I can say definitively that I’ve never been offered a menu at a wedding reception. I have been offered a choice of meals on my RSVP card, and I have been offered a choice of meals by a bored looking waiter, but I have not yet been lucky enough to have a menu card to peruse.
The reason for this may be that menu cards are one of those seriously optional items. Almost all wedding items–excluding the bride and the groom–are optional, really. Menu cards are doubly optional because you can pre-plan using your RSVPs or have your wait staff simply ask your guests what they want. If you’re working on a tight budget, menu cards should probably be one of the first things to go.
If the money is there, menu cards can add a touch of class to your reception meal. Plus, guests will likely be grateful to know what it is they’re eating. Including the hors d’ oeuvres selection is a kindness to vegetarians, who often shy away from proffered silver trays because inexperienced wait staff can’t say for sure what’s in this or that pastry puff.
Forever Forever offers these menu-writing guidelines:
Before you can create your menu cards, you’ll need to talk to your caterer about what will be included in the meal. Ask for written details about each menu item so that you can include as much information as possible on the card. Most caterers will probably already have written descriptions that you could use or adjust to meet your needs.
Another idea is to give the menu items unique names, if it’s alright with your caterer. For fun, you could name the menu items after your wedding party, such as Sizzling Steve’s Succulent Sirloin or Barbara’s Beer Basted Southern Fried Chicken.
Don’t forget to include your names and the date of the wedding. Many menus will be left behind, but the hardcore scrapbookers in your circle of loved ones will probably grab a handful. Menu cards can get pretty pricey for something that is doomed to a trip to the recycling center. But you don’t have to pay $5 per card if you have a serviceable printer — pick up a few packs of Parisian menu letter paper and whip up your own personalized menus.
What’s your take: Menus, yes or no?
Menu cards are a beautiful thing! Being an event designer and having worked as a catering manager I would spend quite a bit of time creating the perfect menu for brides. I always thought it was a shame not to share them- especially if you have taken the time to select the perfect wine or champagne to compliment the meal.
Unfortunelty, when there are 250 people on the guest list it is impossible to take orders on the spot. In reality, any more that about 50 guests max require that you pre-order the number of plates served. A menu card can only be used to explain what is bing served-but it is a nice explaination. As an event designer and creator of custom stationary for weddings, I think a menu card is such a wonderful accent to a table that can help the bride continue her ‘signature’ on the event. It is also a relief for the vegetarians/vegans and the guests with dietary restrictions to be able to know exactly what they are eating.
I’m a picky eater, so I always like to know what’s on my plate. I think a menu card can be a nice way to add some color to a table setting. I may do one – it depends on how much card stock I have left over after I make up my invitations, programs, seating cards, etc.!
iTevents: You’re right about the logistical concerns! Though I do have to say that I have seen ordering service at one wedding that must have had upwards of 300 guests. What made it possible? MOOLAH. Each table of ten or so people had a dedicated waiter!
This wedding also included new charter buses that transported guests from the ceremony to the reception and a cocktail hour with four separate open bars plus table drink service to ensure no one had to wait on a line. We originally assumed that it would be a buffet meal because there were carving stations and pasta stations and fully loaded buffet tables in addition to the appetizer trays circulating. Imagine our surprise when the mc announced that dinner orders were being taken. My friends and I had already eaten our fill!
I think menu cards are a great addition to the table. Having to listen to a waiter, who looks annoyed and bored, is not a good look for a wedding. Repeating a menu to 100 people is a lot. Menu cards are a go!
Menu cards were included by my reception hall. One of the perks of the hall we chose was 7 entree options, so even if they didn’t have menu cards available, I would have done a little DIY just to make it easier on my guests to decide what they wanted.
Why do the poor vegetarians always get stuck with penne and vegetables? The best-catered wedding I ever attended was all-vegetarian, and much, MUCH more interesting than that. Jeepers.
Wouldn’t I like to know, Laura! When I married the Beard, all the food was veggie-friendly (as we’re both veg ourselves). Even the most avid meat eaters we know ate a bunch…we had some sort of Hawaiian spring rolls, a tropical fruit salad with a sweet dressing, a yellow curry, some sort of pasta, a bean dish. I can’t remember everything now because all I ate was the curry. But there were all sorts of neat foods–I like to imagine that I introduced my backwoods relatives to some things that were never before a part of their culinary repertoire.
I have been two only two weddings where I was offered a menu card and a chance to order at the table instead of in advance – both weddings were on Long Island. I asked my husband, and I think it might be a regional thing to some extent. He’s from Long Island and was a bit surprised about having to indicate your choice of entree in advance at most events.
I know I’m late to the party on this since you posted this 3 weeks ago but… Menu cards are great if you’re doing a buffet or stations. If people know what they want when they get up there it helps the traffic flow and guests are less likely to miss out on a favorite food. And as a picky eater who has vegetarians, diabetics and two people allergic to poultry in our families we’ll be using menu cards. 🙂