My wedding isn't until next year, but I am trying to think ahead due to communicating with my fiance back and forth being kind of restricted/tricky- he's active military and stationed in TX, so I'm thankful we have the extra time to relay messages and options, and just figure out what we want in general while he is far away. We are having a vintage, rustic fall wedding (October) at a beautiful barn here in AL; the ceremony will be held outside and the reception will take place inside of the barn. One of my top 5 priorities is the food. We are planning for a late afternoon ceremony and a buffet style dinner in the evening. Like most, we are on a budget and like to save as much and DIY (without overdoing) as much as we can. We have family that have already offered to help in many areas, including food (I have a cousin that has has a huge smoker and has catered for many big family gatherings and larger events that has offered to do the meat.) So far, here is the menu I have in my head:
- Choice of smoked chicken or ham (maybe bake the ham?)
- Autumn salad with spinach, apple, walnuts, and white cheddar in a vinagrette (I know in the fall many replace salads with soup, but the weather here is definitely not.. soup appropriate if that makes sense? haha in MY opinion. Plus, I'm just more of a green-loving gal.)
- Baked mac and cheese (Bride's favorite)
- Green bean casserole (Groom's favorite)
- Roasted Autumn veggie blend of squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and sweet potato
- Sweet rolls
Is this too much food for around 100 guests? And do they go together, is there too much green, etc? We're planning on doing a lot of this ourselves ahead of time, and I wanted homey foods that also fit our seasonal vibe. Will these make ahead and/or freeze easy? Salad, bread, and meat no issue... just the sides. I thought it'd be neat to incorporate both our favorite sides that our moms make, plus it'd include them. Also, during the "cocktail hour" ( we aren't having alcohol at our wedding, just teas, water, and maybe some sort of punch) should we have light snacks/food? We're going to be taking pictures during this time of course (as the sun sets) and I don't want guests to be bored. I was thinking just cheeses and crackers and fruit to munch on before the filling stuff is out and we make our entrance.
My mom keeps nagging for me to have an early ceremony and just serve nuts, mints, and finger foods like her and my dad did *eye roll* but I've always wanted to take pictures at sunset and never wanted to get married early in the day, and the dinner is a big thing for me. HELP ME OUT LADIES! xo