Sometimes when people think about wedding reception food, the thoughts go to heavy sauces, fatty and fried and taste free food. Luckily, couples today have much different ideas in mind when they think about the menu for a wedding reception. Smaller dishes are more and more popular. Dishes like mini lettuce wraps with chicken satay or antipasto skewers are finding their way onto the food catering menu for weddings. Many couples are looking to sustainable and organic ingredients as they have become more wildly available.

Tips for creating a great menu for a wedding reception:

• Consider traditional food for your desert menu. Many event menus are being populated with new and very trendy foods that may feel fun and wacky but many people have seriously great memories of wedding receptions where the cake, for instance, was traditional. Some couples will opt for funnel cakes or whatever the newest desert trends are but a great, beautiful and traditional wedding cake can steal the meal show and be something guests remember for a long time.
• You do not have to have a sit down meal. Not every wedding needs a sit down or large meal to make the food special. Depending on the time of your wedding, you can opt for smaller dishes that are more memorable. People love to sample different flavors and may not want a heavy meal. Consider serving sliders, for instance. These do not have to be hamburgers but can be crab cakes or barbecue. Consider a dim sum menu for a wedding reception. Finger food might be better if your wedding was late and your guests want to focus on dancing and not eating.
• When you plan your menu for a wedding reception, look at what is local. If you are in Maryland, you should have crab cakes at your wedding reception. In the first place, they are better there than in any other state in the country but when you plan your catering with local food it will have more significance, be cheaper and be a lot more flavorful. Go with some lobster dish if you are in Maine. If you are in Seattle, make sure salmon is a part of your planning. One great thing about regional specialties is that they makes us appreciate certain foods. Some of the best wedding reception meals have been potluck dinners. These are often made with local ingredients.
• Consider foods with meaning. Think about where you and your soon to be spouse are from. Are there special foods from there that you can serve? You do not have to have an entire meal be of the cuisine of the home country to play homage to it. For example, including a dish from both or your home states or ancestral lands may add a special touch to the meal. This may be especially true if one of you has family from far away and they have not been back to that place in a long time.
• Mix it up by making it interactive. Have an ice cream bar. Get a chocolate fountain. Let people make their own Italian ices. These are all fun ways to make your food special, interesting and tasty at the same time. Your guests should have fun while eating at your wedding reception.
• Do not let any problems on the day of your wedding ruin it for you. Things will go wrong on your wedding day. The menu for a wedding reception is not immune to problems. When they occur, get over it. No one but you knows what you planned and getting upset will change nothing. Just go with the flow and enjoy your day.

You can have a great wedding reception meal whether you have professional catering services come in and take care of it or you have your family cook everything at home. The point is never how much money you spent on the food or the flowers or how perfect it all came out. The point is to get food you and your spouse and all of your friends and family who want to help you celebrate your day will enjoy.