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?

Sit down with three courses every time. Just so much more... classy

To me a wedding is an extra special occasion, and there is nothing 'special' about a BBQ. I have BBQs in my garden virtually every weekend in the summer.

Hog roasts are fine later on in the evening (when everyone is a little bit squiffy and fancying comfort food) but a hog roast or BBQ is just too informal and standing around eating greasy food is too casual for such an important event.

As I am the fussiest eater in the country, if not the world, I would prefer the free choice off the menu: starter/main/pudding and would be happy to choose dishes in advance.

I've never been at any event where they've had a hog roast. Can anyone enlighten me.... is this not just roast pork in a bun or am I missing something?

I wouldn't care, I'd be happy to be invited and share your day.

BBQ for me
Hope you have a veggie/vegan option to though otherwise DH is stuffed if I'm to bring him too

I've never been at any event where they've had a hog roast. Can anyone enlighten me.... is this not just roast pork in a bun or am I missing something?

Yes, it is. It’s all about the spectacle of the pig.

I prefer the steak/sit down meal.

Less messy to eat and just prefer seated meals.

But I would enjoy all 3 menus. Every wedding has its own style and that makes them great.

Any of your choices sound really nice. I much prefer an intimate informal wedding. Much more character and personality.

I would avoid free menu choice as I would be worried the kitchen couldn't keep up with it for a large party (26 is large for free menu) and the service might suffer with some eating much later than others.

So BBQ is the winner on here, it's what I was inclined to go with too.

We will be going today/tomorrow to speak to them about the menu.

The ceremony is at 2, I was thinking of serving the food at 4/4.30 not long after we get to the pub. I want people to eat straight away before they start drinking (free bar).

So I'll ask for cold pre-prepared nibbles to be out on arrival.

There will be tables set up for us with place settings and cutlery.

Then we'll cut the cake and serve that a little later. I will need a gluten free cupcake for my coeliac guest.

I could incorporate the cheese board (I want one in there somewhere) as the evening snack, cheese and biscuits and grapes and apple etc - and chutneys and a bit of french stick. We have lots of lovely local farm shop chutneys and cheeses, and there is a French shop nearby that does cheeses and meats.

The BBQ or hog roast need everyone to be meat eaters or decent veggie options available. It sucks when the delicious meal you've been promised ends up being an onion butty or something.

My bro did hog roast with crusty breads and cheeses, crackers, grapes etc. We all just helped ourselves and there was bacon for those who wanted and wine on the tables (( hired a barn for the weekend at the bottom of Snowdon ))

It went down a storm.

I'd love the hog roast but DH allergic to pork so he definitely wouldn't. In that case I think the BBQ would be the best bet as presumably there'd be a choice? All the better if you could sit down even informally as plate balancing/glass holding in your best gear isn't great. Enjoy OP - and definitely go for relaxed and informal - would secretly be a relief to most I suspect.

Cheeseboard in the evening sounds like a good idea.

I’d prefer free choice or a sit down meal.

I wouldn’t attend a wedding if i knew it was a hog roast , bbq or fish and chips because of the smell. (I’m hoping that you’re not my relative who is currently planning her wedding!)

Oh please don't do a hog roast. I'm an omnivore, but I cannot abide the sight of the thing, and I just can't eat it, it turns my stomach.
I'm sure others feel much the same.

Bbq. Do extra veggie stuff as non veggies will eat the veggie stuff too

There are no vegetarians coming, and everyone eats all meat. The only consideration I'd need to make is 1 coeliac, so I'll need a gluten free cake and breads, everything else should be fine. I'll check what's in the marinades/chutneys/cold meats but this place is good at catering to coeliacs.

After your update. Other:

A knife and fork buffet of cold meats, poached salmon, prawns, veggie quiche, salads, pasta, rice, Greek salad, tomato and mozzarella, pickles, olives.

Cheese board and wedding cake.

I'd hate bbq and I'd be sending DH to the bar for crisps and nut so I didn't get to pissed.
I don't even like eating my own bbq!

I'd prefer sit down meal. Don't want to wander round fetching food - much more relaxing being served.

there is nothing 'special' about a BBQ. I have BBQs in my garden virtually every weekend in the summer.

La di dah

There are loads of people on here sounding ungrateful/miserable/ungracious. I've been to weddings with all styles/amounts/qualities of food and wouldn't kvetch about any of them. I agree with joystir – 'I wouldn't care, I'd be happy to be invited and share your day.'

Fish and chips because I wouldn't want a smelly bbq all over my fancy clothes.

BBQ or steak with salads, potatoes, bread and a fish or vegan option.

Not hog roast, so done with those now; everyone and their dog has a hog roast these days and it's boring.

Definitely bbq from what you've described, I'm omnivore, as you've said your guests are too, but I still love fish/veg options too so not all meat, makes it a bit lighter too.

BBQ, as long as they call people up a table at a time so the queue isn't massive, and there is enough food.

Oh and we had a very fancy BBQ for our wedding. It cost a fortune. No burgers, sausages or dried chicken here; it was all locally sourced aged steaks, Moroccan spiced local lamb, corn-fed free range chicken that was marinated in spices, halloumi, seafood, seasoned stuffed peppers and courgettes, lovely salads and what DH calls rustic homemade breads. It was amazing.

BBQ would be amazing. My uncle always cooked bananas in foil with some rum on for a treat!