Wedding Menu: Tips for Getting It Right

Key Takeaways

• The welcome drinks reception and the wedding breakfast tend to serve different purposes: one opens the appetite, the other satisfies it. Blurring the line between them without clear intention can throw off the rhythm of the whole celebration.
• Finalise the menu six to eight weeks before the wedding; dietary requirements can be confirmed up to two weeks before.
• The per-head cost in Spain ranges from €80 to €180 depending on region and venue type (Cronoshare, 2024).
• EU Regulation 1169/2011 requires caterers to document the fourteen major allergens. Ask for a complete alternative menu for every dietary requirement, not a last-minute workaround.
• Cutting back on canapé rounds during drinks or choosing a single high-quality main course are effective ways to manage the budget without guests noticing any difference.

Do you know what question circulates most in the group chats the Monday after a wedding? It is almost never about the dress or the music. It is, without fail, "how was the food?" That makes the menu a decision with considerably more weight than it might seem when you first sign the catering contract. Here we look at how to structure it, what to ask before you commit and how to balance the budget without compromising the experience.

The Structure of the Banquet: From Welcome Drinks to Dessert

A wedding banquet follows a fairly recognisable rhythm, and there is good reason for it. The welcome drinks reception serves two purposes at once: it keeps guests entertained while the couple are having photographs taken, and it opens the appetite without overwhelming it. Light, fresh bites work best here. Think chilled gazpacho shots, a well-carved platter of cured ham and good-quality croquettes. Avoid anything too heavy or deep-fried if the wedding breakfast begins within ninety minutes.

The dining room begins with starters. The trend of recent years is a shared starter for the table, which sparks conversation and reduces service time. Fish and meat courses follow as the mains, though more and more couples are opting for a single high-quality main rather than two separate courses. A plated dessert closes the service before the wedding cake arrives for its own moment.

On the subject of the cake, there is a full guide to choosing it here: choosing your wedding cake.

What to Ask Your Caterer Before You Sign

The menu tasting is an appointment many couples look forward to enormously, and rightly so. But it is worth arriving with questions prepared, because it is also a negotiation.

Where the produce comes from. Is it seasonal? Is any of it locally sourced? A caterer who works with nearby suppliers tends to offer better quality and has more flexibility to adapt the menu according to the time of year.

Staff-to-guest ratio. A minimum of one member of waiting staff per ten guests during the main courses is generally recommended. Below that, service slows and food arrives at the table at the wrong temperature.

What is included and what is not. Ask specifically about bread, soft drinks during the meal, coffee, post-dinner spirits and any sweet table. Many caterers price these separately and the surprise arrives with the final invoice.

Policy on leftovers. What happens to food that is not consumed? Some caterers will package it for the couple to take home or arrange a donation to a food bank. It is not a small detail.

For a full breakdown of what the per-head price typically covers and what is usually charged as an extra, there is more detail here: per-head cost at weddings.

Dietary Requirements: Managing the Logistics

EU Regulation 1169/2011 requires catering operators to provide information on the fourteen major allergens. In practice, this means your caterer must have every dish documented. Regulatory compliance is the starting point, and genuine care for your guests requires going considerably further.

Collect dietary requirements at least four weeks before the wedding. The most efficient method is to include a dedicated field in your wedding website form. Group requirements by category once you have them: serious allergies (nuts, shellfish, gluten), mild intolerances, lifestyle preferences (vegetarianism, veganism) and religious diets (halal, kosher).

Ask your caterer for a complete alternative menu for each category. A coeliac guest who receives gluten-free bread but whose sauces are thickened with wheat flour has not been properly catered for. Label tables or place settings so that waiting staff can identify who eats what without having to ask at the table.

The Drinks Reception: The Most Underestimated Part of the Day

The welcome drinks reception takes up a significant share of the food budget at many weddings, and it is also the area where planning tends to be most improvised. Two common mistakes: too much food (guests arrive at the dining table without any appetite) and too little variety (four versions of the same croquette and not much else).

A well-considered drinks reception has height and movement. The ideal combination is a drinks bar alongside circulating trays of warm bites and one well-executed standing station, such as a cheese board or a carved ham. Always include a visible vegetarian option, not something tucked away at the back of the table.

Drinks at the reception deserve separate thought. If you are considering an open bar from the start of the afternoon, the guide to open bars at weddings covers costs and formats in detail.

Wine Pairing: Beyond the Basics

Some of the world's finest wines come from Spain, and yet many weddings serve generic references that do not do the food justice. You do not need a dedicated sommelier, but you do need a considered selection.

A practical approach: pair a white wine with the fish course and a red with the meat. If the budget allows, add a reserva or gran reserva for guests who linger over coffee, and consider whether Cava or Champagne fits better at the toast or carried through to dessert as a finishing touch.

More couples are now including low- or no-alcohol options during the drinks reception, particularly when guests are driving or families with children are present. A sparkling water with cucumber and mint, or a seasonal kombucha, lands far better than a carton of orange juice.

The Children's Menu: Yes, It Needs Thought

If you have more than four or five children among your guests, a children's menu stops being optional. Caterers typically offer this as a separate line priced between €25 and €45 per child, according to estimates from service platforms such as Cronoshare.

Pasta, croquettes, grilled chicken, fruit for pudding: that works. Serving a scaled-down version of the adult menu is a different kind of mistake. Children eat earlier than adults and need dishes that arrive quickly. Their parents will be quietly grateful that the service does not make them wait for the pace of the main dining room.

Budget: Fitting the Menu into the Overall Wedding Spend

The menu and catering service represent one of the largest single costs in most weddings. With a per-head price ranging from €80 to €180 depending on region and venue type (according to estimates from platforms such as Cronoshare), the total outlay on food and drink can vary considerably depending on your guest count and the level of service you choose.

There are several ways to adjust without it showing:

• Reduce the number of canapé rounds during drinks rather than lowering the quality of the produce. Four well-executed bites beat eight mediocre ones every time.
• Prioritise a single high-quality main course over offering both a fish and a meat course at a middling standard. The perception of quality rises considerably.
• Negotiate the drinks package separately if the caterer allows a corkage fee arrangement, where you supply your own wine and pay a per-bottle fee for it to be served. At venues that permit this, the saving can be meaningful.

What not to cut: the quality of the waiting staff and the coffee service at the end of the meal. They are the last flavours guests take home with them.

Current Trends in Wedding Menus

The weddings of 2024 and 2025 have confirmed several clear directions. The tasting menu format, with shorter courses served in sequence, is gaining ground over the traditional three-course banquet, particularly at weddings of fewer than sixty guests where service can move more fluidly. Seasonal, locally sourced cooking has become a genuine selling point for many caterers, and couples value it as much as their guests do.

Dessert tables and artisan ice cream carts have moved from novelty to expectation at weddings of a certain standard. Cheese stations for the end of the evening are increasingly common, as is a cocktail bar during the welcome drinks reception, with a bartender mixing drinks in full view of guests. A talking point that people remember long after the day.

What appears to be falling away: cold buffets as a primary dining format (associated with lower-key celebrations) and fusion menus without