Anonymous
Post 06/01/2012 13:07     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
OP -- are you from the deep south or something? Fried chicken is really greasy...your menu will ruin many folks clothes. They will resent you for buying you a nice gift and you in turn...serve them greasy chicken. That hotel is way too fancy. If you want "down home" why don't you get married someplace more casual such as outdoors?
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2012 12:29     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
I find it strange that so many people think fried chicken will not "fit" in with a nice formal wedding. Its not like OP is going to throw greasy fried chicken in a KFC box and serve it to her guests.

Have you all never been to a fine dining restaurant with fried chicken on the menu? It DOES exist.

Also, not everone eats fried chicken in general with their fingers. I cut into mine at a restaurant so I am not quite sure where all the comments are coming from referring to guests eating it with their fingers?
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2012 12:20     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
Anonymous wrote:
While I love fried chicken, it is messy. I would say that the more formal your wedding, the less appreciated fried chicken will be. It is hard to eat good fried chicken neatly and people in evening wear aren't really going to want to deal with that.

I love brisket, but have rarely found many outside of homemade that are that good. There's plenty of mediocre wedding food out there, and brisket is often one of those. I would recommend a haunch of roast beef with a carving station. I know that my family thinks that is one of the best beef options because people who want well done can have the outside pieces and peopel who like medium rare, can have the inside.

Salmon, if cooked nicely (not overdone to the point of being dry) is a popular fish entree. I like salmon, but you can also get a nice white fish like flounder with a lemon butter sauce.

Out caterer did a very nice pasta in a vodka rose cream sauce that was fantastic.

So, the start is to find out what caterers your reception site will allow. Then pick a caterer who will give you some flexibility and work with them. We interviewed all 4 caterers that were allowed in our reception site and they arranged for us to have a tasting where we sat down and they gave us a small sample of many dishes. That's how we picked the vodka rose cream sauce pasta. We loved the options that the caterer gave us and we have more than enough to choose from (too many, we only did about half of the ones we *REALLY* wanted).

Then again, I have to say that I remember the tastings but I really don't remember eating much at my wedding or what I ate that day.


Great ideas. Love the carving station idea.
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2012 12:16     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
Just checked out Hotel Monaco website/pics. I would not expect the menu you listed above at that hotel.

And as a guest I always check out the venue before going to an event so I know what to wear. But at the end of the day, it's your wedding. You're paying for it so if you want more of southern feel/menu/theme go for it.
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2012 10:28     Subject: Re:Help me plan a wedding menu
OP, I would think many (most?) people who go to a wedding at a boutique hotel dressed in their finery would not want or expect to be digging into fried chicken with their hands. If it was an outdoor casual affair, perhaps, but not your venue.
Anonymous
Post 06/01/2012 07:39     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
OP here. Thanks for the opinions. The wedding will be at Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, so our only catering option is Jackson 20. Their catering menu is very different from their restaurant menu, but they are willing to deviate from their catering menu. One of the reasons I am inclined to have a little more fun with the menu is so the fare is more like that offered in the restaurant itself - fried green tomatoes, bbq, etc.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2012 17:17     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
OP, we had fried chicken as a choice at our wedding. But our reception was at Paula Deen's restaurant, so take that for what you will.

I will say, people loved it (it is delicious) and we offered two other meats as an option if the idea of fried chicken was just too messy or not appealing. I believe we had smothered pork chops... and I can't remember the beef option. 10 side vegetables and starches (mashed potatoes, butterbeans, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, etc.) a salad bar, and two choices of dessert in addition to the wedding cake. Everyone loved it. So, my advice is this: if it's food you love, and you think your guests will love, just have it! A little messy fried chicken that's still delicious is way better than your standard hotel wedding overcooked steak or fish (IMO). I definitely think people would like it!

As for pasta, you can't go wrong with a tomato cream pasta or a pasta primavera.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2012 14:55     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
If fried chicken means something to you (that sounds funny but you get what I'm saying) consider having a beef/fish/veggie option, and having a fried chicken bar or table for guests to serve themselves.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2012 12:34     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
Anonymous wrote:We will be having a reception with a plated dinner at the end of October. We will be able to give guests 4 options to select from - chicken, beef, pasta or fish. We want to have a little more fun than the standard roasted chicken, steak, etc. For some some reason I really want to have fried chicken, maybe with roasted potatoes and green beans. For the beef dish, STB DH doesn't want a plain old steak, but would rather have a brisket. He may settle for having brisket sliders at the cocktail hour instead, though.

My questions--

1) What do you think of serving fried chicken?
2) What is a beef dish that would go well? Brisket is definitely an option.
3) Do you know of a fish entree that may complement the above nicely?
4) Same with pasta, and we would like that dish to be vegetarian.

Thanks in advance for any help. I haven't done any party planning in the past, really, so I feel like I need some help from my often creative fellow DCUMers.


While I love fried chicken, it is messy. I would say that the more formal your wedding, the less appreciated fried chicken will be. It is hard to eat good fried chicken neatly and people in evening wear aren't really going to want to deal with that.

I love brisket, but have rarely found many outside of homemade that are that good. There's plenty of mediocre wedding food out there, and brisket is often one of those. I would recommend a haunch of roast beef with a carving station. I know that my family thinks that is one of the best beef options because people who want well done can have the outside pieces and peopel who like medium rare, can have the inside.

Salmon, if cooked nicely (not overdone to the point of being dry) is a popular fish entree. I like salmon, but you can also get a nice white fish like flounder with a lemon butter sauce.

Out caterer did a very nice pasta in a vodka rose cream sauce that was fantastic.

So, the start is to find out what caterers your reception site will allow. Then pick a caterer who will give you some flexibility and work with them. We interviewed all 4 caterers that were allowed in our reception site and they arranged for us to have a tasting where we sat down and they gave us a small sample of many dishes. That's how we picked the vodka rose cream sauce pasta. We loved the options that the caterer gave us and we have more than enough to choose from (too many, we only did about half of the ones we *REALLY* wanted).

Then again, I have to say that I remember the tastings but I really don't remember eating much at my wedding or what I ate that day.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2012 12:27     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
While i love fried chicken, if I bought a dress specifically for your wedding (ie it's at all fancy) I will not want to eat fried chicken. Now, a fried chicken cutlet or something like that, knife and fork style? Maybe.
Brisket should be fine.
Why would the fish option need to "complement" the others? Nobody is having both, right? Just have what you like.

I don't really see the need for FOUR options. That's kind of a lot.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2012 11:02     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
Anonymous wrote:Have you talked to your caterer? Usually they know which of their sides goes well with their meat.

I personally wouldn't like fried chicken at a wedding, but it's just me.

We had swordfish steak as one of our fish options - can't remember what we served it with.


Go with fish and beef. Chicken is like oh, they are serving chicken, damn. . And definitely no fried chicken!! No finger foods!!!

For the beef, brisket is a fatty cut of beef - that's very risky! Go with tenderloin medallions or steak.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2012 10:57     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
I dont think it makes a difference where you wedding is at all. You serve what YOU and the GROOM want on your wedding day.

If you want fried chicken go for it. I think its a great idea rather than plain old chicken. BUT I would serve with mashed potatoes not roasted.

I think the brisket idea is good as well, however, if you are doing something out there like fried chicken you might want to stick with a normal filet most people will like.

For the fish option I would say stick to a good white fish like grouper, halibut, tilapia, etc. Most people do not order this option though IMO.

I had a surf and turf with no options other than if you were vegetarian (it was an eggplant napoleon).

We also had passed appetizers that WE liked such as pigs in blankets and sproing rolls which are not that fancy but we liked them and thats all that matters.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2012 10:47     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
Where is the wedding? If it's somewhere rustic, I think fried chicken could work--but city/formal, no way.

Anonymous
Post 05/31/2012 10:45     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
Have you talked to your caterer? Usually they know which of their sides goes well with their meat.

I personally wouldn't like fried chicken at a wedding, but it's just me.

We had swordfish steak as one of our fish options - can't remember what we served it with.
Anonymous
Post 05/31/2012 09:33     Subject: Help me plan a wedding menu
We will be having a reception with a plated dinner at the end of October. We will be able to give guests 4 options to select from - chicken, beef, pasta or fish. We want to have a little more fun than the standard roasted chicken, steak, etc. For some some reason I really want to have fried chicken, maybe with roasted potatoes and green beans. For the beef dish, STB DH doesn't want a plain old steak, but would rather have a brisket. He may settle for having brisket sliders at the cocktail hour instead, though.

My questions--

1) What do you think of serving fried chicken?
2) What is a beef dish that would go well? Brisket is definitely an option.
3) Do you know of a fish entree that may complement the above nicely?
4) Same with pasta, and we would like that dish to be vegetarian.

Thanks in advance for any help. I haven't done any party planning in the past, really, so I feel like I need some help from my often creative fellow DCUMers.