Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

How do you feel about lamb?

Hey girls!

We're starting to really think about the menu and we keep coming back to having lamb for the entree.  I know that lamb is not a popular meat so we are leaning towards doing a duet but we can't really think of anything that would go well with lamb.  I was thinking maybe something like salmon or sea bass would be able to stand up to the flavor of lamb but I'm not sure.
I have had it suggested to me that we relegate it to the cocktail hour in the form of lamb lollipops but that's just not enough for us.  Also I've always found response cards tacky so we're definitely going with a duet.

So, do you like lamb?  Can you think of another meat that would go well with it?  Are we crazy?

Thanks guys.

Re: How do you feel about lamb?

  • I don't eat lamb or fish.  Are you not doing RSVP's at all?  How will you know who is coming?
  • I would not eat lamb.  It's not generally a crowd-pleaser.
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  • I am vegetarian, so I would hope you were having a non-meat option as well.  I think you need to compromise here.  You must have lamb for the entree, you cannot have response cards--you need to think about what your priorities are.  Even if you do a duet with lamb and chicken, there will probably be a lot of lamb wasted, and a lot of guests that feel that they didn't get a full meal since they only ate half the protein on the plate.  

    Why do you find response cards tacky?  You could also have a buffet with lamb and other proteins, or you could have tableside ordering, so guests have entree options for a plated meal but do not have to choose on a card in advance.  Duet isn't your only option here.
  • I have had lamb before and it is not my favorite.  I also do not eat fish so hopefully you have a pretty awesome and large side on that plate because I would go hungry.

    And why wouldn't having lamb lollipops as one of your apps not be enough for you?  You have to think of what your guests will like to eat not just what you and your FI would like to eat.

    I also don't get the whole response cards being tacky thing.  If you really want to serve lamb then have it in a buffet or offer it as one of three options where your guests will order what they want when they sit down at your wedding.  But I think picking a protein that is not widely liked by many is a bit rude.

  • I would not eat lamb and a lot of other people don't either.  Could you offer another, more popular option?  And not just have it on the same plate...  
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  • melbelleupmelbelleup member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment First Answer
    edited September 2013
    Ewwww. I don't see many eating the lamb. I would do chicken or steak as a separate dish if you were thinking of lamb. Not everyone eats fish as well.

    ETA: Even if the lamb and steak or chicken or fish were on the same plate, I wouldn't eat it. I don't like my food touching other food....esp. food I don't eat. But I'm also an extremely picky eater.
    Daisypath Wedding tickers
  • I like lamb, but I find it very greasy so I would only eat a small amount of it. I think it would be perfect as an appetizer. That's how many restaurants offer it. I also don't eat fish so list me in the group of people who would leave your wedding hungry. I think pairing it with chicken would make more people happy, but lamb is still a hard choice to pull off for a main course.
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  • The lamb would go to waste on my plate.  My grandma would make a leg of lamb for Sunday dinners sometimes, but would often make something else with it as a large majority of the family didn't eat it (and Sunday dinners consisted of 20+ people).  I agree with Maggie.  Either do response cards with entree selections, have a buffet, or delegate the lamb to the cocktail hour.  I feel you will have a lot of wasted food at your wedding.  You are paying a good amount of money for this reception, why allow food to get wasted?
  • I don't like lamb and would not eat it.  You need to appeal to the masses.  I would stick with something a bit more traditional. 

    Also curious....what do you find tacky about an RSVP card?  

  • I like lamb, but I'm the only person in my family that eats it. I think if your families were from a culture that eats a lot of lamb dishes, like the Greeks, Moroccans, certain parts of the Middle East, etc, then it would be fine. But unfortunately when it comes to wedding planning, you need try to appeal to the majority of your guests, which typically means chicken and beef. Even fish can be difficult, depending on your guest list. 
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  • I realize you and your FI can't get enough lamb, but you're entertaining a large group of people. It makes more sense to serve something that most people like. If you find entree choices on RSVP cards tacky, then go with a duet. But if you choose lamb, I think a lot will get wasted and people will be hungry. I would go with a chicken or beef option and a vegetarian option. I know you might that sounds boring, but you're hosting a large group so it makes sense to choose popular options that people will (and can) eat. 

    I agree with your caterer. Incorporate lamb into your apps. Or change your style of reception all together and do stations. Have a lamb carving station along with a bunch of other options. 
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  • Lamb reminds me of that stuff on the spit of the gyro stand I worked at during the summers of college.

    Eeew. No.

  • I like lamb in small quantities - like, say, a lamb lollipop at a cocktail hour :-)

    I know it can be tough to pick out food for your wedding, especially when you're more of a foodie. You want to pick food that you like, but you also need to make sure it will be food that most of your guests will like. You need to find a balance.

    For example, DH and I both hate mushrooms with a fiery passion. When it came time to pick our salad, we could have picked Salad A (which would not have included mushrooms but had some other ingredients that not all of our guests might be able to eat / enjoy) so instead we picked Salad B (which included the dreaded mushrooms but we knew would be much more of a people pleaser). We did the same with our entrees - we first narrowed it down to some options that we would like to eat, and then picked the ones that we thought would most appeal to our guests. In the case of the chicken dish, it was not our own top choice based on our taste, but it was the one that DH could see all of his family liking (they're pickier than my family). In the end, it was tasty, everyone loved the food, and no one was left pushing a piece of chicken around on their plate because it came smothered in ingredients with which they were unfamiliar.
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  • I wouldn't eat the lamb - or whatever fish option you served alongside it. I wouldn't make a stink about it though, I'd just eat the veggies and starch, but I would kind of roll my eyes about it if it became clear that a lot of other guests weren't eating it either. 
    Anniversary
  • I would pair it with chicken. I would not eat lamb either.
  • I grew up in New Zealand, and even so would not have lamb as one of only two protein options.
  • I don't eat lamb.



  • Love, love, love lollipop lamb chops. Last wedding, the B & G didn't even get to the cocktail hour, so consider that in your planning. You could have them at the RD.
  • I love lamb.  But I know a lot of people who aren't fans.  My fiance, father, and MOH's husband are all people that I know will not eat lamb.  My father says the smell is off-putting.  What about having lamb at the rehearsal dinner as an option or the duo entree?  Lamb is also expensive.  If cost ends up being a concern, you would be purchasing fewer portions at a rehearsal dinner than the wedding reception.
  • Some people don't eat lamb, either for moral reasons or because they don't like the taste.  Some may not even eat something if it touches the same plate as everything else.  Offering three dishes is a safer bet and doing response cards so you can have an accurate number.  You definitely need a vegetarian dish.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • if you are not doing response cards then how will you know how many people are showing up to your wedding.? you need a final count for the venue in terms of food. i love lamb i am  50% armenian from my moms side and i grew up eating lamb burgers and lamb Kebobs and leg of lamb. and i know if it was my wedding a good portion of our guests would order it. 

    maybe you could do the 3 meal options meat fish and chicken and offer the lamb as your meat option do a really good chicken option and a fish option that you know everyone that eats seafood would enjoy 
  • I love been to a wedding where chicken or fish was parked with red meat on all plates. Many people do not eat red meat but do enjoy chicken or fish. There were multiple people at my table who were horrified their food was mingling with red meat. Please do not do a duet, especially with an uncommon choice like lamb.
  • I think you need to know your crowd.  My husband's family is Indian and many of them don't eat beef, so lamb was our red-meat option and it's a very popular meat in India.
    My family loved the lamb too- I think it's the entree we got the most amount of compliments about.

    We had stations though where we had a pasta station with 3 vegetarian pasta options, sea bass, and lamb, so there were other options.

    That being said, if you are doing a duet only, I would really recommend going with chicken or beef and fish.

    Response cards are necessary.  How else do you know who is attending?

    May 2013 February Siggy: Invitations

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  • maybe she meant food response cards. you know how the invite says mr and mrs no of attending 
    then food choice after that and you pick your selection maybe she just wants to know whos coming to the wedding not what they want to eat. it makes it hard when you have people with food alergies or vegeterians 
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