Have you booked your venue? Sent out the save-the-dates? Your next steps in wedding planning are some of the most exciting! Today, we’re diving into the topic of wedding breakfasts! Menu tasting is definitely one of the most fun aspects of planning your big day. When choosing your wedding breakfast, you’re thinking of your guest’s experience and any food that has meaning to you as a couple. But how do you decide what to serve? We asked the incredible Recommended supplier, Taste Caterer, for all their expertise and guidance on wedding breakfasts!

Taste Caterer has over 25 years of experience in rosette kitchens and award-winning establishments, they’re experts in creating bespoke menus and developing the finest dishes using the freshest ingredients sourced locally from the best in Sussex. They’re known for going that extra mile by devouring the details to create your dream menu, perfectly paired with your wedding style. Their knowledge, experience with food and menu development, and dedication to detail have ensured a reputation for exceptional wedding catering across Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire. So with all that in mind, let’s hear from the experts…

Your guide to choosing your wedding breakfast style with Recommended supplier, Taste Caterer!

Your Wedding Breakfast Style

When it comes to your wedding catering, there is lots to think about. We're going to run through the different service styles to help you choose what works best for you, and give you the things to think about when approaching your wedding caterer. First of all, let's talk about the different types of service. There are three main types: sharing feasts, plated, and buffet-style. Sharing feasts are typically a relaxed way to serve your wedding breakfast, where guests share lots of dishes bought to their tables. Plated meals are served individually, which means that every guest will get their own meal with a set amount of food for each person, and, finally, buffet-style is more casual and guests serve themselves.

When choosing between these styles, the most important thing to consider is how formal or casual you want your wedding to be. Can’t decide? Mix it up! You could opt for plated starters, big joints on sharing boards for mains and a dessert table for guests to help themselves to!

Sharing Feasts

We LOVE a sharing feast at Taste Caterer. Quite often our couples have seen our sharing feasts via our Instagram page or online and they come to us knowing what they want. What we love about a sharing feast is that it's such fun! It breaks the ice for guests who might not know each other. If you are considering a sharing feast, be sure to add variety. This gives your guests lots of choice and it means they can mix and match what they like to eat. We serve this as a full meal or just a shared main with plated starters and desserts, or the other way around. It’s really up to you. Sharing feasts are flexible and don’t have to be a standard charcuterie board or grazing table. We recently created a 3-course wedding breakfast sharing feast. Here's the menu (avert your eyes if you're hungry)...

To Start

Sticky bourbon BBQ chicken wings, blue cheese sauce
Buffalo cauliflower
Beetroot pickled eggs
Ginger beer crispy pig cheeks, celeriac and apple
Asian herbed salmon fishcakes, Asian slaw
Dukkah hummus
Sourdough, Truffle butter candle

To Follow

Roasted shoulder of lamb, salsa verde
Spiced couscous
Chilli and garlic broccoli
Truffle polenta chips

To Finish

Iced nougatine parfait, pineapple and mint salsa, pineapple crisp
Caramel panna cotta, ginger and almond cake
Warm pecan pie, sherry vinegar ice cream, candied pecans
Homemade macaroons

Styling Your Sharing Feast

You need space on the table for your wedding breakfast sharing boards, so that they are easily accessible for your guests. Make sure to think about this when you are planning your table set-up. Speak to your florist or coordinator to make sure they leave space for this. Already have your dream tablescape in mind? In that case, there are bespoke options with raised perspex boards or bespoke displays that sit above your table decor but don't interfere with your guests' conversation around the table.

Plated Dining

Plated dining is a more traditional way to serve your wedding breakfast. We love plated dining just as much as sharers, but it must be done correctly. We understand the need for having more than one option for your wedding and our bespoke menus will always have 2-3 options for your guests to choose from. Plus, we of course cater for all dietary needs too! Our biggest piece of advice is to make sure that your caterer has plenty of options available so that all of your guests enjoy/eat their meals and have chosen something they can eat, which may include vegan options. Here’s a menu from earlier this year! If you didn't heed our warning last time, grab a snack before reading the below...

To Start

Miso and marin cured mackerel, citrus rice, mooli, wasabi and bok choi
Braised oxtail, bone marrow and pancetta dressing, peas
Truffle arancini, mushroom consomme, rosemary goats cheese (V)

To Follow

Hay smoked venison haunch, beetroot, fondant potato, roasted root veg, pomegranate jus
Oven-roasted hake fillet, yellow split peas, chorizo, tomato and clams
Salt celeriac, Hasselback potatoes, spinach, beetroot, carrot ribbons (VE)

To Finish

Vanilla buttermilk panna cotta, rhubarb, ginger, blood orange sorbet
Iced nougatine parfait, pineapple and mint salsa, pineapple crisp

Styling Your Plated Dining

This is definitely the better option if you are struggling for space on your table as you won’t need any extra boards. We’d always advise a charger plate in this instance to give your table distinct place settings, especially if you are going for a more formal wedding breakfast. On the day, there are no worries about people wondering what they have ordered or how much they'll have to eat because everyone has a set choice. We have a detailed list that we work against the table plan to make sure everyone gets what they ordered. Our advice here is to always make sure your caterers have the most up-to-date table plan to avoid any confusion.

Buffet-Style

The buffet style is the most casual wedding breakfast style. It’s great if you want people to be able to sit wherever they like and if you don’t want a seating plan. This means the caterers won’t need to know where a specific dietary requirement is sitting. Our couples tend to choose this option when they would like to serve a summer BBQ. The chefs will cook outside and in front of the guests as they come up with their plates to be served from the buffet table. Outdoor cooking really encourages conversation and is perfect if your wedding has a more relaxed style.

One day. One meal. One deliciously, memorable experience. This wedding breakfast guide has us dreaming of food!

Major heart-eyes! A huge thank you to Taste Caterer for their excellent advice and expertise on our wedding breakfast guide. Have you made your choice? Well, if your wedding breakfast is all sorted, take a look at our wedding drinks serving guide and our low/no alcohol wedding drink inspiration too! It's important to make sure there's something for everyone! What about the wider setting? We have 10 unique and stylish table plan ideas and 40 table centrepiece ideas. Not only will your food look incredible, but your decor will too!