To ask what meal you would prefer at a wedding

[Eliza9919]

Choices are:

BBQ
Meats (not sausages & burgers), salads, bread etc

Small hog roast
Suckling pig (only 26 guests), salads, bread etc

Steak or fish & chips, wedding cake as dessert

3 course meal with chocolates & coffee etc

Free choice off the menu: starter/main/dessert

Other, please elaborate

What would you prefer and any particular reason why?

BBQ, as long as there is a proper vegetarian option and plenty of salady bits.
Please do not have a suckling pig roast. A suckling pig is a baby, a piglet.

BBQ or hog roast. As long as there was enough seating, and the food was served to the table rather than having to queue. I don't eat from buffets, as they just - illogically! - annoy me.

Actually I would prefer a really nice buffet over any of your options.

We had a very small informal summer wedding and had a bbq, I made quiches, coleslaw, photo salads and pasta salads to go with it. We had a range of cakes and cold deserts along with wedding cake. Everyone seemed pleased with what was on offer.

There is seating. It's a pub/restaurant with a lovely garden, bouncy castle etc. We will have the conservatory or a marquee.

Not having speeches etc so very informal. So haven't been considering a 3 course sit down meal at all so far.

Wedding cake wont be fruit cake, it's a sponge and buttercream one.

There are no veggie/vegan/religious aspects to consider. Only 1 coeliac, and they can cater to that.

Sorry, I should have out that all in the first post but I didn't think.

I wouldn't mind as long as there was somewhere to eat. Trying stand to eat in my nice clothes, trying to balance food and wine in hand, while my high heels slowly sink into the grass.... Nightmare. Impossible if it's food that needs a knife and fork (yet I've been to a wedding that did exactly this).

Done people can't stand the smell of a hog roast, so might be worth thinking about, especially if you have vegetarians attending

I hate bbqs and don’t think you can ever successfully cater for vegetarians with one. If it’s being served at the table then you might as have proper food. I’d prefer a 3 course meal, happy to choose beforehand, and plenty of wine.

3 course meal (I presume a set menu for meat eaters which caters for vegetarians).

It's a no from me to:
BBQ - I can't stand burnt (chargrilled) food.
Hog roast - sounds nice but very casual.
Steak or fish & chips - Difficult for caterers as have to cook steak differently for individual tastes, I have to be in the mood for fish and can't stand the smell of it if I'm not eating it.
Free choice off menu - may be time-consuming to get all 26 meals at same time.

Awful experience at a family wedding with a hog roast, not enough food, salads were rubbish and there was no dessert, no starters or nibbles and we were over 2 hours late eating due to photos and speeches over running as for some unearthly reason we had to sit through all of the speeches without so much as a breadstick to nibble on! Then they served up bacon sandwiches about an hour and a half after the hog roast, we went from a 6 hour stretch with no food whatsoever to pork overload!

If it's informal, go for an informal cuisine such as BBQ or fish and chips. A 3 course meal wouldn't make sense with the day

Cross post with my last reply.

In the venue you describe I think I'd go for free choice from menu or a set three course. Your group is small enough that most venues should be able to cater easily, and it avoids queuing etc

BBQ. I like a variety of salads (cous cous, green salad, potato salad, Cole slaw etc - that should please the veggie guests too). I’ve been to a few suckling roasts and it’s always disappointing! Dry meat with a slap of apple sauce in a bap. Not easy to eat.

Wedding cake made of cheese yummy

www.waitrose.com/ecom/shop/browse/entertaining/wedding_cakes_and_biscuits/cheese_wedding_cakes

something with a decent vegetarian/vegan option and to cater for allergies.

I think with the extra information you’ve added, barbecue would work well.

BBQ

Or a pork pie wedding cake..

www.marksandspencer.com/l/food-to-order/wedding-cakes/wedding-cakes/savoury-wedding-cakes-n-df6ak?scroll=2

Steak, with veggie option obviously. Almost everyone loves a good steak, fairly informal.

I hate the idea of having to circulate with food. It is likely a roll with some pork and salad isn't going to be enough food.

Free choice from a menu probably wouldn't work with the caterers if there are only 26 guests.

Skip the wedding cake if it is a traditional fruit cake cos most people hate it.

Also I would agree that hog roasts are disappointing. I don’t eat meat anyway, but whenever I’ve been to one it’s all been about the look of it. Once you’ve been served, you actually have a very average hot pork sandwich.

I wouldn't mind as long as it wasn't really heavy, greasy food (with no other choices), and as long as it didn't involve something very messy. When I'm in formal-ish wedding gear I prefer not to end up feeling stuffed into my clothes after the meal, or to be risking tipping stuff off a paper plate all down it. Nice meats and salads and breads sounds good.

Oh, and if you're doing a BBQ or hog roast make sure whoever is in charge is really hot on hygiene! You don't want your guests going down with salmonella because someone doesn't know how to bbq meat properly.

BBQ or hog roast. Definitely not the steak and fish and chips.

Personally BBQ / hog roast would be my least favourites.

I'd most like a 3 course meal (either set menu or free choice, but everyone served at the same time), followed by a buffet, followed by fish and chips.

As long as there are veggie choices if there are any veggies (and tbh even if there aren't people often like a choice) then the BBQ.

All the above sounds quite grim. Many meat eaters don’t eat red meat.

Really don’t like BBQs but at least you could do some chicken, fish options.

I’d want a proper sit down meal though.

BBQ sounds lovely much nicer than a sit down formal meal