Blog categories: Planning Info, Wedding Blog, Wedding Ideas

What not to eat – foods you shouldn’t serve at your wedding


You want everything perfect for your wedding, including the food. But getting it right can be a real challenge. When catering to a large group of family and friends you have to think about the ages of your guests, likes and dislikes, allergies, and of course the budget! It’s not for us to say what you should serve, but there are some foods you definitely shouldn’t serve.

Spaghetti: This might seem like a fun, inoffensive option that everyone will love. Except this is a wedding. That means everyone will be in their best outfit. And if there’s one thing spaghetti loves it’s an expensively dressed lap to fall in. Spare your guests the dry cleaning bills and leave this classic off the menu. Avoid black rice for the same reason!

Veal: Don’t serve veal for the same reason you don’t talk about politics at dinner — it’s controversial and someone will be upset. Even if you and your spouse don’t have a problem with veal (which is the meat from very young calves, often kept confined in cages) one of your guests will. The last thing you need is a squabble about animal rights to spoil your toast. NB: Foie gras also falls into this category.

Raw oysters: Oysters are allegedly an aphrodisiac. They are also expensive, tricky to serve, and are a high risk for food poisoning if not handled with care. The glamour of oysters and champagne will pale fast if your guests end up with gastroenteritis. Save them for the honeymoon.

Peanuts: This harmless snack can be deadly for people with allergies. It might seem like a tiny risk but it’s hard to keep foods 100% separate at a wedding. People share, plates get mixed up, ingredients can be impossible to trace. It’s better to be absolutely safe than risk a health crisis over dinner.

Rabbit: Though it is a fine meat, and popular in Ibiza cuisine, it is probably best to avoid bunny as a wedding dish. Guests, both adults and children, who grew up with pet rabbits or even Peter Rabbit will have a hard time with this meal.

Whole prawns: They look beautiful on a plate, and Mediterranean prawns are a delicacy, but there is nothing delicate about the process of picking them apart. To save your guests from greasy fingers and bits of crustacean in their teeth, opt for peeled prawns.

Spicy foods: Even if your absolute favourite dish is a blazing hot curry, or a chilli-laden Thai noodle salad, think twice before serving spicy foods at a wedding. Some people can tolerate a lot of heat, others find anything with spice inedible. There is no way to customise each dish so you’re better off saving the spice for another occasion so stay on the mild side.

Do you have any other suggestions for foods to avoid? Or a story of a wedding dinner disaster? Share in the comments or Tweet us!

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