Wedding food and drink trends: what caterers are seeing now

What food trends are caterers actually seeing?

The consistent theme is shared, interactive dining rather than formal plated courses.

"Sharing family style meals show no sign of disappearing anytime soon. They're still super popular," confirms Rare Food. "The other thing that seems to be going amazingly well are smoke and fire cookery. We have an ever-growing wood-fired outdoor kitchen which brings a sense of theatre and is absolutely delicious."

They've expanded their outdoor cooking capabilities: "Wood-fired pizza ovens. We can cook whole lamb, whole roast pork, roast pigs, and whole sides of beef."

Fossil Food Catering sees similar patterns: "The general consensus seems to be a lot of guest experience priorities. A lot of showstopper things. For example, big meat sharing boards with large steaks that everyone can dive into. That's been really popular."

And on desserts: "The tiramisu, I feel like hopefully that's here to stay. I love it. The big tiramisu, the large pavlovas."

Are sharing plates replacing formal service?

Not entirely, but the lines are blurring.

"I think over the past years, grazing tables and sharing plates have been very popular, the family style of service," says Ginger Catering Company. "Quite often we'll do a plated main with sharing sides, which is nice because if people don't want to have veg, they don't have to."

This hybrid approach gets the best of both worlds: "Guests can have a plate of food that looks good, that's presented to them, and then add all the greens and various sides. It has a nice element of formal dining, but with a relaxed spin on it."

Rare Food confirms that live elements are also growing: "Guest interactions such as fire kitchens or live stations are something we see massive growth in. Live wood-fired pizza ovens, outdoor fire kitchens, market stalls or carts."

What about signature cocktails?

Personalised drinks are popular and encouraged by caterers.

"Yes, most caterers now will offer a cocktail offering," says Fossil Food Catering. "We tend not to do it as a bar service, but during cocktail hour alongside canapés or after the meal. We love to come up with signature drinks."

Ginger Catering Company is enthusiastic about personalisation: "This is encouraged because it just adds another bespoke feature to the day. It makes it accustomed to the couple."

They give creative examples: "We recently provided for American couples, so we did Pimm's but called it 'Pimm's Cup' with the history behind it. Another couple wanted a Hugo spritz, but he lives in New York, so we're going to change the name. There's nothing wrong with that. It's a lovely touch."

Can giant desserts replace wedding cake?

Yes, and it's a clever budget strategy.

"The giant Pavlovas or Tiramisu trend, you could use that to replace a traditional wedding cake," suggests Fossil Food Catering. "That way you're getting dessert and a wedding cake under one budget umbrella."

This approach is practical as well as trendy. Traditional wedding cakes are often expensive and underutilised. A dramatic shared dessert serves the same visual purpose while actually being eaten.

What's the Instagram vs reality problem?

This is something caterers deal with constantly. Not everything that photographs well works for a real event.

"The biggest mistake couples face is Instagram versus reality," explains Ginger Catering Company. "People find a pin or an idea, a food trend they'd like to embrace, and don't understand that it's staged and not ideal for 100+ guests."

They give a concrete example: "Recently we were asked to do a grape tower, which obviously initially looks beautiful. As soon as one person takes some grapes, the whole thing comes to pieces. So instead, we created tiered stands that achieve the same look but actually work."

The solution is collaboration: "Part of our job is to take those ideals and stylings and create a reality version for our couples."

How do caterers handle dietary requirements?

Last-minute changes are common and expected.

"It's really common to have last-minute dietary requests," says Fossil Food Catering. "Some days we even find out on the day that someone says, 'I didn't expect the menu to contain X, Y and Z. I'm allergic.' It happens more than you would think."

Good caterers come prepared: "We're always ready. Even for vegetarians or vegans, we'll always come prepared with a few spare meals. We always bring more than is on our event sheet just in case."

Can menus include family recipes or cultural traditions?

Absolutely. Good caterers welcome this.

"We quite often get sent brides' recipes that their mums had," says Ginger Catering Company. "Last year we did an Irish wedding and she wanted a Bailey's cheesecake. Same goes for Indian culture. We quite often get requests to incorporate or create fusion menus."

This personalisation makes the meal more meaningful than any trend.

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