Your reception menu

A reception menu is a challenge because the tastes of varying age groups and eating habits of your guests will vary from the sophisticated to the down-home.

This is one of the benefits of having a buffet, which can showcase avariety of foods. The downside of the buffet is that especially at a large wedding lining up for food is not always a pleasant experience for guests, especially if lines are long and food is cold before guests get back to their table.

Beware of choosing your personal food favourites for the dinner, especially if these foods tend to be either spicy or otherwise not acceptable to the average taste. Plated dinners should be more traditional. Indulge in way-out or more unusual choices during the cocktail hour. This is the time to be original. Serve sorbet between courses to clear the palate. It's not a necessity, but it is a nice touch. Avoid entrées such as beef Wellington or lobster in phyllo dough for weddings of more than 150. The pastry, when left sitting, can get soggy. Consider not having a single entrée, but serve five to seven small courses, served tapas-style on small plates. This will give enough variety to please most taste buds.