Wedding menu - help me decide!

[peroxidebrown]

I have to choose my wedding menu and I'm struggling- please help! We have had a tasting and narrowed it down to three options for each. Veggie already decided.

Starters
Pumpkin and butternut squash soup with a Stilton biscuit
Smoked salmon on rye bred
Duck terrine

Main
Duck breast with duck leg confit
Sea bass
Lamb cutlets

Dessert
Chocolate mousse
Clementine cheesecake
Cheese board

DP says he doesn't mind and my head is going round in circles so I think whatever appeals to most people is best. We aren't having children at the wedding and it's a mix of people our age (30s) and a few elderly relatives too.

I'd go

Soup (although would worry about mess, but I wouldn't choose fish, fish)
Bass
Chocolate

I find lamb upsets my stomach and I don't eat duck, the veggie main sounds great so I'd actually want that!

I always have the veggie option at weddings because I know I can eat it as I don't like pink meat.

If you have salmon as a starter you'd need a veggie starter too. I'd have the soup, the veggie option and any of the deserts. I'm not veggie but I really don't like fish or lamb and duck doesn't serve very well if it's hanging about for a while waiting to be served.
When I got married the hotel wanted us to choose the meal and I asked if we could select two choices for each course to people and ask for the choice with the rsvp. It was a hit of a faff coordinating it all but definitely worth it. I am aware I'm a bit fussiest than some and I couldn't force a set meal on everyone. I was paying a lot of money for it I wanted it to be eaten not pushed around then thrown away. The hotel had a great reputation for food and the didn't disappoint so I'm glad people got somethung they would eat. We had lamb and offered a chicken dish as well.

I'd be most disappointed if there were no proper dessert and would grumble about it behind your back.

Soup
Duck
Cheesecake

So many people won't eat salmon. I wouldn't consider it the safe option.

Wouldn't have soup at wedding incase I dropped it down my outfit so
Duck
Lamb
Cheesecake

Have to be honest, I think your main options are very shortsighted.

Seabass, lamb and duck - there will be plenty of people that hate fish, plenty that don't like the other two too.

If there's no individual option for the guests to choose, there's a reason that many weddings go with chicken, more boring though it may be - it appeals to the masses. Whilst it's not many people's favourite, you're hard pushed to find a meat eater that doesn't like chicken IME.

I'd say the 'safest' out of the three would be duck, but I would change to a chicken dish if I could.

Loads of people hate duck because it's fatty

I'd say the safest is lamb good luck op agree with the comments that this is why people go with chicken

I don't do fish, so for me it would be soup, duck, mousse. Or duck, lamb, mousse. I wonder if you should offer C&B as well though (if funds allow).

However, at a recent wedding I was at a table that went like this:
(Meal was salmon, beef, choc cheesecake then cheese and biscuits)

Three people - didn't eat starter
Two people complained the beef was tough, but at least it was 'cooked'. Two people complained that beef should be pink and said it was inedible.
One person said she didn't eat any red meat (she also didn't eat the starter)
One person doesn't eat desserts (that was my DH and I happily ate his as well!)
Two people left the table "because of the stink of the cheese"

This was a table with 3 x 80 year olds, 2 x 50-60 year olds, 2 x 40-50 year olds and an 11 year old.

(DD ate everything. DH ate my starter, I ate his dessert. The beef was indeed a little over cooked, but it certainly wasn't inedible. DH ate his weight in Stilton and DD stole all the grapes!)

What I am saying is that people will complain no matter what. So generally I would go for 'safe but boring' options. Salmon, chicken, chocolate type offers.

If it's a big wedding I'd go with options that are less easy to overcook to keep it simpler for the kitchen to cater. I'd therefore avoid the bass (although I'd chose it in a restaurant setting). Chose what you like the most. It's your wedding. I'd do salmon lamb and cheeseboard with wedding cake as the dessert (we did this for our wedding. Worked really well!).

I'd eat all of your starters and mains, but only the cheese of your puddings.

Given it's March, and my preference for red wine, I'd like
Soup
Lamb
Cheese

DH doesn't remember what we had for our wedding breakfast...(melon, pork, apple crumble tart - summer wedding)

I wouldn't eat any of those mains - you need a chicken course ideally, or else a lot of people will go hungry - and remember your wedding meal choices forever.

I'd happily eat all of your menu Having said that, I personally wouldn't go for smoked salmon as an option as that's a bit of a love it or hate it thing. I'd have possibly gone for a salmon terrine maybe.
I love both duck and lamb but know lots don't. Again I'd have thought about just one of those plus a chicken dish. Chicken might be considered a bit boring but some people like boring.
It's a case of trying to appeal to as many people as possible. You're never going to please everybody though!
Good luck

Duck terrine
Lamb cutlets
Chocolate mousse

Soup
Sea bass
Cheesecake

I don't think you'll get much help here!

Hang on, I've just spotted the veggie option can I change mine to that and can I bring dh?! Are you paying for our accommodation too!

Smoked Salmon
Lamb
Mousse

Soup
Sea bass
CHOCOLATE

Salmon, duck, mousse (but actually it all sounds great and I'd happily eat the lot). If people don't like what's on offer they can just nibble round the edges. Don't worry about it.

I don't like any of the starters or mains, and not cheese boards.

Are you certain your guests would like at least one of the mains or starters? You could have some very hungry people on your hands.

I don't really like any of that, and would pick at it and get hungry later. Would probably stopbof a macdonalds on the way home.

Although the veggie option sounds lovely, could a non veggie choose that instead of the meat option?

If you want your guests to be happy I would rethink the menu - those are not choices that are going to sit well with lots people. My dh would struggle with the main, he would be polite and do his best with either lamb or duck(especially if served very pink) he would always pick chicken if given a choice, he does not eat fish and like many people does not eat much red meat.
I think the main is the most important to get right - people don't mind missing out on starter or dessert if they have had a good main.

Soup
Lamb
Chocolate mousse

Why? Ok I had the same problem with my wedding and ended up going for really simple as it meant almost everyone enjoyed.
Fish for me was out. Not everyone likes or eats. So the smoked salmon is a no. The terrine won't be able to be eaten by pregnant ladies so that's out too. Duck is also a weird meat. Not wildly eaten often so I'd rule that out. Lamb is a much safer option. Again with the seabass, go with meat, fish can be a no go area for soooo many people. Whilst I personally love a good cheeseboard not everyone wants savoury for dessert. A sweet option is usually expected. And whilst I think the cheesecake is a top notch option and something I'd love, I think chocolate always wins. That saying, I had a vanilla panacotta with clementines for my dessert. 😜

MsMarvel and so? Surely if you know you are really fussy, you are used to making provision.

I wonder if fussiness in adults is a really British thing? In France and Spain and Italy (limit of my experience) people just eat.