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When it comes to weddings, whether you're the couple getting married or a guest, the food is one of the most important parts of the day. I've designed loads of wedding menus as part of order of service newspapers and know that you can create something unique and perfect for your wedding if you follow these top tips.
Photo by Leesha Williams Photography
Do I need a wedding menu?
In short yes. People love to eat and everyone has an opinion on food and what they like. Telling your wedding guests what they are eating will get them excited and help them have a positive experience. Even if you told them on the invites or they chose their menu, you should still tell them as they will have forgotten. The same rules apply if you're having an informal buffet, platters or a grazing table, people still love to know what's on offer, you don't want to hold up the queue while aunty Helen tries to find out what's in every dish!
I want a creative wedding menu
Brilliant, there are so many unique and fun ideas! A wedding menu doesn't need to be boring, you can chose from individual menus per person, signage that is on display for everyone or a menu on each table. There are lots of creative and fun ideas for each of those.
Photo by JH Photography
Individual wedding menus
Usually these are on a card as part of each guests table setting and can double up as their name setting. Generally all menus will be the same for each guest, but you could do different ones for those with different menus or dietary requirements. You can also personalise them by including your Names, wedding date, and/or venue/location and even a thank you message to your guests on the other side. I've put together a board on Pinterest for some ideas here.
Wedding menu signage
If you want to keep your table setting simple or be eco friendly, you might want to have a menu on display in a prominent place so that everyone can see it. This is a great option if you want to get creative. Some cool wedding menu ideas include painted acrylic/window/door/mirror/blackboard/palette/wooden board, displaying your menu in a large picture frame, on a fabric hanging, a board hanging from a metal/wooden frame or on a board on an easel. If you need some ideas and inspiration for wedding menu signage, check out my board on interest here.
Photo by Jenny Appleton Photography
wedding menus as table decor
If you're looking for wedding menus to include on tables for guests to share as an alternative to cards, there are loads of cool and modern ideas. My favourite ideas are menus on Wine bottle labels, in a frame, hanging from a copper stand, as a table runner, on a large leaf, on a bread board or painted on pots.
What should I include on my wedding menu?
The obvious is what food you'll all be eating, but you can also include canapes, drinks, wines, cocktails. Don't forget to include separate options for allergies or dietary requirements too. Remember when it comes to the options, keep it simple. you only need to include the main ingredients, don't list every single thing.
Photo by Leesha Williams Photography
What design should I include on my wedding menu?
What do you want your menu to say about your wedding, it should represent your day and make a statement. Remember, some of your guests will take the menu home, so it's important that it's a true memento of your day or fits in with the decor if on the table or on view for everyone. If you can make it cohesive with your invites and other stationery, you're onto a winner.
My best wedding menu design tips
Fonts - Use any that work with your day, but make sure they are easy to read!
Design elements - If you are having a theme, have some stand out elements as part of your day or are having a themed menu you can definitely add this into your menu design.
Flowers - If flowers are a big thing for your wedding day, then you could incorporate them into the design.
Colour - The colours should be complementary and kept simple so that they are easy to read, sometimes less is more.
Personalise - I love wedding menus that are personalised with your own phrases and favourite foods, making them truly unique.
Photo by Gabrielas Photography
I want my wedding menu to be fun, what alternatives are there to starter, main and dessert?
It's important to have different sections for each course but you don't have to give them boring labels. Don't forget to include canapes and drinks too. here are a few alternatives for you to mix and match.
Menu - 'Let's eat', 'What's for dinner?', 'Food line up', 'Fuel up', 'Love at first bite', 'Feed me', 'What you really came for', 'The food bit', 'Chow down'.
Canapes - 'Nibbles', 'Tasty bits', 'Bit on the side', 'Finger food', 'Snacks'.
Starters - 'First stuff', 'Let's get started', 'Little nosh', 'Tasters', 'The one before the main'.
Main - 'Main stuff', 'Main event', 'The big feast', 'You graze me up', 'Get stuffed'
Dessert - 'Sweet treats', 'A little more', 'The best part', 'Sweet stuff', 'Last but not least'.
Drinks - 'Wine o'clock', 'Fancy a tipple', 'Cocktail time', 'Dancing fuels', 'Cheers and beers', 'Cocktail hour', 'What's your poison?',
Evening food - 'Street eats', 'Later stuff', 'Late night bites', 'Refuel'. 'Power up', 'After party eats', 'Munchies', 'Supper'.
creative Wedding menu designs
Here are some examples of the designs I've created to inspire you. there's a good mixture of fun, colourful and modern designs to help you think about what you could have for your own unique wedding menu.