Summer Dinner Ideas Please!

vmiller_21

I need some help knotties!  My wedding is in July and we are planning our reception dinner around 7 pm.  The wedding is kind of semi-formal/not super formal and taking place in a historic old building surrounded by a park and river.   I already have a caterer picked out- but I am not sure what food to choose.  Of course I want our wedding to memorable for good reasons, so I don't want to have "boring" food.  We can choose from traditional items such as chicken and beef served a few different ways, grilled-on-site sandwiches, a taco bar, or an entire asian bar.  My fiance and I love Mexican food, so I thought the taco bar might be fun- but that could be messy!   I am at a loss~ Please help!

kaesha

Okay, so if you've got a caterer picked out, what recipes do they do well? Have you heard anyone else give reviews of particular dishes?

A taco bar does sound like tons (of totally messy) fun. What does the Asian bar consist of?

What about focusing on a few local ingredients that are in season around your wedding date?

vmiller_21

To be honest, I haven't heard any review on a particular dish, only the caterer himself.  I was trying to figure out what kind of food our area is known for, but we have many unique restaurants/cultural places.  I am going to have a local ice cream parlor's ice cream for a "midnight snack" kind of thing.
I looked through my caterer's packet again and I guess it's like a chinese buffet with normal chicken, beef, pork and shrimp dishes.  Tco bar has hard and soft tacos, with everything you could ever put on a taco.
Maid of Honor says everyone would like grilled sandwiches (chicken breast, pork loin, hamburger, bratwurst, plus sides).  Is that "weddingy" enough?

kaesha

Oh, pshaw to whether it's traditional weddingy food! Serve what you want to eat! I really love the midnight ice cream snack idea!

vmiller_21

Well thanks for making me feel better about it.

I might just eat cake and ice cream. I mean, it is my wedding after all!

jburkie1

We love the Mexican idea too. I'll send you a PM with a link.

Chicken en mole or flank steak would work well too. Fajitas might be less messy than tacos. Summer corn (depending on what time in July your wedding will be) might be wonderful too.

Good luck!