Wedding Food and Drink Trends for 2019…

From creative canapés and cocktails to vegan options and street food, we’ve teamed up with specialist caterer Tapenade to tell you the best wedding food and drink trends for 2019…

Wedding Food and Drink Trends for 2019

When it comes to weddings, catering for all of your guests can be the most expensive and complicated part of planning your day.

So, Tapenade’s Executive Head Chef, John Hearn, has shared his wedding food and drink predictions for 2019 to make sure your wedding breakfast is one to remember.

Creative Canapés

Weddings have become ever increasingly public occasions, with couples feeling the social pressure to host a stunning event. As a result, menus have become more and more creative.

Canapés have received an image reboot of late, with mini bites turning premium and adding extensive ranges of flavour. For those in the know, the tiny scale holds a mouthful of experience, a perfectly blended fusion.

An opportunity to integrate more personality in the big day, couples can experiment with classic dishes and imaginative combinations in miniature form providing moments of child-like delight for guests with this intriguing trend.

Vegan Wedding Food

2019 heralds a shift towards more inclusive options. With more than an estimated two million people in the UK living with a diagnosed food allergy (Food Standards Agency, 2017), and  no longer is a token vegetarian option enough.

Menus are now being considered from a reduced allergen focus entirely, where guests can rest assured that their dietary requirements will be taken care of whilst still being able to enjoy a delicious meal.

The core of this trend is creating a menu that works for everyone, so the same experience can be relished regardless of dietary requirements or allergies.

Wedding Sharing Platters

Here come the toned-down formalities. The traditional structured menu has been loosening for some time whilst the desire to relax gains traction for wedding breakfast dining.

Communal sharing, feasting, and food that can be experienced together is set to be a key prediction for the year ahead. Breaking the boundary of the top table to encourage more time together, dining is adapting to the seating layout and providing more opportunities for the informal vibes couples are looking for.

Think family style serving dishes laid out along the table, picture perfect cascades of sweet sensations for dessert, and street food inspired pick and mix self-serve interaction.

Wedding Welcome Cocktails

Skip the Buck’s Fizz, and ditch the Prosecco, this year we will all be sipping on lavish cocktails as our welcome drink of choice. Elegant looking cocktails sporting an indulgent mix of spirits and flavours are taking over in the drinks space aiming to woo guests as they enter the reception.

Drawing on another trend, concoctions that taste amazing, with or without alcohol, ensure inclusivity with guests able to customise their glass based on their drinking preferences. But don’t play it safe with old favourites. Martinis and mojitos need to step it up with adventurous combinations to truly nail this trend.

Late Night Wedding Food

The wedding party is now lasting longer, with 23% more couples opting to extend their festivities to run over a 2-3 day period. Looking after guests through the evening part of the celebrations then is a rising requirement to keep everyone fully sated.

After the exertions on the dance floor, comfort foods are having a real moment with mini cones of Fish and Chips, sliders, cheesy bites, and tartlets or dumplings are ideally suited to a quick bite as the party continues. Adding a mix of sweet treats to balance out the savoury nibbles will also keep energy levels high.

Words by: Laura Bolshaw

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