10+1 ORIGINAL IDEAS
How many times did you attend a wedding dinner and you ‘’enjoyed’’ the usual menu? Many times to be sure! The truth is that in recent years the dominant approach calls for a complete copy paste of buffet choices that are present at such occasions. Even so, there are different ways to ‘’serve’’ your guests an original experience. We recommend interactive food stations of various interesting ideas, and you can choose the one that fits well with your wedding party’s style!
1. ANTIPASTI FOREVER
Using wood, marble and glass as the basis for an antipasti station’s décor, you can make it shine. Even though antipasti are served as the first course in their country of origin – Italy – you can easily replace the starter course in your wedding dinner. The station can be filled with crostini, white, brown, and seeded mini buns, various types of cheese, as well as spreads and dips (anything that fits your menu’s theme), fresh vegetables and fruits cut to the size of a bit, and cold cuts. You can decorate your antipasti station with small pots filled with fresh herbs and add colour by including a spending fruit bowl.
2. MIMOSA BAR
Among your guests, you will surely find friends that follow a healthier lifestyle. Why not create a station just for them? You can pick freshly-made fruit juices (that are known for their antioxidant properties like pomegranate, cranberry, etc.) and add many bottles of sparkling water, and even some champagne bottles for the alcoholics. It goes without saying that each guest can mix the ingredients they prefer!
3. IT’S TIME FOR CROSTINI
You don’t know what this is all about? Well, you have certainly enjoyed crostini in Italian restaurants, at the start of every meal. They are traditional Italian appetisers, made by grilling thin ciabatta or baguette slices. Their simplest form involves serving the bread with salt and herbs (e.g. oregano, rosemary), or along with a dip/sauce (in Cyprus we thankfully have a lot of choices – humus, tahini, tzatziki, cheese dip, and many more). Another, more filling variation involves presenting them as canapés, since you can add cold cuts, cheese, vegetables, and even meat or fish on top. Not bad right?
4. LITTLE OLIVE KNOWS…
Since Cyprus is renowned for its olive products, so it would be a shame for this precious fruit to be missing from your wedding table. Especially for those of you that chose a more rustic style for the reception’s décor, including the olive and its biproducts will make your wedding party more sophisticated. Therefore, you can fill a table with small bowls filled with green and black olives, virgin olive oil, and olive dip, along with fresh bread bites, and your guests will go crazy!
5. PRETZEL TIME
Originating from Germany but especially loved by Americans, pretzels have finally also landed in Cyprus and have swept us away with their irresistible flavour. So, you could prepare a station stocked with crispy, freshly-baked (sweet or savoury) pretzels and finish with bowls filled with different dips so that your guests can endulge in the tastes of their choice.
6. DONUT FUN
If you ask anyone if they like donuts, the answer almost always will be ‘’Yes’’. Even more so if you ‘’allow’’ your guests to fuse them with the flavours they prefer. You can setup a donut stand and next to them place lots of toppings, so that each person can add whatever they want.
7. LA PIZZA MIA!
You might find it simple, but if you have guests with pre-school and school-aged children, they will surely be impressed by this idea! You will prepare a table with all the ingredients necessary for the kids to prepare their own pizza. Not only will they get creative and stay busy, but when their pizza is ready (under the hawkish look of the catering staff) they will definitely love the taste.
8. DIVE ME IN CHOCOLATE
The passion people have for chocolate is non-negotiable. When talking about a chocolate fondue though, this passion becomes unchained love! To achieve this, get hold of many mini fondue fountains, and melt in each one different types of chocolate (so that you never run out): white, milk and dark chocolates of different cocoa content. To complete the chocolate ‘’seduction’’, have many bowls filled with chopped fruit (bananas, strawberries, and more), bite-sized cookies, marshmallows, walnuts, etc. Finally, add a vase filled with long toothpicks, so that your guests can ‘’skewer’’ the ingredient of their choice and dip it into the molten chocolate!
9. POP CORN MANIACS
For the guests that are invested in a healthy diet, that like most of us can’t resist original flavours, you can build a station with various nifty popcorn flavours. Nowadays, there are thousands of flavours to choose from, which you can acquire from specialist shops or supermarkets. If you add extra ingredients to allow your guests to experiment, it would make the experience even more interesting.
10. SALAD BAR
No one could ignore a great salad. From its simplest form to the most innovative, salads are crucial for a great diet, and always present in a formal dinner. In your case, you could have a station with freshly-cut ingredients for various salad types so that each of your guests can make their own version.
Cyprus tradition has defined the gridiron as the ‘’national’’ cooking style. So why not bring barbeque to your wedding party? This would especially be great if the wedding party will be more private with fewer guests, so that the experts can take charge of the grilling and everyone else will enjoy the amazing tastes of grilled fish, meat, and of course vegetables!