I need help for wedding starters with all these requirements!

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

My lovely wedding venue have given us free reign to suggest some starters as we like nothing on their (really quite extensive) menu. Yes, I am a fussy eater! And what I do like, DP doesn't!
Main course will be a roast, followed by sticky Toffee.
Things I do not like: most meat (other than chicken, bacon, ham). Fish. Cheese other than cheddar, mozzarella, halloumi. Risotto. Soup is ruled out (too messy, not special enough!).
Things I'd normally have as a starter: tomato bruschetta, tomato and mozzarella salad, garlic bread.
Things DP doesn't like: tomato. Goats cheese. Olives. Courgette. Cumin. Tacos.
DP nornally has a meat or fish starter.
We can only have one starter option for everyone to eat so also trying to keep it to something most will eat (barring dietary requirements).
The only potential we've come up with is bacon and cheese potato skins. Not sure if this works with our menu though!
Please help this stressed couple out so we can send a list to our venue to work with (so they don't hate me for being such hard work!).
Thank you kindly!

Some sort of non-cheesy tartlet with a salad garnish. Perhaps caramelised onion?

Pear and walnut or grilled halloumi salad.

No, our wedding is booked and we have big families we want present.

Falafel?

You’re making me very hungry!

Cheese soufflé, or a chicken terrine with toast on the side?

By your tone I'd imagine you two are a nightmare to please. I was being lighthearted if you can stretch to a smile!

I think you have to sort it out yourselves. Nothing anyone has suggested works. That's a you problem really. Your guests come a poor second it would seem.

How about ham hock with little toasts and then for veggies the tomato bruschetta? Then if you don't like the ham hock you can have. The bruschetta and DF can have the ham hock? Both similar and interchangeable options for meat eaters/veggies.

Halloumi salad with some thinly sliced peach, pomegranate seeds, some sort of optional honey/spicy dressing, green leaves.

Could you stick with the Mediterranean sharer and ask the venue to make the portions bigger ? Or add something extra to pad it out a bit more ?

🤨
Not really. You are basing that on the fact we can't find a starter that ticks our 3 boxes? Which includes the guests.... if I didn't care about the guests, why would I be asking for suggestions? I'd just choose what I wanted. DP would just let me, but I want everyone to be happy.

We didn't enjoy it at all. I imagined something out of Hogwarts. A big feast on the table. It just wasn't. And the description of the food available were not what I thought. Over all, it didn't work both in the food, the quantity and the over all enjoyment of the meal.

I know you said no soup but what about a more unusual soup that feels a bit fancier, like melon soup, watermelon soup or even gazpacho!

OP- what about you suggest 5 meals you and DH both can eat, then we might have suggestions for an entree version of it.

A risotto of some kind? Mini cheddar soufflé? I like the sound of the roasted butternut squash mentioned up thread, with pesto or salad and nuts and a tahini dressing?

Sauteed garlic woodland mushrooms, caramelised onion puree, toasted sourdoug

Scotch egg

chicken Caesar salad, crispy pancetta, garlic croutons, parmesan

@ThisMustBeMyDream ahh okay that’s such a shame for you. If you both like more carby food how about different types of bread with a few dips/spreads (hummus, olive oil & balsamic, roasted garlic)

Apologies if cross posted but someideas are;

Stuffed mushrooms
Tempura vegetables
Potato/sweetcorn fritters
Beer Pakora
Fancy scotch eggs
Small quiche or vegetable tart (asparagus or onion or any veg you like)
Soufflé

Chicken and ham vol au vent!

Mozzarella garlic bread based on your opening post

I know you have said non to soup but a cold soup might be nice for July
spanish almond soup
cucumber & mint
gazpacho
tomato with olive oil
pea & lovage

You say you like mozzarella so how about burratta? You could have a roasted peach, squash and radicchio salad with burratta on top. If you don’t like those veggies you can swap for pretty much anything as long as there is something with a bit of sharpness to cut through the richness.

watermelon and feta salad

Sounds delicious.

Large mushroom caps baked with cheese and garlic

cheese and pineapple on a stick!

small blinis with roe or with a thimble of borscht, and sour cream

spring rolls!

Unless you are going to lose a fortune I'd change venue.

This is a once in a lifetime event that you are paying tens of thousands of pounds for, you don't like the food that's on offer they are stingy with portions, and they don't even allow a meat and veggie starter.

It sounds to me like you're planning what you think a wedding breakfast should be like, rather than what you actually want.

If you want pizza, then go somewhere you can have a pizza van, and you choose how much per person so no one goes hungry! We didn't have 'posh food' at our wedding. We had a very large afternoon tea (I think we budgeted for seven pieces of cake per person), and in the evening we had a huge barbecue. I much preferred that than generic roast meat with vegetables and a bland sauce, which was what most set menu seem to be.

The only starter you've suggested that I would really love is the bacon and cheese skins, But clearly, we're in the minority here 😂. I can see that it wouldn't be to everyone's tastes though and unsuitable for vegetarians in any event.