Outdoor wedding: menu [2019] for the holiday? DIY & useful tips

Since many people register their relationships in the warm season, outdoor weddings are becoming popular. The menu for it is usually prepared by the newlyweds themselves, calling their loved ones for help, and waiters are not required at all.

In addition, for an open-air celebration you do not need to pay for the rental of a formal hall, and the impressions of the celebration remain very vivid.

If among the guests there are no such people who will find it difficult to get to the appointed place, for example, people of the older generation, then you can organize an unforgettable wedding in nature.

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And yet, preference is given not to heavy and high-calorie dishes, but to light snacks and salads, mainly from vegetables. There should be a lot of them, like fruits, on the wedding table if the banquet is held in the warm season. Lydia Svetlaya

At a wedding, you should focus on the following order of serving food:

aperitif – cold appetizers and cold cuts (400 g per person);
salads – 3 different portioned dishes (100 g per serving);
cold and hot snacks, mainly from meat or fish, but vegetables and mushrooms are allowed (200 g per person);
main course (200 g per person);
side dish for the main course (100-200 g per guest);
desserts (200 g per person);
cake (200 g per serving).

Even when celebrating outdoors, the wedding table must be perfectly set and decorated. Ready-made dishes are decorated with stylized details if the celebration is held in a certain theme. Characteristic decor and flowers are placed on the tables in shades that are in harmony with the overall design of the wedding.

Attention! Find out which lightweight groom's suit is suitable for the celebration, and also check out the best ideas for a summer wedding.

Wedding buffet decoration

An open-air buffet is an ideal option. But it is better to provide for weather surprises such as rain, wind or, conversely, scorching sun, and organize a buffet on an open veranda, under an awning, canopy or in a tent. The pros and cons of a tent are described in detail in the article “Wedding Reception in a Tent: Pros and Cons,” so think carefully before deciding on this option.

As for the decor of the buffet table, the main principle of the design of the buffet table is the length of the tablecloth - it should reach the floor and completely cover the legs of the table. Draperies, ribbons and other decorative elements typical for decorating wedding tables will help add grace. You will find a selection of beautifully decorated tents and open verandas in the article “Wedding Trends - Celebration in a Tent.”

Dishes for an open-air celebration

Despite the fact that the celebration is scheduled for the warm season, and, as a rule, a large amount of food is not required in the heat, if the banquet is moved outdoors, then the portions, on the contrary, increase. This is due to the fact that in the open air the appetite increases, and in combination with active games and fiery dances it is difficult to achieve satiety.

Juices, compotes, fruit drinks and lemonades are made from sweet fruits to replace store-bought products, since they only increase thirst in the heat. The portion of soft drinks is also increased to at least 2 liters per person. Alcohol is selected depending on the tastes of the company, but you should not stock up on large quantities of strong drinks. It's better to stock up on light, refreshing cocktails.

As for hot food, in nature it is better to give preference to meat, chicken and fish fried over an open fire. A grill or barbecue is perfect for such a banquet, and it does not require a side dish as such. The usual potatoes and rice can be easily replaced with sliced vegetables in combination with thin pita bread.

Desserts can be varied, and it is not necessary to make the cake classic. The usual sponge cake can be replaced with ice cream in combination with fresh berries and fruits. But in this case, you need to take care of the safety of the delicacy, because in the heat it will melt hopelessly.

As for portioned desserts, it can be jelly, creme brulee, cupcakes, mousse, soufflé and other sweets that are pleasantly cooling in warm weather.

Buffet menu

Basic principles of the buffet menu:

lack of hot food and multiple changes of dishes;
lack of waiters and service personnel;
all dishes are placed on tables or stands in general accessibility;
small portions for one or two bites;
main course - light snacks, canapés and sandwiches, as well as fruits and sweets;
large selection of drinks (champagne, wine, sparkling water, juices, fruit drinks).

Not the least important role is played by the design and presentation of each dish. Miniature bowls, glasses and cups are most often used as tableware. Sliced meats and fish, cheese, fruits, vegetables and sweets are often served directly on trays. Drinks, with the exception of wine and carbonated liquids, are poured into glasses in advance.

How to choose the right food

To create a competent summer menu for an outdoor wedding, you need to count the exact number of guests and determine the budget, making a reserve for unforeseen expenses.

The menu from the mid-price category is as follows:

vegetable slicing – tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, lettuce, radishes, greens;
a plate with lightly salted fish and seafood;
canapes with hard cheese, olives and lemon;
sandwiches with tomatoes, eggs and anchovies;
Caesar salad with chicken;
salad with beans, mushrooms, carrots, walnuts and asparagus;
beef heart salad with green peas and pickled onions;
stuffed eggplants baked in the oven; ham cheese and garlic rolls;
pork kebab;
portioned ice cream with country berries;
homemade lemonade with lemon and mint.

If the budget of the future newlyweds allows, then you can choose a more expensive menu that friends and family will appreciate. It might look like this:

canapés with mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes and green bell peppers;
cold cuts – boiled pork, carbonade, smoked neck;
tartlets with red caviar;
tomatoes stuffed with Parmesan cheese, avocado and arugula;
Tiffany salad with grapes, boiled chicken, almonds, eggs, hard cheese and curry;
“Funchoza” salad with vegetables or seafood;
salad with squid, fresh cucumbers, eggs and sour cream;
homemade rolls;
meatloaf with egg and cheese;
lamb kebab;
mousses, jellies and milkshakes;
punch, green tea and freshly squeezed juice.

When going outdoors, it’s worth taking with you several sauces, regular and spicy, which should be served with the main course and meat appetizers. It is also advisable to place perishable foods in portable refrigerators until the moment of serving, since the heat can ruin not only the appearance, but also the taste of the food.

Dishes for the second day of celebration

In summer, not only the main banquet is celebrated outdoors, but also the second day of the celebration. Some even rent a camp site and go there with their guests for the whole weekend, so as not to fuss in the stuffy city. In this case, you need to think about what the menu will be, because on the second day of the celebration there is no need for excessive solemnity - the banquet turns into a cozy picnic.

Of course, the menu for the second day of an outdoor wedding mainly includes meat or fish cooked over an open fire. In addition, you can please your guests with fresh fish soup or pilaf. You can prepare such dishes yourself or hire a professional to get complete rest on the second day of your wedding. Grilled vegetables are most often served as a side dish.

Important! On the second day of the wedding, you shouldn’t cook too much - just a few appetizers, 2-3 salads and a main course. The main focus, again, is on drinks.

Outdoor wedding: creating a menu

A wedding banquet is one of the most important components of a wedding celebration. In order for guests to be satisfied, we do not recommend saving on the wedding feast. In addition to the beautiful design and table setting, you need to pay special attention to the quality and taste of the dishes offered.

Banquet menu How to properly create a menu for a wedding so that there is enough food for everyone and there is not much leftover? Many people advise based on the total weight of food per person. However, this is not always correct, since for the same weight, foods have different caloric content, and the amount of food will largely depend on the dishes you choose.

When compiling a wedding menu, we advise you to proceed from the following: 1. As you know, “There are no friends according to taste and color,” so when compiling a menu you should not focus only on your preferences. The menu should be varied so that every guest is satisfied. For example, if you don't like to eat fish, this does not mean that fish dishes should not be on the table. 2. Buffet for a wedding. The buffet consists of light snacks and drinks that guests can enjoy before the banquet begins. For example, during the gathering of other guests or during a photo shoot of the newlyweds, as well as during breaks. Buffet dishes and drinks are placed on a separate table, where everyone can come and take what they want. We recommend soft drinks and champagne for the buffet table, which is poured into special glasses arranged in a pyramid, usually 56 glasses. Canapés on skewers, small sandwiches, fruit, pies and cakes are served as appetizers on the buffet table. We also recommend a chocolate fountain with fruit for the buffet table. It looks impressive, unusual and tasty.

3. Salads. How many salads should I order for the wedding table? We recommend 3-4 types based on 200-250 grams of the total weight of all salads per person. For example, the weight of one serving of any salad presented on a restaurant menu is 200 grams. Thus, if you order 3 types of salads for 50 people, then you need to order 20 servings of each type. When setting wedding tables according to European seating (round tables of 8-10 people), we place 4 servings of each salad on one table, placing them in 1 or 2 salad bowls. When choosing salads for a wedding feast, we also recommend taking into account that everyone has different tastes. Just because you love chicken doesn't mean all salads have to contain chicken. For example, if you ordered a chicken Caesar, then try to have other meats in the rest of the salads, and one with shrimp, fish or seafood. 4. Cold appetizers . The more varied the better. You don’t need to take a lot of everything, but in order for the holiday table to look impressive and rich, there should be cold appetizers on it for every taste. The banquet begins with them, because when guests are invited to the table, cold appetizers are already served. Therefore, snacks should surprise not only with variety, but also with beautiful presentation. Traditionally, the wedding table should include meat delicacies and assorted fish, a bouquet of vegetables and assorted cheeses, aspic from tongue, fish or just jellied meat. For vodka, don’t forget to order pickled mushrooms, pickles, herring or lard. For champagne lovers, there should be fruit on the table. As a fish appetizer, we recommend placing a dish of whole baked and beautifully decorated sterlet on each table. This fish is not cheap, but it looks very impressive on the table, and most importantly, it is tasty and boneless. 5. After cold appetizers and salads, hot appetizers are served. Traditionally this is julienne with chicken and champignons. For gourmets, we offer julienne with porcini mushrooms or seafood. You can also order khachapuri as a hot snack. The number of hot appetizers should be based on one serving per person. 6. Hot or main dishes. About an hour and a half after the hot appetizers, the main courses are served. If the wedding is outdoors, then, as a rule, it is meat or fish cooked over coals. When ordering hot food, you should proceed from the following quantity: 300-350 grams of meat per person, or better – 250 grams of meat + 100 grams of fish. Again, keep in mind that everyone's tastes are different. Some people love pork, while others only accept shish kebab made from quality lamb, some prefer chicken, gourmets are not averse to eating ribeye steak made from marbled beef or kebab from tender veal, and ladies who are worried about their figure want something made from fish. . But, in addition to traditional meat and fish dishes, we recommend our signature dishes, the preparation and serving of which is a kind of small culinary show. For example, while guests are eating cold appetizers and salads, next to the wedding tent or gazebo a whole lamb or pig will be roasted on an open fire on a large spit, emitting an aroma that stimulates the appetite. And when the time comes to serve hot food, our chef will professionally and beautifully cut the finished meat directly in the banquet hall so that every guest can try an unusual dish. As a side dish you can order grilled vegetables or baked potatoes. 7. Drinks . If we are talking about a country wedding in nature, then at most venues you are allowed to bring your own alcohol, since such establishments operate, as a rule, only in the summer and obtaining a license to sell alcoholic beverages is a difficult and unprofitable matter. Most establishments, trying to somehow lure extra money from their clients, resort to a little trick, coming up with a kind of “corkage fee”, approximately 200-300 rubles per guest for bringing alcoholic drinks. The main thing is that your alcoholic drinks are purchased from a reputable seller and are of appropriate quality. We’ll talk in detail about the amount of alcohol for a wedding in another article. As for non-alcoholic drinks, we recommend ordering natural drinks, such as fruit drink, juice or compote, at the rate of 0.5-0.7 liters per person. For lovers of whiskey and cola or other cocktails, we recommend purchasing the appropriate ingredients.

8. Wedding cake and tea party . This is also a kind of cooking show. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to just go buy a ready-made cake for a wedding. The wedding cake is ordered in advance, taking into account the style of the event and the color used for the wedding decoration, as well as the number of guests. Typically, the price of a wedding cake is determined per kilogram of weight and averages 1500-1700 rubles per kilogram. When ordering a cake for a wedding, you need to assume 120-150 grams of cake per person, that is, for 50 guests you will need a cake of about 7 kilograms. We will talk more about cakes in the following articles.

Option for 30 people

Often at a wedding you can meet exactly this number of guests - it includes the newlyweds themselves, their parents, blood relatives and best friends. In this case, it is not difficult to create a menu, because the bride and groom know the tastes of loved ones and imagine what they will like

As for snacks, based on 400 g per person, then in this case you will need 12 kg of various cuts, canapés, tartlets, sandwiches, etc. You can make 6 different types of such dishes, 2 kg each, and you will get the required amount.

Usually choose the following snacks on the menu for an outdoor wedding for 30 people:

profiteroles of three types - with salmon, pate and cheese;
sandwiches with cod liver, cucumber and eggs;
croutons with kiwi and garlic mayonnaise;
canapes with feta cheese, olives and vegetables;
zucchini and eggplant rolls with cheese, garlic and herbs;
cauliflower in batter.

Salads remain unchanged - 2-3 different types are prepared, 100 g of each of them per serving (3 kg of each salad in total). It is advisable to make one with meat or chicken, the second with fish or seafood, the third with vegetables or mushrooms. It is recommended to use less mayonnaise, since it not only weighs down the food, but also quickly spoils in the heat.

Interesting!

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantages of such events include the following:

lower cost compared to a classic restaurant banquet;
original presentation of dishes;
no need for a certain number of tables and chairs;
significant savings in space for dances and competitions;
optional presence of a presenter.

In addition, a buffet usually takes significantly less time compared to a traditional feast (on average 2-4 hours) and is suitable for those newlyweds who want to have a short but memorable celebration.

A buffet table, like any other wedding style, has its drawbacks. It is not suitable for a large number of guests or a classic wedding where invited participants expect a traditional banquet.

Summary

The menu for an outdoor wedding is easy to prepare with your own hands. Future newlyweds, together with their family and close friends, can independently prepare and deliver meals - this will be more economical and tastier. Guests will certainly enjoy home-cooked food prepared by the heroes of the occasion, rather than the menu of a cafe or restaurant.

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Who is the buffet suitable for?

A buffet-style wedding is, first of all, an informal event for a small group of friends. This is an excellent option for modern young people who value time, but at the same time do not miss the opportunity to share their joy with loved ones. A buffet can easily be held outdoors or in a small banquet hall that is not designed for a traditional feast with dancing, competitions and a host.

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