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Receptions in the past offered you either a sit-down extravaganza or a
stand-up buffet dinner. In either case, your food was limited to what was
brought to you on the plate or to the three choices in buffet line. With today's
new expanding tastes and a break from traditional, many couples are opting for
food stations.
Food stations is the best of both worlds. It has more variety than a buffet
yet the elegance of a sit down dinner. Guests can choose which foods interest
them and rotate to different stations to sample. Attendants usually man each
station to provide assistance or even culinary flair, such as Japanese cooking.
Consider this scenario: A beautiful reception hall is decorated with twinkle
lights and cascading flowers. Each guest sits down to a lovely table with
champagne flutes, shining silverware and elaborately folded napkins.
Introductions of the wedding party are made and then it is time to eat. A
quick stroll around the room reveals six round tables, each manned by a tuxedoed
attendant. The first stop is a plethora of seafood: clams, scallops, peel and
eat shrimp, crab cakes and sushi.
The next table offers a cornucopia of vegetables: green beans with almonds,
pralined sweet potatoes, twice baked potatoes, and an array of raw vegetables.
Next in line is the bread table. Six varieties of bread from marbled rye to
pumpernickel are arranged on platter next to lox, herbed butters and a selection
of cheeses.
The fourth table is a variety of fruits. Quince, kiwi, and star fruit round
out the staples of grapes, pineapple and strawberries.
The fifth table offers three delectable meats: hand carved roast beef,
individual filet mignon, and chicken marsala.
The last table is a mountain of desserts. Chocolate truffles, buttery
cookies, miniature fruit pies surround your wedding cake top. Food stations
allow you to participate in another new trend: having a small wedding cake tier
at each individual table in order to avoid the rush at the cake table.
Food stations allow for a variety of food without the cramped lines at the
buffet table. Guests can bypass the meat table if they are vegetarians or skip
the seafood table if they are allergic to shell fish. It also allows for
mingling and interaction between the guests as they peruse the food selections.
Another take on the food station trend is to offer a different nationality or
style of food at each table. A table offering only French food could extend
trays of cheeses, croissants, French onion soup, and chicken cordon bleu. The
Italian table can supply garlic bread, fettuccine, ziti and chicken parmigiana.
A Mexican table provides tiny tacos, nachos, burritos and salsas. Your guests
will be taking a trip around the world as they circle the reception hall.
Whether you choose grouped food stations or an international flavor, you
guests will be sure to find something they like. |
