10 Twists To Take Your Wedding Menu To The Next Level

Who doesn’t love mac ‘n’ cheese? It’s a childhood favorite that we never really outgrew (and likely never will), but a big old dish of it at your wedding doesn’t exactly scream sophistication. We love how Washington, DC-area caterer Spilled Milk gave the dish a wedding-friendly spin, making bite-size fried “lollipops” topped with a decadent dose of lobster. This portable version is sure to be a huge hit at your cocktail hour.

Fact: Buffalo wings are delicious. Also fact: They’re extremely messy to eat. But that doesn’t mean you need to totally ditch the idea if wings are one of your fave dishes. Chicago-based Catered by Design dreamed up a version with the same flavors, minus the mess—buffalo chicken sliders with blue-cheese-celery slaw. Your guests (and their wedding day best outfits) will definitely thank you.

This Southern comfort food classic gets even more wedding worthy with an elegant presentation. Spilled Milk serves it on single white spoons, so guests can enjoy the delicious down-home dish without overdosing on a big, carb-loaded portion.

Want to stir up some conversation at your cocktail hour? We’re thinking this edible display might do the trick. Denver-based Footers Catering created a wall of charcuterie, with clipboards—yes, clipboards!—featuring prosciutto, chorizo, manchego and whipped lemon goat cheese for guests to take and enjoy with a cocktail. They’re almost too pretty to eat. (We said almost.)

The crab cake shows up at lots of summer and nautical-themed weddings, and for good reason—it’s light enough to be served on its own as an app during cocktail hour, but add a side or two and it becomes a perfectly filling main course. Stamford-based Marcia Selden Catering & Event Planning is turning the crab cake on its side (literally!) by playing with unexpected presentation and flavors. Instead of traditional accompaniments like risotto and remoulade, which can be heavy, the cakes are creatively plated with fresh, locally sourced salad and bright sweet pea puree as well as grilled corn mole sauce.

To be honest, the typical fish entree at a wedding can seem like an afterthought. (We’re looking at you, lemon-dill salmon.) Instead of the same-old steamed or roasted citrus variety, Fig & Pig Catering of Brooklyn, New York, suggests going for something bolder, like miso black cod. A little bit sweet and a little bit savory, “it’s a great way to expose your out of town guests to some new flavors and ingredients they may have never tried before,” says Fig & Pig’s Caroline Sheahan.

All the rage in high-end restaurants, tasting menus are ideal for the serious foodie couple. Three courses? Try a seven-course experience, complete with wine pairings. Limelight Catering in Chicago recently presented the lucky guests at this wedding with a wide range of small tastes of some seriously upscale dishes. Think: oysters on the half shell with crème fraîche and caviar, house-made pasta with truffles, and wagyu ribeye with foie gras butter. An uber-elegant menu like this will definitely have your guests talking (and Instagram-ing).

In Spain, it’s all about small portions, big flavors and lots of variety—aka tapas. B. Gourmet Catering out of Charleston, South Carolina, is totally on board with that approach for weddings. They present assorted mini-entrees fully plated, garnished and ready for guests to take back to their seats or eat while standing and mingling. With a mix of dishes like grilled chicken and orzo with basil cream, petite filet with smashed potatoes and cabernet demi-glace, and fried chicken with truffle mac and cheese, your guests won’t have to choose between the chicken or the steak—they can have both!

Wedding cake used to be the only dessert option, take it or leave it. These days newlyweds are breaking tradition by skipping the cake altogether or serving sweet treats in addition to it, like Catered by Design’s elevated take on rice pudding. Made with black rice, flavored with blueberry soda and topped with a berry compote, no one would ever call this dessert plain vanilla.

Let’s be honest: We’ll eat caramel corn in pretty much any form, but this sweet parfait is a definite upgrade over bags of the stuff. Catered by Design created this “Chicago dessert” featuring local favorite Garrett Popcorn. Served in mini shot glasses, the parfaits pack big flavor by combining corn sponge cake, salted caramel mousse, cream cheese mousse and caramel corn brittle—definitely an inventive way to infuse some local flavor into your wedding.