03-10-2024 Capital Style - Flipbook - Page 31
Daumit, of Ken’s Creative Kitchen, drizzles butter
over asparagus as he prepares sample dishes for
a wedding party tasting.
The Valencia salad, garnished with jicama and
a pansy, is a popular item for weddings on the
catering menu at Ken’s Creative Kitchen.
or ones who are vegetarian or vegan, can
indicate as much on the invitation and will
be accommodated. So will any children
at the wedding, who will be given ageappropriate (and less expensive) fare like
chicken tenders or mac and cheese.
“Everyone gets the same combination
plate,” says Leslie Jefferson, the owner of
Annapolis-based Wedding Savvy, founded
in 2002, which plans 25 to 30 weddings a
year. “It’s an alternative to offering a choice.”
Carving stations, once fairly standard,
have fallen out of favor, says Nyland. That’s
partly so guests don’t have to stand in line
with their plates, and partly because it costs
more because the stations have to have
enough food for guests who go back for
seconds or thirds.
Drinks, appetizers and desserts are good
places for brides and grooms to add their
own flavor to the festivities, experts say.
Nyland says couples will often choose a
signature drink that has meaning to them,
and even give it a whimsical name. “It
could be a relative’s favorite, or a nod to
somewhere they grew up,” she says. That
drink, appropriately gussied up in a cute
glass with fun garnishes, is passed during
the cocktail hour, supplementing the full
bar, and again during the reception.
“Appetizers tend to be bite-sized and
butler-passed,” says Jefferson. “Guests will
be holding a drink maybe with a clutch
under one arm, and they’re trying to shake
hands or hug people.”
They are also a good place for
personalization, says Nyland, noting that
she worked with one couple who wanted
a riff on tacos and tequila, for example,
and another with a particular affection for
bratwurst.
“A lot of our couples are real foodies,” she
says. “We work with caterers who are good
at making it personal.”
When it’s time for dessert, giant fourtiered wedding cakes are no longer the
go-to option, the planners say. Instead,
brides and grooms are opting for smaller,
ceremonial cakes, plus other desserts.
“We’ll have a dessert table and the cake
kind of sits in the center,” says Jefferson.
“You might have tiers of displays that
surround the cake with assorted desserts.”
Nyland says handheld, grab-and-go mini
desserts are popular because “people are
dancing when desserts are being served.”
She adds: “Mini cupcakes are very popular.
Cannoli. It’s a good place to nod to your
heritage.”
As weddings amp up the exuberance,
brides and grooms are embracing
whimsical decorations and brighter colors.
Nyland says she’s seeing a lot of pinks this
year, with bridesmaids wearing shades
of the same color but not matching each
other’s dresses precisely.
To make the look more cohesive,
she might suggest macarons specially
formulated in complementary colors,
she says, or cupcakes iced to mimic the
wedding’s floral arrangements.
Nyland says she’s seen a lot of pent-up
demand, post-pandemic. Last year, her
shop planned about 45 weddings, most with
guest lists of between 150 and 300 people.
And nearly everyone shows up, she says.
“We are finding that people want to
celebrate,” she says. “That could mean a live
band, a great bar, a seated dinner. People are
in party mode.”
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