We already know that when it comes to attire, décor, and florals, personalization is the name if you want to make your big day your own. But your dinner menu and dessert offer myriad opportunities to customize, too, says two local vendors. Below, The Catering Outfit’s Courtney Hildebrand and Commonwealth Cake Company’s Tiffany Rosales share some insight into what couples are asking for this season.—CH
Dinner
Customization
“Menus tailored to the couple’s preferences, dietary restrictions, or cultural backgrounds are very much in demand,” Hildebrand says. “Interactive food stations or DIY food bars where guests can customize their dishes according to their tastes have been trending for a lot of our menus this year.”
Interactive experiences
Speaking of which… Couples looking to keep guests engaged or entertained are opting for live food experiences. “We are doing a lot of weddings that have cooking stations, chef demonstrations, or tasting menus where the guests can interact with the chefs and learn about the dishes being served.”
Sustainability
With growing environmental awareness, eco-friendly catering options are top of mind, including locally sourced ingredients, zero-waste practices, compostable or reusable tableware, and plant-based menu options, Hildebrand says.
Fusion cuisine
“Mixing and matching cuisines creates a unique dining experience that reflects the couple’s backgrounds and interests,” she says. This year alone, The Catering Outfit has served a Vietnamese and French-inspired family-style menu, a Southern and Asian fusion buffet, as well as a stationed-style menu with Virginia- and India-themed items.
Non-traditional serving styles
Buffet, plated and family-style dining have always been very popular for weddings,
Hildebrand says, but more and more couples are exploring other options: progressive grazing stations opening at different points throughout the evening or tapas-style food bars with different types of small plates for guests to grab and enjoy during an open dining period.
Inclusivity
“A lot of our couples want to ensure that all their guests, including those who don’t drink alcohol, feel included in the celebration,” Hildebrand says. “As a result, many of our couples are incorporating zero-proof cocktails into their wedding menus, either as standalone options or as part of a broader beverage selection.”
Cake
Color
Just as we’ve started seeing more color incorporated in local weddings’ overall color schemes, so too are we seeing more color on cakes. “I’m getting lots of requests for colorful cakes,” Rosales says. “Soft, muted tones that complement their florals and reception décor, and vintage piped buttercream cakes.”
Texture
Stencils, delicate hand-cut fondant details, hand-piped buttercream petals and foliage, and ethereal wafer paper or sugar paste florals are topping Tiffany Rosales’ current list of couples’ requests. Rosales says that Charlottesville is sometimes “a little behind in the trends,” but she tries to use couples’ inspiration as a starting point and then encourage more updated options. “People don’t know what they don’t know,” she says.
Flavor
When it comes to taste, Rosales says her most requested flavor is a light, refreshing citrus cake with a lemon-flecked vanilla buttercream paired with a fruit component (“usually a tart raspberry jam and our orange honey Swiss buttercream”).
