Long gone are the days of knowing exactly what you’re going to eat at every weddingyou attend. Everyone from trend forecasters to planners to caterers agree the formulaic-ness of cocktail hours, dinners, and other wedding eats are behind us. Instead, 2019 will show us interactive drink stations, hyper-personalized favors, and late night food so good and greasy you’ll feel like you’re a freshman in college again. But, you know, one who dresses way better now.
“We’re actually seeing a lot of what we call ‘gifting suites.’ Instead of leaving your guests something to welcome them to their room, you invite them to a hotel room and have a whole swag suite set up there, kind of like you’d expect if you’re a celebrity going to an awards show. You have everything laid out, they can choose what to stuff their bag with, and you get to have this mini-meet-and-greet.” –Alyssa Longobucco, Style & Trends Editor, The Knot
“Another popular choice this year is to give guests gift certificates to local spots with a welcome letter. Here in New Orleans, [gift cards to] beignet trucks are always a top pick! Guests often forget their gift bags or leave them at the reception, so this ensures that they’re putting their favors to good use while they’re visiting.” –Emily Sullivan, Owner, Planner, Emily Sullivan Events
“[We’ve been doing] a lot of brownies with personalized stickers.” –Cynthia Jordan, Executive Pastry Chef, Baked NYC
“Couples are now working with the culinary team to essentially tell a story with their selections. If their first date was sushi, then perhaps their favorite rolls are being passed out. Some selections may be a nod to favorite destinations they’ve visited or pay homage to the region where they decided to marry.” –Kylie Carlson, Owner, International Academy of Wedding & Event Planning
“There’s a move to more activity-centered, Instagrammable [cocktail hour] stations. We recently created an ‘action’ station with one of our chefs hand-carving Iberico ham to serve with crostini.” –Heather Jones, Catering Sales Director, Wente Vineyards
“Grazing tables [remain] a popular choice, especially among couples who opt for a more relaxed, casual vibe. Smaller snacks combined with choice cocktails or mocktails allow for more mingling between guests.” –Trip Wheeler, President, SB Value
“This year will see a lot of CBD-infused cocktails, which is quirky and obviously for a certain subset of the population.” –Alyssa Longobucco
“Interaction is big this year. Instead of simply being handed a crafted cocktail, guests will get in on the fun. Expect to see stations equipped with flavored syrups, fruits, edible flowers, and herbs for guests to add to the base of the cocktail themselves.” –Kylie Carlson
“Signature cocktails will forever be popular at this point, and they’re almost expected as an easy way to personalize your day. You can do it as simple as giving it a name that speaks to you, or you can get a little crazier. I worked on a wedding where the couple met on Bumble, so they named their drink The Bumble. It had honey in it, and they had these wood stirrers that had bees on them.” –Alyssa Longobucco
“As a venue and caterer we’re always looking for ways to stay eco-friendly, [and wedding drinks are a good place to start with] more straw-less or alternative options such as paper straws and bamboo stir sticks instead of plastic.” –Heather Jones
“Rectangular market tables are popular, but they’re being combined with round tables to create different textures, shapes, and dimensions. Wooden market tables look great as a juxtaposition to textured linens or velvet for the round tables! We’ve also noticed a trend in long head tables for the wedding party and parents.” –Heather Jones
“Picnic-style seating with the bride and groom is particularly on-trend, and we’ve seen it go a step further with a passed-plate serving style. This removes any isolation of the couple and eliminates the need for a sweetheart table altogether.” –Trip Wheeler
“There is an uptick in couples wanting food to serve the dual purposes of being both decor and edible. Consider a champagne tree greeting guests as they enter cocktail hour or placing food on walls or tall bookshelves for your guests to admire andeat.” –Kylie Carlson
“With intimate weddings on the rise, couples are developing tasting menus for their guests featuring 6-7 smaller courses. This is an especially great and popular choice right now for food-loving couples who may not have a big dancing crowd.” -Kylie Carlson
“Dinner is the biggest place where we’ve seen the loosening of the ties. It used to be very formal and very regimented. [Now, we’ve been seeing things like] a roaming dinner, which is essentially an extended cocktail hour. It’s having no sit down dinner at all. Instead, you have little lounge areas set up with some high-top tables people can put their plates at, but it’s really all about tons of passed appetizers that get heavier as the night goes on.” –Alyssa Longobucco
“Guests want to know the exact food origin and backstory. This year, we’ll see unique food stations with a more personalized sourcing story, like pasta with mushrooms that were foraged locally by the chef himself, [for example].” –Trip Wheeler
“We’re seeing a sudden spike in requests for [ombre cakes], cakes with a lot of colors speckled onto a classic white cake. I’ve especially gotten a lot of requests for different shades of blues lately. What we’re not seeing is orders for fondant bands on the base of the tiers of cake, [which was very popular at the beginning of last year]. I’ve not seen one yet this year. The fondant stuff is fading out.” –Betty Wu, Head Decorator, Baked NYC Tribeca
“We will see fewer ‘naked’ cakes with a move toward a more sophisticated style of smooth buttercream and fondant. If we do see a ‘naked’ cake, it’ll be much more polished-looking with touches of metallics or strategically placed blooms.” -Kylie Carlson
“A Belgian waffle stack, or a pancake stack is [a fun cake alternative right now]. We’re seeing a lot of cinnamon bun cakes and a lot of donut cakes—I don’t think the wedding donut wall or donut cakes are going anywhere anytime soon.” –Alyssa Longobucco
“Healthier options for the wedding day menu are still big, so this will inevitably trickle down to late-night snacks. Expect to see acai bowl stations, vegetarian stir fry in miniature takeout containers, and large grazing tables pairing cheeses with fresh fruit.” –Trip Wheeler
“Coffee bars are also a rising trend if the party will go on into the night. Think about this—are you sending people home or getting them ready for round two? If the party is going late, think in terms of more substantial snacks!” –Emily Sullivan
All The Wedding Food Trends You’ll Be Seeing Everywhere In 2019 [Delish]