations and 10 passed hors d'oeuvres. I'm excited about the baked brie station, instead of regular cheese and fruit. I'm also psyched about the caviar. We're serving it with chopped egg and onion, crackers, and iced vodka. My fiancé is psyched about the carving station and the baby lamb chops that will be passed around.

Casey: Maybe we'll have a raw bar or seafood station, and an Asian station with sushi and skewered items. I want the party to be upscale, so I'm thinking of a caviar bar. And a tapas station would be fun. Maybe we'll have an international buffet!

Nicole: My fiancé's looking forward to having a mashed potato bar-he's told all his friends about it! We're serving the potatoes in a martini glass and then you put toppings on it. It's a little detail that people will remember and it makes our wedding seem different.

Suzanne: My fiancé's really excited about having a Parisian table for dessert. It's basically wall-to-wall sweets-crepes, pies, candies, liquors.

Entree decisions
Gena: For entrees, we're definitely serving filet mignon. We're having a tasting in a few weeks to choose between cornish hen and chicken, and grouper or mahi-mahi.

Suzanne: We want to serve salmon, which is light for the summer. I'm pushing for a simple chicken option, but we're both into doing a fancy beef like chateaubriand. The caterer is offering so many options to our guests that we feel like we're getting a good deal.

Marcy: You may be getting such a deal because you're getting married outside of a major metropolitan area. There's another factor behind all the variety that you've been offered. In the past few years, many people in this country have become more sophisticated in relation to food, so items such as specialty bars, sushi, Peking duck, etc., are now offered by banquet halls. The change is wonderful.

Considering special dietary needs
Gena: It was important to both of us that we also include vegetarian choices.

Nicole: I feel like vegetarians often get left out in the cold. It's really important to consider what your guests eat. We're going to make sure we have vegetarian and kosher entree options.

Smart tip for the sit-down dinner
Gena: Another smart decision we made is combining the salad and appetizer courses by serving seared tuna over arugula. The caterer said this will give our guests 20 more minutes of dancing.

Attending pre-wedding tastings
Marcy: Tastings are one of the most fun parts of wedding planning. They bring you and your groom together in a relaxed setting to decide on things in tandem. Take notes, make doodles, ask questions. Chefs will get a kick out of your interest and it will show in the final product.

Gena: At our tasting, I'm planning on bringing the chef a cookbook from my favorite bakery. They make these cupcakes that I love, and he's promised to make our cake taste exactly the same.

Suzanne: We had a tasting of food and wine before we agreed to book our site. We'd heard mixed reviews about the place, and we wanted to make sure it was going to be good. And it was.

Marcy: It's unusual that a place will give you a tasting before you book.

Compromising
Nicole: We haven't done our tasting yet. Both sets of parents will join us. It will be harder for us to make decisions with them there, but we know this day isn't just about us. We want to make sure there's something there for everyone. They don't like sushi, for example, but we do and so do our friends. And they'll want traditional Jewish food there that you'd find at a temple.

Marcy: Bringing your parents into the loop on something they care about is a good idea, but it's not easy to strike a balance between what you want and what your parents want.

Drinks
Marcy: What about the bar?

Nicole: We're not big drinkers, but we'll have top-shelf liquor (best-quality items like name-brand vodka) all night. And we thought it'd be fun to serve frozen drinks since we're getting married Labor Day weekend.

Marcy: Great idea! Guests will love that.

Pricing
Marcy: So let's get to how your menu is being priced.

Nicole: On a per-person basis. As it gets closer to our date the extras will be priced for us.

Marcy: There are so many ways to price things, depending on where you live and the banquet facility. Some places charge per person for upgraded stations, such as sushi, seafood or carved meats, and others charge a round number.

Nicole: Not everything we want is fancy or costs extra. We're having a really simple wedding cake. But we're also having a make-your-own-sundae bar.

Marcy: Another great idea. The more things you serve to delight your guests, the more fun the wedding is for everyone. Isn't that what a wedding is all about?

Ideas for hosting an hors d'oeuvres-only reception

Somewhere between the sit-down party and dessert soiree comes the hors d'oeuvres and cocktails reception. Sophisticated and somewhat simpler to arrange, this event style is often held in the early or late evening.


What's on the menu?
A good caterer will be able to offer a tantalizing variety of tidbits. “Send out waiters bearing trays with scrumptious little bites, and set out luxurious cheese and fruit displays,” says Lisa Milbrand, associate editor of Modern Bride magazine. “Aim for a variety of hors d'oeuvres: from upscale caviar bars and shrimp and oysters on ice, to more quotidian fare like mini-quiches and stuffed mushrooms.”

A little advice

While we love this party idea, there are two points of caution. First, any guests expecting a five-course meal may feel shortchanged. Consider stating on your reception card enclosure that a “cocktail reception” follows your ceremony—this way they can choose to have an early dinner before the festivities. Also, don't be deceived by the words “hors d'oeuvres.” If you're not careful, the bill could rival that of the finest sit-down affair. Watch the budget as you make up your menu.


Now for the drinks
Now for the cocktail end of things. Again, dollars come into play in a big way, so clearly price out your ideas. The good news? Today's bar options are on the rise. “Offer your favorite specialty drinks,” says Milbrand. “Look into a martini bar: cosmopolitans and gimlets; a tropical drink station for pia coladas and fruit daiquiris; or a wine-tasting bar with everything from Syrahs to Rieslings.”


Let's mingle
Like the hors d'oeuvres idea? Great—just know your crowd. Guests probably stand and mingle at this type of reception more than any other. The upside of that is you get to skip the whole seating-chart saga. And since you provide tables for only 30 percent of attendees, you save on centerpieces. Now that's food for thought.

The Wedding Brunch Reception

Hey, early birds! A greet-the-morning event may be a perfect reception option for you.

Welcome to the ins and outs of a variety of reception styles—right down to the menu. Here, wedding planner assembles all the elements for a delightful brunch reception.


Why have a brunch reception?
There are many reasons to consider celebrating your nuptials with a brunch. First, it can be a more economical alternative to a later meal—yet one that doesn’t trumpet your frugality. Hotels, restaurants and catering halls charge less for a daytime meal than an evening one, including space-rental fees. Also, it’s not necessary to serve alcohol at brunch—most people are not quite up to imbibing when they’ve barely gotten out of bed—and this can save you a bundle. Meanwhile, the food you’ll be serving is yummy and comforting—a leisurely breakfast is such a decadent luxury in this day and age. Décor needn’t be elaborate at this late-morning event.

The very idea of a brunch connotes informality. Lovers-of-all-things-relaxed will appreciate the fact that this party doesn’t require layers of chiffon tablecloths, tubfuls of Casablanca lilies or hours of conga lines. Guests not only don’t expect to dance this early in the day—they are probably too sleepy to even think about it. Background music provided by a pianist, bluegrass trio, or even a well-chosen selection of jazz CDs is enough to put everyone in the mood.
Of course, the best reason of all for a brunch reception is that your guests will love it!


What is a brunch reception?
Convivial and informal, a wedding brunch is celebrated by a late breakfast or early lunch. A brunch is best suited for a wedding of not more than 100 guests—otherwise it’s hard to keep it feeling relaxed. While there are no definitive rules, a brunch usually starts between 11 a.m. and noon. (Keep in mind, your ceremony would need to be held about an hour before.) Announce that it’s a brunch on your invitation. Guests will realize they are being invited to a cool and casual wedding—no formal dress required and no etiquette police in attendance.


The place
You could host a brunch anywhere, of course, but there are certain venues that seem most harmonious with the hour: a hotel or banquet space with plenty of windows and light. A fireplace is heavenly in the winter; garden views are great in warmer months. Find a space that looks cheerful in the daytime. The site itself should feel informal, cozy and welcoming—couches and overstuffed armchairs are big plusses. Go with a light color palette, and less formal materials like burlaps and cottons. The best brunches have the feel of being in someone’s home.


The big picture

INVITATIONS
Starting with your invitations, keep the feeling light, unfussy and simple, but not boring! I chose a group of handmade cards from Studio Daedre (888/454-5317). The design of a vibrant bouquet of flowers worked well for the menu, invitation and place cards; the center of the flowers are embedded with silver glitter, adding a bit of glitz without too much glam for a daytime wedding.

Glorie Austern of the Calligraphy Company, Secaucus, NJ, hand-lettered the pieces in matching violet ink. Keep your stationery choices for this party simple, otherwise your invitation might be incongruous with the mood you are creating. Work with your printer to find bright colors and less formal typefaces that convey the spirit of the day.

TABLE SETTINGS
For the table setting, hammock-stripe place mats and a table runner from TAG (800/621- 8350) placed over a wooden table proclaim this a sunny, informal party. The lush-yet- understated centerpiece was created by Jen Stone of Stonekelly Events and Florals, New York City. It’s a wonderful combination of full blossoms emerging from a glass- encased still life of floating limes.

The table is set with crisp white china and wooden-handle cutlery from Tri Serve Party Rental, New York City. I completed the look with playful crayon-color ball candles from TAG. Everything works in concert for a table that’s pretty, festive and not at all imposing.

FAVORS
Charming scented favors—miniature apple and pear candles—can be presented in beribboned boxes as take-home tokens of thanks.


The Menu
Brunch means hearty breakfast foods:: waffles, pancakes, hash browns, smoked salmon, and eggs Benedict. I’ve hosted brunches where the whole meal centered around caviar and crème fraîche omelettes. You can also use fruits and veggies in abundance, for a healthy, light repast. Mmmm—but there are lots of other possibilities, too.

I called superstar chef David Burke (the quintessentially American chef for the quintessentially American meal) to help me create an out-of-the-ordinary food fantasy. Chef Burke, the VP of culinary development for the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group, created a meal that has a lot more spunk and elegance than breakfast, but is still light enough to keep your guests awake for the cake-cutting.

Before the meal I suggest a half hour for cocktails. It gives everyone time to shift moods after the emotions of the ceremony and before they sit down to eat. If you do decide to serve drinks, there are many that seem made for this hour of the day: the classic mimosa (champagne and orange juice) embellished with raspberry syrup; Ramos Gin Fizz; Bloody Marys and the like. For this reception, I created a cocktail (the Blushing Bride) as much for the visual appeal as for the flavor.

For the passed hors d’oeuvres I selected Gourmet Pops (available at GourmetPops.com and Les Chateaux de France, 516/239-6795), a new creation of David Burke’s: swanky, sophisticated ”lollipops” made of foie gras, goat cheese or smoked salmon. Each is only one bite, and they are the perfect palate teasers for the meal to follow.

As for the wedding cake, you certainly could go all out if you desire to, but brunch doesn’t call for an elaborate, flower-and-frosting-laden extravaganza. You might opt for homespun strawberry shortcake, a layered pound cake or a simple banana cake. I stayed the course here and asked the great retro-style Buttercup Bake Shop (212/350- 4144) to conjure a wedding cake in keeping with the day. The result was a buttery, rich, lemon Bundt cake garnished with sugared fruits—beautiful in its simplicity, and one that works well with fruit kebobs for dessert.

COCKTAIL
Blushing Bride

  • 2 ounces pineapple juice
  • 2 ounces orange juice
  • 1 ounce vodka
  • grenadine
Put 2 cubes of pineapple and 1/2 strawberry in the bottom of a highball glass. Fill with juices, add vodka and stir. Finish with a drizzle of grenadine. Garnish with a lime wedge, strawberry and sprig of fresh mint.

PASSED HORS D'OEUVRES
Smoked Salmon Pops
Hudson Valley Foie Gras Pops
Goat Cheese Pops

FIRST COURSE
Chilled Shrimp and Asparagus with Gazpacho Vinaigrette

  • 16 to 20 asparagus spears
  • 8 to 12 shrimp
Peel and blanch asparagus in salted boiling water—cool in ice water and dry. Boil shrimp in same liquid for about 3 minutes, then peel and de-vein. Chill.

Gazpacho Vinaigrette

  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1/4 cucumber (peeled, seeded and chopped)
  • 1/2 clove garlic
  • 3 tablespoons red-wine
  • vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Puree all ingredients together. Let sit for a few hours and chill. Place 4 to 5 asparagus spears facing down on the plate, top with 2 to 3 shrimps and drizzle with vinaigrette. Garnish with lemon wedge and cilantro.

MAIN COURSE
Veal Steak and Eggs with Zucchini/Crab Fritters and
Red Pepper Marmalade
Green Bean Salad, Shoe-String Potatoes

DESSERT
Strawberry and Mango Kebobs with Orange Mint Syrup

WEDDING CAKE
Buttercup Bake Shop Lemon Bundt

Know Your Catering Lingo

Want to talk food like a pro with your wedding caterer? Then put on your learning cap and get to know these terms.

Are French and Russian service completely foreign to you? What does your caterer mean by a gratuity? Here's a handy translation of the terms your caterer uses so you can speak her language fluently.

Buffet. Guests help themselves from large displays of food. Buffets are great for offering a variety of dishes and allowing guests to pick and choose.

Cocktail Reception. This elegant type of reception usually runs from around 4 to 7 p.m. and features substantial hors d'oeuvres or a light buffet.

Consumption Bar. The bartenders keep a running tab, and you pay the final bill at the end of the evening, based on how much your guests drank. A good idea if your guests are light drinkers.

Entree. The main course of your reception meal.

Family Style. Platters of food are placed at each table and guests pass the platters around and serve themselves.

Food Stations. The hottest trend in reception dining. Similar to buffet service in that guests serve themselves, but instead of one long table, food is divided into several themed locations, such as a pasta or seafood table .

French Service. No, your waiters will not be wearing berets when they serve your meal. Instead, expect waiters to serve each guest individually from a tray held by another waiter.

Gratuity. In simpler terms, the tip. Caterers usually include this 20 percent fee in their final tally.

Groom's Cake. A Southern tradition that's spread nationwide, this cake, served at the rehearsal dinner or reception, can be any color, shape or flavor (fruitcake is traditional) and is usually decorated to reflect a hobby or interest of the groom's. Your superstitious unmarried friends may want to save a little cake to put under their pillows that night in the hopes they'll dream of their future spouses.

Mixed Drinks. Drinks that require more than one ingredient or special mixing equipment. Providing them at your reception could raise the bar tab.

Off-Site Locations. Reception sites that have few or none of the services and supplies you need. You will need to contract for everything from food to silverware.

On-Site Location. Reception sites that offer nearly everything you need, from catering and bar service to tables and linens.

Open Bar. You pay a flat fee for your guests to drink all night.

Plated Service. The plates are already full of food when they're brought from the kitchen and placed in front of your seated guests.

Poured Drinks. Easy-to-make drinks—the ones require only one ingredient and aren't shaken or stirred.

Premium Brands. Top-of-the-line liquors. You'll pay more if you stock the bar with these “name” brands instead of cheaper, generic house brands.

Russian Service. Similar to French service, except the extremely coordinated waiters hold the trays of food in one hand and serve the guests with the other.

Tray/Butlered Service. Waiters walk among your guests with trays of hors d'oeuvres or drinks.