There are so many details that go into planning a wedding, and to many couples the most important detail is the food being served to their guests. There are infinite options for menus and serving styles from gourmet plated meals, to station buffets offering one or more themed specialties, there are endless possibilities!

Modern couples looking to switch things up should look to surprise their guests with food stations. Traditionally deemed as laid back and casual, themed stations offer items like “tapas stations”, “mac and cheese bars, gourmet sliders and fries stations, oriental noodle bars, or the trendy taco bar (featuring lobster tacos and ceviche stations, for example!),” says Cindy Mamane from Deja Blu Catering and events,  “you can ‘dress them up’ with a wide range of props, floral pieces, and the food being set up on different platform heights.”

“Stations with a featured item are very ‘in’, in a retro way,” she explains, “clients are choosing their favorite comfort foods and incorporating them into their wedding menus.  Dessert stations are especially popular with couples who want to serve a spread of fancy mini pastries, and candy, plus cake at their weddings.”

The stations are typically set up in one area and are open for a few hours during the reception, allowing guests to flow back and forth, taking whatever appeals to them. This adds flexibility to the event, with an opportunity to drink, eat, dance and chat with friends and family on your own time.  Guests will also love the variety of the food stations and that they are no longer confined to a traditional menu of beef, chicken, or a vegetarian plate.

Cindy at Deja Blu Catering  and events creates custom menus with fresh, vibrant flair. To book her for your upcoming wedding or event, visit www.dejablucatering.com. 

At Without A Hitch, we are always looking to keep up with the latest trends.  One of the biggest wedding trends we’ve recently noticed at our weddings is the pre-ceremony reveal between the bride and groom. This new trend breaks one of the most well- known wedding traditions- it’s bad luck for couples to see each other before their ceremony. So why are so many couples breaking tradition? Let’s look into the details:

It calms nerves!

Will Mann of wmannphotography says the pre-ceremony reveal “actually relaxes the bride and groom, and they enjoy themselves.” What better way to calm pre-wedding jitters than to be able to be with the person that calms you best- your fiancé. Couples can forget about any problems before the wedding, whether it’s late bridesmaids or the wrong color flowers, when they see the reason why they are having their wedding in the first place- the love of their life!

It provides for an awesome photo-op!

Many couples are opting for a pre-wedding reveal for the awesome photo-op it provides. A pre-ceremony reveal can be one of the, if not the, most emotional and special parts of your wedding day. The pictures during a reveal are some of the most candid and beautiful pictures you may get on your wedding day- so if you’re looking for some real, un-posed pictures, opt for a reveal!

It saves you time later during your day!

Taking pictures during a reveal can free up more time during cocktail hour, says Mann. Traditionally, couples hold a cocktail hour for post-ceremony pictures. With a pre-ceremony reveal and photo-op with your family and parties, couples will have “more time to enjoy the cocktail hour and mingle with their guests,” says Mann.  Without a post-ceremony photo-shoot, couples can enjoy those butternut squash soup shooters they specially ordered for the cocktail hour!

When deciding to keep or break traditions, it’s up to the couple. “It is all about finding your style, what you like and don’t like,” says Mann, “Blogs, Pinterest, and all forms of social media are the best ways to keep up with current things. If you have an idea, go with it- maybe you will be starting the next big one!”  To see some of wmannsphotography’s beautiful work, or to book him for your next event, visit www.wmannphotography.com.