Enticing foods and beverages are key to a fun-filled and delicious post-ceremony soiree for wedding guests. Outdoor receptions require you to take certain considerations into account during the planning process.
Keep It Cool
Keep guests cool with refreshing treats like ice cream, sno-cones or frozen mocktails like virgin daiquiris or pina coladas. Offer guests a sundae bar complete with several flavors of ice cream and toppings like hot fudge, strawberry syrup, candies, nuts and whipped cream or feature a soda fountain for root beer floats or malted shakes. Frozen fruit like strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe and grapes are delicious as a chilly fruit cocktail served in a wine goblet or short rocks glass. A salad mix with crisp lettuce, cold vegetables and fresh dressings will fill guests up. Pair a salad with cold shrimp cocktail, chilled soups and cheeses. Many of these cold foods can be served on ice sculptures to avoid spoilage.
Warm It Up
If it's chilly during the reception, offer slices of hot meats like roast beef, beef tenderloin, chicken and salmon. Keep the temperature rising with spicy dishes like buffalo wings or ethnic foods. Serve warm apple cider or hot chocolate as well as traditional coffees and teas in ceramic mugs to keep guests' hands warm. Make a cool evening into an interactive event with a smores firepit or fondue stations.
Embrace the Outdoors
Take advantage of the outdoor setting and view the reception as an elegant picnic and present guests with baskets of cheeses, crackers, fruit, fine breads and deli meats. Have guests bring dishes of family recipes in a classy potluck and serve it on assorted china, bringing the fine dining element to the outdoors. Serve a lighter fare that can be eaten easily such as passed hors d'oeuvres or kabobs.
Wet Their Whistle
Be creative with drinks and beverages by serving bubbly champagne mixers like mimosas and bellinis. Let guests mix their own sodas with flavored syrups and soda water and offer nonalcoholic options such as lemonade, iced teas and mint or cucumber water.
Other Considerations
Outdoor weddings and receptions offer many things that indoor weddings do not, such as a blue sky ceiling, the most natural sunlight and the most lush of settings in gardens and parks. But they also feature variable weather conditions, creatures like bugs and insects and unpredictable elements beyond even the most experienced planner's control.
Weather at any time of year can be foreseeable to an extent. A sudden cold front or disturbance in the ocean can cause unexpected rain during the driest of months or an onslaught of pollen and allergens in the area. Look ahead to an almanac or view the weather in years past for an idea of what the weather will hold for that special day.
Creepy crawlers like ants, bees and mosquitoes will ruin any foodstuffs and are particularly drawn to sweet drinks like champagne and punch. Keep these unwelcome guests at bay with a pest control substance at least 24 hours prior to the reception or consider using lids on drink containers like punch bowls, bottles and cups.
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