It’s no secret that food ranks as a major detail wedding guests really care about, and couples planning a wedding in 2019 understand that sentiment more than ever. This year, couples not only want to wow the crowd with the top 2019 wedding food trends, including innovative eats and a personalized menu, but they want to make the entire meal an experience in and of itself.
Long gone are the days of knowing exactly what you’re going to eat at every wedding you attend. Everyone from trend forecasters to planners to caterers agree the formulaic-ness of cocktail hours, dinners, and other wedding eats are behind us. Instead, 2019 will show us interactive drink stations, hyper-personalized favors, and late night food so good and greasy you’ll feel like you’re a freshman in college again. But, you know, one who dresses way better now.
Ready to embrace your inner foodie for a culinary adventure all your guests will love? We found some of the best caterers in the country to bring you the full breakdown of the tastiest 2019 wedding trends.
Service Styles
Couples are looking for more interaction, more conversation, and more engagement amongst their guests. Dinner is a chance to bring your friends and loved ones around the table to truly share your experience, so we’ve seen a shift toward less formal, more conversational seating and service styles.
Global Fusion
A popular wedding food trend includes an uptick in couples looking to showcase the traditional dishes of each family’s home country with the emergence of the multicultural menu.
Dessert Drama
Couples have seriously upped the ante when it comes to desserts, making post-dinner sweets a talked-about event. “More and more we are seeing couples shy away from the typical wedding cake and go for a more memorable dessert presentation,” Jacqueline Matera of Ken’s Creative Kitchen said. “We continue to see dessert installations like doughnut walls and cupcake towers, pie and strawberry shortcakes or chocolate tarts as well as the ever increasingly popular cookie tables (a Pittsburgh Wedding tradition) that Sheri Hartzog of Sassy Pants Sweets & Treats of Oak Ridge specializes in.
Edible Favors
From homemade jams to gourmet desserts, placing one food favor at each place setting is an adorable way to make each guest feel welcome while giving your guests a touch of something you love.
Organic Everything
It seems this decade every is turning more towards eating healthy. This means organic ingredients are here to stay as couples continue to request in-season and ethically sourced food on the plate of each guest. With the heightened awareness of sustainable agriculture, couples care about where their food came from and are looking to provide their guests with the freshest, farm-to-table experience possible.
Miniatures Galore
When it comes to cocktail hour, it is all about the pint-sized presentation and wedding food trends include having more fun than ever with out-of-the-box ideas. From grilled cheese and tomato soup in a shot glass to shrimp and grits in a tasting spoon, no food experience is off-limits in miniature form.
The Late Night Hot Spot
While late-night snacks are nothing new at wedding receptions, 2the typical sliders or pizza are being replaced with unique eats that reflect the couple’s favorite comfort foods. Chaiken of Food for Thought agreed, adding, “given the access we have to food from around the world, the opportunities are endless–think soup dumplings, Roman pizza, ramen, and Nashville chicken sliders. Our clients are looking to replicate their favorite night spot; the place they ‘end up at’ after a night out or even the place where they enjoyed a first date. It’s a chance to relive and share their unique moments with friends and family.”
