? 1. Grasp the budget
As a big part of wedding planning, the wedding banquet costs about 40%-45% of the whole wedding budget. Generally, the budget consists of: the number of tables for the meal standard X+10- 15% service fee (which is usually involved in star-rated hotels), and sometimes the wedding venue rental fee is involved.
It is suggested that prospective newlyweds should estimate the number of guests and age levels in advance when determining the wedding menu, and then determine the number of wedding tables. When determining the hotel budget, it is necessary to reserve more than 10-20% of the wedding budget to avoid unexpected expenses in the subsequent communication process or on the wedding day. With the above criteria, the couple can estimate their own spending on the wedding banquet according to their respective wedding budgets.
Step 2 determine the type of dishes
With the increase of wedding forms, many hotel menus will be divided into many types, such as Chinese, Western, buffet, vegetarian and so on. When determining the menu, the prospective couple should consider their own wedding form, the age and region of the guests.
If it is an indoor wedding that combines Chinese and Western styles, Chinese dishes can be considered as the main choice. If it is an outdoor wedding, Western style and buffet style are more suitable for its wedding atmosphere.
Step 3 Determine the number of dishes
Traditional wedding customs pay attention to couples, so the number of wedding dishes in most areas is even. According to the rule that a table at a wedding banquet in most areas is 1 1- 12, the number of main courses should be increased by two on the basis of one dish per person, and there are also cold dishes, soups, staple foods, snacks, fruits, and Bazaar's small series introduces the collocation of several dishes here for the reference of new people preparing for marriage:
4 cold dishes +8 hot dishes+1 staple food+1 dessert+1 fruit bowl+1 soup = 16.
4 cold dishes+12 hot dishes +2 staple foods+1 dessert+1 fruit bowl +2 soup =22 dishes.
8 cold dishes+10 hot dishes+1 staple food+1 dessert+1 fruit bowl+1 soup =22 courses.
8 cold dishes+12 hot dishes +2 desserts +2 staple foods+1 soup+1 fruit plate =26 dishes.
(The specific number of dishes can be adjusted according to your own budget)
4. Pay attention to the taste choice of ingredients
When choosing wedding dishes, we should not only pay attention to the quantity, but also pay attention to the choice of ingredients, and the taste of dishes is also one of the key factors to determine whether guests eat comfortably. Fish, pork, beef, chicken, seafood and shrimp are six essential ingredients in a traditional wedding banquet, but the dishes selected are slightly different due to different eating habits in different places.
For example, in the traditional Shanghai wedding banquet, local dishes occupy an important position, and classic hot dishes such as crispy squab, eight-treasure duck, Shanghai plain duck, and garden fried vegetables are also essential. For cold dishes, brine platters are mostly selected, and for desserts, coconut milk, red beans, sago and sweet soup and corn soup are all mainstream dishes. If you are holding a purely western-style wedding or an outdoor wedding, you can choose some buffet ingredients such as steak, lobster, sashimi, oysters and sushi.
Most wedding dishes in Guangzhou are mainly Cantonese dishes with auspicious meanings. Lobster, seafood, fish, roast suckling pig, etc. are all necessary dishes at the wedding reception. Due to the wide variety of seafood in Guangdong, the dishes of seafood at wedding banquets are also varied. Sweet-scented osmanthus fish and lobster, which symbolize wealth, are the most popular. In recent years, western-style seafood dishes have also been integrated into wedding banquets, such as "Baked lobster with cheese and butter" and "Baked lobster with soup".
Hubei and other places are rich in fish and shrimp, lotus root, etc., and all kinds of freshwater fish and shrimp are essential at wedding banquets. In addition, sauced ducks and pearl balls are also classic dishes in banquets. For northern wedding banquets, lion's head, grilled elbow, boiled shrimp and steamed fish are essential traditional dishes.
5. Choose a wine mix
If you choose Chinese cuisine, it will generally be accompanied by white wine+red wine+drinks; Pure western-style wedding, you can choose champagne and red wine to accompany the meal; In Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, yellow rice wine is also an essential drink on the wedding table.
It is said that the wedding reception is an important link to determine whether a wedding is perfect or not. A decent wedding menu will make your wedding even better. As long as the prospective newcomers pay attention to the tastes of most guests and avoid some exotic foods when making the menu, I believe they will be able to make the guests enjoy themselves.