If you're here because you're planning your wedding, congratulations! If I may, let me be the first to tell (or warn?) you: there is an overwhelming amount of wedding planning content online. My biggest piece of advice as a former catering and event planner (and 2024 bride!) is to stay true to yourselves as a couple and tune out the content that doesn't serve you.
This blog post will give you a peek into the process of planning my own wedding after having worked in the wedding industry for several years. I hope my story offers a perspective that you might not have considered, and that it helps you plan your special day (and menu!) in some small way.
Celebrate Your Unique Style
on Your Wedding Day
I had the pleasure of working for Capers Catering for several years as a catering sales manager and event planner, and I am so grateful for all that I learned during that time! I loved helping couples personalize their menus to reflect their unique stories. Over the course of hundreds of weddings, I observed one key theme: the couples who stayed true to what they wanted had the best time. Everyone has different tastes and priorities; that's what makes your love story and your wedding day special! If you take anything away from this blog post, let it be this: you're going to get all kinds of unsolicited advice about planning your wedding (from family members, friends, and targeted ads on social media!); listen, research, talk it over with your future spouse, and align your wedding plans to your priorities and dreams.
If you're reading this, I have a hunch that a delicious, memorable wedding menu is one of your priorities! You're in the right place. I'll share how I applied my catering experience to planning our wedding, as well as some general tips that I hope help you create wedding memories that you'll savor forever.
Our Dream Wedding: An Intimate Marriage in Greece and a Party in the USA!
Reflecting on our wedding festivities instantly brings a smile to my face, and I'm excited to share these memories with you all. Marrying Heyfoodiehusband (okay, his name is really Tyler) still feels like a dream, and I thank God every day for bringing him into my life!
After we got engaged, I ran a crazy idea by my then-fiancé...what if we had an intimate destination wedding in Greece AND a casual party in the US? I knew it would be complicated to plan two celebrations, but after observing weddings for years, both for work and attending them as a guest, this was the scenario that felt most like us. Thankfully, Ty was instantly on board, and we began planning!
Why two celebrations? Well, remember how I recommended focusing on your priorities? My priority for our wedding was that the sacrament of marriage be a deeply meaningful, intimate celebration of our families. Of course, it isn't traditional for a Greek wedding to be small (you've probably heard of them being "Big, Fat" weddings!), and we still wanted to eat, drink, and dance with ALL of our friends and families. I still can't believe we pulled it off, but we had the best of both worlds with two joyous days of festivities. We are so grateful for our loving parents, who supported us and helped make our dreams come true, both in Rhodes, Greece and Boston, MA.
Wedding Part 1: My Small, Skinny Greek Wedding
See what I did there?
Planning a Micro Destination Wedding in Greece
I could write a novel about planning our destination wedding in Greece, but I'll just give you a quick summary before getting into the foodie details. We got married on the island of Rhodes, where my dad's side of the family is from. Ty and I visited the picturesque town of Lindos in Rhodes the year prior and were captivated by an idyllic chapel on the bay. St. Paul's Chapel is a historic site, where the Apostle Paul rested on his third trip back to Jerusalem and brought Christianity to the island. We planned everything around having our wedding at this location, and I am so glad we did!
Since the goal of our micro wedding was to celebrate the joining of our two families, it was important to us that we had a few additional events so that everyone could spend time together over the course of a few days, rather than putting all of the pressure on our wedding day. Our guests arrived on the island three days before our wedding and we planned a celebratory welcome dinner, boat cruise, and a historical outing to the Old City of Rhodes.
Rehearsal Dinner Inspiration
Our rehearsal dinner was at our favorite rooftop restaurant in Lindos, the Apollo Bar. In Greece, it's common to share appetizers and entrees at each table so everyone can try a bit of everything, so we embraced that custom with an array of Greek bites! With the help of the amazing staff at the Apollo Bar, we also had a curated cocktail menu, which was so much fun. I so wish we had photos of the food and drinks from that evening, but I attribute the lack of photos to us and our guests having an amazing time. I recommend casual rehearsal dinners because they take the pressure off and allow guests time to mingle. We loved having a smaller group, as well, because it meant that we were able to chat with everyone!
Our Rehearsal Dinner Menu
Aperitivo Snacks | Olives, Pita & Dips, Bruschetta, Cheeses
Mezedakia | Burrata Salad, Greek Salad, Spanakopita, Flatbread Pizzas
Dessert | Galaktobouriko
A Note on Custom Cocktails
Our rehearsal dinner was at a noteworthy cocktail bar and their team was thrilled to work with us on a custom list, so it was a no-brainer for us to offer this at our rehearsal dinner! Of course, guests could still order other drinks, but offering a curated selection is great for a couple of reasons! First, it makes things easier on the bar; they know what to expect, so drinks will come out faster. Second, it's so much fun to choose flavors that you and your guests will enjoy! I recommend offering choices with different types of liquor, as well as varied flavor profiles: think sour, sweet, bitter, fruity, even savory... We opted for an assortment of drinks with vodka, tequila, gin, and rum. My favorite was the "Helios Sour" (Gin, Salted Peach, Cucumber, Mastiha, Lemon) and another hit was their classic Espresso Martini.
Another Wedding Planning Tip: Plan What You Can and Let the Rest Go
Before you make any decisions about your wedding, I encourage you to reflect on how you want to feel, and the moments you can't wait to see come to life on your wedding day.
Now, try as best you can to plan your wedding around those feelings and future memories to be made. For me, my number one goal of the day was not to sweat the small stuff. After you've worked in the wedding industry, you know that you have to expect the unexpected and be ready to go with the flow. I say this as a very "Type A" person, and by preparing for things to be fluid, I did my future self a HUGE favor! I'll save my full destination wedding story for another time, but let's just say: a ton of things didn't go as planned, and I still remember smiling all day!
The number one wedding planning tip I'll share with you is to build in extra time wherever possible. In my experience, having a buffer in your timeline can be the key to avoiding unnecessary stress.
No Hangry Brides Allowed!
Before I got married, I was a bridesmaid several times. (It wasn't to the extent of Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses, but I was getting up there!) As everyone's resident foodie girl, I often asked how I could help coordinate breakfast and/or lunch for the bridal party. What some people might not have realized is that I did that for my own personal benefit...I try to be a kind, patient person, but what you may not know about me is that your girl gets hangry! On our wedding day, I wanted to make sure no one had to skip their morning coffee or spend the day hangry while we got ready and took photos. I highly recommend doing the same!
Wedding Morning & Midday Menu
Breakfast | Coffee (Freddo Espresso for me!), Spanakopita, Tiropita, Bougatsa, Fruit
Lunch | Souvlaki, Rice, Vegetables, Tzatziki, Fries, Pita
Planning Our Wedding Reception
Choosing to have a destination wedding meant that we made a lot of our wedding selections virtually. For one thing, we actually didn't see our wedding venue until the week of our wedding. We took a huge leap of faith and it totally worked out!
That leap of faith also meant that we didn't have a chance to sample any food when it came time to select a menu, since we didn't have additional trips planned across the Atlantic until the week of our wedding. I'm not sure what the norm is overseas, but in the US (and in my catering days!) it was very common to have a tasting, either as you were selecting your caterer, or after you booked them and were refining your menu selections. In my case, not having the option of a tasting worked out just fine because I knew what I wanted, and trusted that everything would be delicious (it was!).
Another foodie curveball was that our vendors, funny enough, did not service many weddings of actual Greeks (or Greek-Americans, like myself) because the location is so popular for destination weddings of couples from other countries, especially from the UK. Our wedding planner and venue seemed surprised when we said we wanted to embrace Greek flavors, as well as for a portion of the meal to be served "family-style" as we would call it here in the US. At the end of the day, our menu turned out to be exactly what we wanted and we were over the moon with how it all came together!
Our Wedding Menu
Passed hors d'oeuvres
Prosciutto Bruschetta
Tomato & Mozzarella Skewers
Family-Style First Course
Xoriatiki Salata (Greek Village Salad)
Dips and Pita Bread
Plated Second Course, choice of:
Keftedakia (Greek meatballs)
or
Grilled vegetables
Plated Entree, choice of:
Lemon Chicken with Roasted Potatoes
or
Gemista (Greek stuffed vegetables)
Plated Mini Desserts
Baklava
Profiterole
Lemon Tarts
Late Night Surprise
Mini Chocolate-Covered
Ice Cream Cones
Plated Meals, Family-Style, Buffets...
How to Decide?!
I used to talk through this question all the time with my clients when I was a catering sales manager. I'm sure you'll hear opinions from people who think they know best. There are all kinds of misconceptions about buffets being the "cheap" option (which is not always true!) or plated meals being the "fancy" option (also, not always true!). Don't forget the theme of this blog post...do what works for YOU! I've included some of my quick tips below, which should help you narrow it down. As you can see in our menu above, we decided to go for a combination, which is also an option. That being said, we were working with a very small guest list, so it was much easier (and less expensive) to play around with some fun additions.
Plated Meals: Each guest is served a composed plate.
This may be more cost effective if all of the food is selected ahead of time. In other words, the restaurant/venue/caterer doesn't have to make an excess of anything since you'll send them your guest count and entree selections in advance. (Some events offer a night-of entree choice, which you can certainly do, but typically costs more.)
Guests are typically able to eat at the same time, keeping things on schedule if you have lots of speeches or want to get to the dance floor faster.
Most events offer two different proteins and one vegetarian (or vegan) option for entree selections. In the case of our small guest count, I felt confident just offering one protein and one vegan option to keep things simple for the staff. We also wanted a classic, simple Greek menu.
Buffet: Large quantities of dishes are presented for guests to select or serve themselves.
Buffets allow guests to make a day-of decision about what they're going to eat, and are great if you'd like guests to be able to try a few different things.
Guests may have to wait a bit longer at their table or wait in line, depending on the number of people. If you have a large guest count, your venue, caterer, or wedding planner may suggest options for a double-sided buffet or even two locations of the buffet, in order to expedite the process.
Pricing for this may be less expensive since you don't need as many staff to serve the food, but the food costs will likely be higher. Of course, pricing may vary with your specific venue and/or caterer!
Family-Style: Each table is served a variety of dishes to share.
Family-style meals were growing in popularity back in my pre-pandemic catering days, and I think it was because couples loved the idea of their guests having an interactive meal with friends and loved ones. Just after the pandemic when we started to cater events again, family-style was not a popular option, but I've definitely seen it coming back!
This could be one of the more expensive options because it typically includes higher food quantities in addition to enough sets of hands to serve it and monitor platters for refills.
Hot tip: If you plan to have elaborate centerpieces, consider the space that will be needed for multiple platters of food!
A Little Bit of Flair Goes a Long Way
Our wedding day was so beautiful and simple, which was exactly what we wanted. That being said, we incorporated a few little elements that I think brought some extra pizzazz to our wedding ambience.
Pink water goblets and gold flatware added festive pops to our table settings. One of my tips to catering clients back in the day was to choose your upgrades strategically. If you're looking to add something fun to your tables and don't want to spend more on flowers or elaborate plates, consider a colored water goblet! Rather than upgrading your whole selection of china or glassware, one small upgrade can add a special touch without breaking the bank.
Passed late-night snacks on the dance floor are always a hit! I had to explain this in-depth to our wedding planner, so I'm wondering if this might not be as popular outside of the US, but offering a little something to guests after they've been dancing for a while is a fun surprise. We opted for chocolate-covered mini ice cream cones, which are a classic treat in Greece (If you know, YOU KNOW!) and were easy for our guests to eat while they continued dancing the night away.
Our DIY photo guest book doubled as the sweetest memento AND a fun activity for our guests. Some of my friends gifted me a polaroid camera on the day we got engaged, so we brought it with us to Greece. We set up a little table with the camera, extra batteries to be safe, pens, a photo book, and a couple of pairs of silly sunglasses that we picked up on our trip. Everyone had a blast taking photos and now we have a book to remember forever!
Wedding Part 2: Party in the USA!
From the island of Rhodes, Greece to Cambridge, Massachusetts...
Ty and I were so grateful to have the support of our parents when we decided to have two wedding celebrations. While an intimate marriage was important to us, we also couldn't imagine missing out on celebrating with our extended families and loved ones here in the US.
It's a PARTY!
We were intentional about keeping our wedding formalities all to our actual wedding day in Greece, and wanted our gathering in the US to simply be a PARTY! Our vision for the event was a fun, casual, cocktail-style reception with amazing food, cold drinks, and plenty of time for dancing.
Since I previously worked in the wedding industry in the Boston area, I was in my comfort zone as I began brainstorming venues and locations. We considered a few scenarios before the perfect one came to fruition: Row34!
A Note on Cocktail-Style Menus
Row34 is one of our favorite restaurants in Boston and we couldn't wait to share the flavors of New England with our guests. We opted for a cocktail-style menu to go with the easygoing nature of our event. Now let's be clear, a cocktail-style menu doesn't mean that your guests just eat a few snacks and leave hungry! To me, the best kind of cocktail party is one where you have a combination of passed bites and food stations, which makes it easy for guests to mingle while they sample different kinds of food. When planning a cocktail-style menu, work with your vendors to intentionally serve food in a few areas of the room, if possible, which encourages guests to move around and ensures they'll have access to try different kinds of food throughout the event. Another tip for this kind of menu is to offer a variety of seafood, meat, and vegetarian selections, so that there is something for everyone. Finally, I recommend asking your guests in advance if they have any food allergies, so that the kitchen can prepare separate meals, if necessary.
Our Wedding Reception Menu
Cocktail Hour
Passed Bites | Bacon-Wrapped Scallops, Crispy Oyster Lettuce Cups, Housemade Meatballs
Raw Bar | Oysters, Shrimp Cocktail, Spicy Tuna Tartare
Stationary Boards | Antipasto, Cheese & Charcuterie
Dinner
Passed Small Plates | Braised Beef Short Rib with Mashed Potatoes, Housemade Pasta with Pesto and Corn
Slider Station | Lobster Rolls, Crispy Chicken Sliders, Grilled Angus Cheeseburgers
Dessert Station
Banoffee Pie, Boston Cream Pie, Mixed Berry Pie
Assorted Cookies & Brownies
Final Thoughts
Reflecting on our wedding festivities brings the biggest grin to my face, and I can't believe we're only a few months away from celebrating our first anniversary. If you take one thing away from this blog post, I hope it's that your wedding day should be the time to celebrate your unique love story by incorporating personal touches along the way.
Our micro wedding in Greece was intimate and dreamy, filled with hilarious ups and downs that came along with planning a destination wedding in another country. I wouldn't trade it for the world!
Our stateside celebration was a blast! The team at Row34 thought of everything and did the most incredible job; Ty and I simply showed up and had the best time with our loved ones, who are still raving about the food!
Lindos Vendor Team
Lead Photographer: Alexis El Massih
Videography and Photography: Giannelis Photography
Wedding Planning: Lindos Weddings
Venue & Catering: Ampitheater Lindos
Hair & Makeup: NiGal Spa Retreat
Florals: Lindos Flower Shop
Boston Vendor Team
Photographer: Katherine Brackman
Makeup: Glow by Goulos
Venue & Food: Row34 Cambridge
Florals: Just Bloom'd
DJ: DJ Thrilla
Bride & Groom's Clothing
Groom's Suit: Hive & Colony
Wedding Gown: Rebecca Schoneveld, Purchased at Glo
Wedding Gown Alterations: Juliette's Alterations
Short Wedding Dress: Anthropologie
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