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?

Food served around 4.30pm. So a good time especially with children. A hog roast plus the usual bbq food perfect. I do not see a problem with this, my friends served this up at the farm we all enjoyed it. Have been to an engagement party like this as well. If you have children attending I would consider something to entertain them, it helps the parents relax. With both the do`s we went to just being able to run wild wore the little darlings out. Otherwise if space is confined, you will need to make a little more effort.

Eliza The serving at the table was not about people being precious. Just at most weddings there are older and disabled people there who may struggle with queuing and carrying food. I know my mum could not manage this, although you would not know this if you did not know her well. But if they are all young and able bodied that is fine.

I was just surprised that everyone liked pork as neither DH or I eat it and I know loads of people who don't eat or don't like it. But if everyone likes it then fine.

Does not apply to you OP, but in terms of commercial barbecues, I have never been to one that does good veggie food. I suspect you would have to pay a lot of money to get one that is good for veggies.

And I have been to celebrations with hog roast that supposedly supplied veggie options as there was plenty of salads. I ended up with coleslaw, green salad, potato salad and a bit of bread. Fine it filled me up, but was hardly yummy. But of course as I am very polite I said when asked that it was lovely.

@justasking111 The pub has a bouncy castle and other kids things.

To others above, if I'd chosen hog roast it wouldn't be served in a roll with a bowl of salad to help yourself from on the table once collected. It would be more like a carvery with the meat served on a plate and then lots of sides & condiments. It didn't occur to me to serve it in a roll. I should have explained that in the op. With only 26 people, there would plenty for 2nds and 3rds if people wanted.

I think I'm going to go with BBQ anyway. That was my original leaning anyway and I wanted to see if BBQ at a wedding was acceptable.

It sounds lovely OP. BBQs can be as posh or casual as you like. At our wedding bbq we chose marinated and slow cooked brisket, fresh mackerel, cumberland sausages (the spirally ones) and prawn skewers with a selection of sides. There was table seating for all. Everyone loved it, even my 99 year old grandma who had a selection brought to her. So much nicer than a roast dinner/3 course marathon served in the height of summer! Hope it goes well

I’m sure the BBQ will be great. Sounds lovely and great fun for the kids (which weddings so rarely are). Enjoy your day!

Honestly just provide food ( any) booze ( any) and music and people will turn up, have a good time and no complaints will be heard.

I have to be honest I prefer a three course meal at a wedding, it’s just a lovely part of the day. The other stuff sounds like something I’d want at a street food festival, not a wedding.

Maybe offer a hog roast or fish and chips later on in the evening, to soak up the booze

Definitely not the sucking pig or steak

I've been to one with a hog roast and felt a bit disappointed by the food. I was still hungry after 1 roll but didn't really want to eat another one as it was a bit stodgy and boring. Would love a varied BBQ though with lots of salad etc. Your plans sound bloody lovely OP, hope the weather is cracking the flags for you

We went to a Thursday wedding with a hog roast but it rained so what they served tasted like cheap pork shoulder and the baps were very floury which went everywhere.

Dh is now banned from accepting wedding invitations at work. I’m too old to stand around in a converted barn eating crap food while the bride takes the piss out of our surname.

For my sins I was part of a charity event with the Royal British Legion, that was a hog roast, it was late being cooked, weather conditions, folk queued up received a bun, a bit of lettuce, apple sauce and pig meat. They were not amused. I decided then and there not to go down that road for the next event. So we offered a variety of bbq foods, sausages, burgers, chicken, pasta and rice salads as well as tomato and green salads.

Bbq. Yum and nice and filling if people will be having some drinks

BBQ! I went to a wedding with a barbecue dinner and it was amazing I've never really enjoyed the sit down for three courses type as the food is never that amazing in my experience. And it's always chicken bloody balmoral up here or just some sort of meat and sauce with veg thing.

Ooh celebelly thanks for reminding me about chicken Balmoral. I bloody love it and haven't had it for ages.. Ill be making that for dinner next week

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

That's what would make the difference for me; you can serve anything as long as guests can eat in it comfort

It's not about sitting down for its own sake (though with a free bar it might be fortunate!!) more that barbecue so often gets messy, and TBH I wouldn't welcome that if dressed up

Anyway I hope you have a really lovely time

BBQ / hog roast sounds lively but actually very messy when guests all dressed up for the day.

Thank you everyone saying have a great day 😁

What is chicken balmoral?

We spoke to the pub today and booked the date in. They can do anything we want food wise.

I'm thinking

Pork belly
Chicken wings
Lamb skewers
Chicken skewers
(Both with onion & green pepper the way shish used to come)
Salad
Corn on the cob
Possibly jacket potatoes
Pitta bread

Their set BBQ menu was

Pork belly
Chicken drumsticks
Sausage in bun
Burger in bun
Salad
Bread

Which I don't think is appropriate wedding food.

I agree out of their BBQ menu only pork sounds like wedding food. Love corn on cob and jackets, salad and pitta bread are good. Lamb skewers sound great.

I had very bad food poisoning from chicken kebabs once so I wouldn't touch chicken but others might and there's a choice so that's fine. Not sure about wings as messy to eat, would go for breasts over wings. I love wings but I wouldn't want to be watched eating them.

I would prefer steak to chicken but that might skyrocket cost.

I've been to two bbq weddings which were really quite crap - average, basic burgers, cheao bread buns, boring salads at one, and good food but not enough of it at the other. Plus table by table, queue up and then carry back a full plate which I don't like.

Then one bbq wedding last summer which worked - they had clearly overcatered on purpose so there was loads of food. All sides & salads were on the tables (long, banquet-style) and these were lovely, then staff brought big plates of bbq'd meat, veg and halloumi to the tables. That worked.

I think you need to make sure it's a) in some way 'fancy', not your average garden bbq food, b) there's loads of it, c) people don't have to wait ages or queue up.

With 26 to cater for it makes it much more likely to be a success!

Have a lovely wedding OP. Congratulations!

The nicest wedding I’ve been to recently did steak and lots of different salads and roast vegetables, with a cold buffet / cheeses, wedding cake later etc.

It was really simple but actually there was something for everyone.

I found out later that their caterers had bailed less than a week ahead and they decided to do steak and salad DIY on the fly to keep things simple.

It ended up better than whatever they had planned!

Stunning wedding with a personal feel.

Congratulations and hope you have a wonderful day.

We did a bbq and catered for around 15 more than turned up on the day as there was a bereavement for one of the families invited. Every scrap of food went pretty much with people going back for seconds and thirds. It was a real hit and the company we hired made it all run very smoothly.

I wonder if you could get hold of something like these. They can be fun.

weddbook.com/media/2677149/custom-printed-adult-party-bibs-75pack-with-one-color-personalized-imprint-lobster-bibs-rehearsal-dinner-bibs-we39re-the-manufacturer

I like the hog roast idea.

Or these

www.etsy.com/uk/listing/243521468/i-do-bbq-adult-disposable-event-bibs