03-10-2024 Capital Style - Flipbook - Page 28
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From signature cocktails to
bite-sized desserts, wedding food
is back to the classics
BY KAREN NITKIN For Capital Style
ot so long ago, in the depths of
the COVID-19 pandemic, big,
formal weddings disappeared.
Instead, knots were tied
in backyard ceremonies with just a few
celebrants — many wearing masks and
standing at least 6 feet away from each
other. Friends and family eavesdropped over
Zoom. The food and drinks, by necessity,
were simple.
Though the pandemic isn’t completely
gone, weddings have come roaring back.
Wedding planners and caterers in Annapolis
say their calendars are booked with events,
many with 200 people or more. And their
clients, for the most part, want old-fashioned
elegance.
Ken Upton has helmed Ken’s Creative
Kitchen since 1977, so he’s seen trends come
and go. “We’re back to the classics and what
works,” he says.
Full bars are the norm, supplemented with
signature cocktails that might have special
meaning to the bride and groom. Cocktail
hours feature trays of hors d’oeuvres and
drinks passed around the room, and raw bars
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with freshly shucked oysters.
Then it’s onto a beautifully plated sit-down
dinner, often a crab cake and a filet, plus
elegant vegetable and potato preparations,
all pretty enough to satisfy the pickiest social
media algorithms.
The old-fashioned giant wedding cake
is out. Instead, couples are choosing a
smaller cake, just one or two tiers, that
they can ceremoniously cut while thanking
their family and friends. The slices are
complemented by miniature pies, cupcakes
and cannoli that guests can grab and gobble.
Also popular are tiny ice cream sandwiches,
passed to guests right on the dance floor, for
a refreshing bite between songs.
Planners gave two big reasons for this
shift toward tried-and-true sophistication.
One is the pent-up desire, after the worst
of the pandemic, to celebrate in a big way.
The other is social media and its endless
appetite for food and drinks that are as
photographable as they are delicious.
“Presentation is big,” says Jennifer Nyland,
a partner with 2Hands Studios Events,
an Annapolis-based wedding planner.
“Everything has to be presented well so they
can photograph it.”
This is a good place to note that trends
are not the same as rules. Brides and grooms
are still saying “I do” at less formal outdoor
weddings, providing food from barbecue pits
or food trucks, and keeping the guest list to
double digits.
But planners and caterers in Annapolis
(known for fancier events) say many families
reserve the casual gatherings for the rehearsal
dinner.
Food trucks, a recent wedding trend,
haven’t disappeared, but they’re more likely
to show up at the end of the reception, so
guests can grab burger sliders or mini pizzas
before heading to the after-party.
Upton has decades of experience, and he
