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Savvy November 2024

Medieval Menu Nightmare!

Thomas, on September 10, 2023 at 8:19 AM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 27
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Trying to figure out our wedding food has been a nightmare! My partner & I are planning a medieval gothic wedding in early November. We originally wanted a Halloween wedding, but I guess over the years October has become a very popular wedding month so we moved the date and did a slight shift in "theme". We're doing a family-style dinner, and everywhere we have looked give us no results unless it's going to cost up $100+ per person just for dinner. So I've been scouting out grocery stores and such that sell large party platters, and are planning on hiring our venue's servers to re-plate & serve to the tables. But this has even become a challenge because they mostly just sell sandwiches, cheese, sliced meat, fruit & veggies unless it's large saucey dishes that will require chafing dishes to keep hot. Since it's in the fall we were leaning towards more of a viking type of vibe, but we're not really following any particular area or time period, more like a fantasy type of theme. So far I've got this:

Dinner:
Assorted Lebanese Hand Pies
Halved Hard Boiled Eggs
Cheese Curds
Potato Harrah
Curtido
Honey Mustard & Salsa (dips)
Dessert:
Assorted Glazed Donuts (tiered "cake")
Ricotta Stuffed Dates
Green & Purple Grapes
Chocolate & Yogurt Covered Pretzels
Drinks:
Warm Mulled Wine (table wine)
Pumpkin Cider Mocktail
Cranberry Arnold Palmer Mocktail
Tea & Coffee
Does this sound sufficient? Should we have printed menus?

27 Comments

Latest activity by Megan, on September 27, 2023 at 9:35 PM
  • Cece
    Rockstar October 2023
    Cece ·
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    I think you are getting hung up on the theme and it’s negatively affecting your menu. You can have a theme for the decor and not carry it through to the food. The menu you listed lacks a traditional main course; unless you are counting the hand pies as a main course, which I personally wouldn’t do because it only provides one option for meat and it is fried (lots of people don’t eat red meat or eat fried foods). I would suggest doing meat stations- it would provide multiple options of meat for people to choose from, and having meat carved live has a much more “Viking” feel to it. Your side options are also very specific and don’t cater to a wide variety of people (another fried option, a dairy option, and fermented cabbage). If you want to loosely stick to your Viking theme, I would go very basic- meat, potato, vegetable. I think the stuffed dates and grapes go well with your theme, but probably won’t be enjoyed as a “dessert” - more of a grab and go snack here and there. The donut cake sounds really fun, and so do your drinks!
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  • T
    Savvy November 2024
    Thomas ·
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    For the hand pies, they're all baked (not fried) and have fillings like chicken, beef, spinach, and mushroom. We were thinking on having platters of each type and labeling them somehow. All of our guests are carnivores, except for my partner, who just doesn't really care for meat too much. We might be changing up some of the sides still, but we are definitely keeping the hand pies as the main.
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  • C
    CM ·
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    As everyone told you last month when you were considering subs, it still seems more appropriate to a luncheon than a 4-5 hour Friday night affair. The hand pies are essentially sandwiches and the side dishes aren’t something that will have broad appeal.


    In your place I’d focus less on decor and a theme and more on the food.
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  • T
    Savvy November 2024
    Thomas ·
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    I don't think you even know what hand pies are
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  • C
    CM ·
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    I know what they are.
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  • Cece
    Rockstar October 2023
    Cece ·
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    Well that’s good that they have various options for different kinds of meats in the hand pies. You mention spinach and mushroom – does that mean there is a vegetarian option also? I know hand pies would not go over well with our guest list, but if you know that all your guests enjoy them, then I don’t see anything wrong with that choice! I would definitely revisit the options for sides though. Since your “main course” is so specialized, I would definitely try to find some more basic sides that appeal to a wide variety of people. The last thing you want is hungry guests!
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  • Michelle
    Rockstar December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    Are you absolutely committed to this menu? There is no set main dish and what you have is very divisive as far as preferences, so there could easily be a ton of wasted food. Also everything appears to be intended to be eaten without utensils, which is fine if you are serving basic sub sandwiches and chips or are on a Game of Thrones set where there are people to make sure there is full cleanup afterwards and safety standards are met. It doesn’t translate well to formal events in the modern day where guests are dressed up in formal clothes. Serve something filling that you can afford that your guests will enjoy and don’t worry about being period accurate. It would make you appear to be a more gracious host if you went the opposite direction and did something such as a pp mentioned like a carving station with standard potatoes and vegetables that can be eaten with a plate and fork at a table. At the local renaissance fairs and fantasy conventions, they sell filling modern food with utensils that modern people are familiar with and find palatable. Not to mention, unless everyone has their own plates that are premade by waitstaff, it’s a health code violation to have food set up without utensils for serving. Again, something you can only get away with on a private movie set.
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  • T
    Savvy November 2024
    Thomas ·
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    No, there will be utensils and serving utensils as well. We're not having a separate dinner slot, but are having the platters brought out to the tables and then the reception begins, so no stations are feasible. We also are sticking to foods that can be served slightly warm or room temperature because we can't have chafing dishes down the middle of the tables. Family-Style dinners are not a health code violation, and are commonly practiced for weddings/large events.
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  • Michelle
    Rockstar December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    Never said that family style was a health code violation. Not having serving utensils is, and not keeping food at proper temperatures. Does your venue have a kitchen and waitstaff to help pull this off?Your previous posts sounded like you were trying to keep as close to theme as possible, and not include any modern amenities.
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  • T
    Savvy November 2024
    Thomas ·
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    "So I've been scouting out grocery stores and such that sell large party platters, and are planning on hiring our venue's servers to re-plate & serve to the tables."
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  • Keri
    Keri ·
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    Just do BBQ or Texmex. It's cheaper and everyone likes it. The food does not have to go with the theme. And over $100 per person is outrageous no matter where you live.
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  • V
    Rockstar July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    To be honest, this menu sounds very out there and not appealing to the wide majority of people. I for one have never even heard of meat pies. I had to Google it to figure out what it was. I think you need to focus less on a theme and more on serving foods most people will like. If you want finger foods, then serve more common ones like mac & cheese bites, cocktail shrimp, meat & cheese platers, etc.
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  • Jacks
    Rockstar November 2054
    Jacks ·
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    You're describing to me an appetizer menu. Do you have a main course? You can't serve hot foods without a chafing dish. Is a hand pie a main dish? Please excuse my cultural ignorance!

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  • R
    Rockstar June 2018
    Rae ·
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    While the menu sounds tasty, it sounds more like appetizers than a full meal. Even 2-3 hand pies/person isn't really "dinner" it's more of a filling snack.

    I agree with cece that you're focusing too much about the food being "on theme". I would go ahead and find the cheapest local catering option (bbq, mexican, falafel/gyro station) and go with that. It's worth at least getting a few pricing options, you may be surprised.

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  • T
    Savvy November 2024
    Thomas ·
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    Lebanese hand pies are handheld savory pie, the ones I have sourced out are filled with minced lamb, chicken & beef shawarma, spinach, and mushrooms they are about the size of a Jamaican patty. Where I'm from Jamaican patties, gyros and shawarma wraps are pretty much at every street corner and are a very common main dish. The hand pies I'm talking about are baked in a flakes pastry crust with no vegetables or sauces added like the wraps.
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  • LM
    Super December 2022
    LM ·
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    I'm sorry Thomas, I don't think I could eat any of your food. While I admire the handheld aspect of the pies (similar to a sandwich), a menu of meat/ dairy/ eggs/ carbs can be quite challenging with no vegetables to balance the taste palate or digestive system. Can you simplify to entree + 2-3 sides? Perhaps add pasta salads (non-mayo) which can be served cold, feed many people, and are already constructed by grocery store chefs. I know it's more agrarian culture, but it's how many people eat in this age. Good luck.

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  • T
    Savvy November 2024
    Thomas ·
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    At this point I'm about to give up.
    I found a fancy grocery store that claims to make real roma pizzas, and I might just go that way. Was thinking:

    Brie & Prosciutto Roma PizzaChicken Pesto & Artichoke Roma PizzaBlack Truffle Mushroom Roma PizzaMaple Roasted Root Vegetables (parsnip, carrot & butternut squash)Curtido (salvadoran fermented coleslaw)Halved Hard Boiled Eggs Creamy Garlic Sauce & Salsa (for dips)Salt & Pepper
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  • V
    Rockstar July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    It sounds like you are getting ready overwhelmed with the menu, but I think pizza definitely sounds like a better idea. I still think the maple roasted root vegetables and curtido don't sound like they would appeal to everyone. I would probably do something that's more common unless you know those are foods your guests eat a lot.

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  • SandyZV
    Dedicated June 2023
    SandyZV ·
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    I really think you are making things way too complicated with the food. Have some meat stations, some potato, and veggies. BBQ is also good.

    I have a VERY picky husband and with almost every single option you mentioned he would not eat one thing. He is the very definition of "meat and potatoes". Some people are. He doesn't eat any condiments, won't touch anything if it looks like there is a vegetable nearby, and no sauces he doesn't know.

    Keep it basic.

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  • T
    Savvy November 2024
    Thomas ·
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    How about:


    Black Truffle Mushroom Roma Pizza
    Tourtiere (french Canadian meat pie)
    Maple Roasted Root Vegetables (parsnip, carrot & butternut squash)
    Roasted Asparagus
    Honey Mustard & Salsa (as condiments for pie)
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