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I am very lucky to have a squadron of aunts who are master cooks for large crowds (the family itself is huge). They had a business coordinating weddings ages ago, so they also do flowers and decor. We were lucky that the venue allowed us to bring our own food, so they made chicken mole for our wedding, with rice and all the accompaniments, and we ordered amazing tamales from my mom's friend's mom. I actually made the salad for the meal, with jicama, orange, melon, tomatoes, avocado, chile and lime (should have done it before I got my nails done, but what the hell). We had about 150 guests.

My aunts also made 2 kinds of mexican cookies to go alongside the cake and coffee.

I was so happy with the food, because it was delicious and special. Our budget was strictly limited, since my dad lost his job a few months before the date, and didn't start the new one until the week after. But if that hadn't happened, we still would have had a hard time with the caterers, because it's just so unbelievably expensive. I know there are costs in there somewhere, and there must be reasons for it, and I mean no offense to people who put their heart and really care about it, but to a regular customer, catering feels like one of the biggest rip offs ever. $18 a head for chicken breasts? Plus obligatory 18% gratuity?

Anyhow, I think I was lucky. The food was so much tastier and interesting than anything we could have had from a caterer for thousands of dollars. My cousin (other side of the family) had a beautiful venue that obligated her to their caterer, and it was chicken cordon blue with green beans.

@wookie...holy cow! weddings are beasts of their own without having to deal with natural disasters.

food was maybe my favorite part of the wedding...got married on my husband's grandfather's ranch in a small town (paso robles) on the central california coast, catered by an adorable french couple from that town. my family's jewish, so it had to be kosher, i'm a vegetarian and was NOT going to subsist on side dishes at MY wedding, plus we wanted something environmentally friendly and personal. our caterers were amazing at pulling it all together on a budget, making it beautiful and tasty. and the cake was perfect...dark chocolate and fresh local strawberries...i only had one bite but i still remember how good it was :) caterers, florist, photographers...we really lucked out in finding people that felt like family. the DJ on the other hand...i still have nightmares about how he played "sexual healing" and announced to the crowd (which included our grandparents!) that that's what we'd be doing later that night! not so much what i had hoped for...

renzata, your wedding story reminded me of a friend from college whose mexican mother and aunties made and served the food for her reception. we had enchiladas, beans and rice, and it was soooo delicious. i sat at a table with some members of the groom's family, none of whom had ever before encountered so much as a tortilla. they were very good sports about it.

the nicest wedding i ever went to {the bride told me she'd been planning it since she was a girl, and it was perfect, the music, the food, everything} ended in a divorce just three years later.

Oh, eatorama, my mom wouldn't let me go with fajitas (thought I'd get it on my dress) but I insisted on the margaritas. Perfect thing for a muggy Houston night, no? Plus, they were such a crowd pleaser, all the ladies who normally wouldn't drink definitely had their share of margaritas.

I got married on Long Island, notorious for some of the most elaborate, expensive affairs in the country. Both my husband and I were born here, but we really wanted something completely untraditional (my mantra going in was "no covered chairs or chandeliers"). We wound up holding our reception at an aquarium that has indoor and outdoor exhibits. Food ranged from eggplant Parmesan to baby-back ribs. We choose a lot of great seafood appetizers. Basically, we were looking to represent the region we grew up in through our menu choices. Unfortunately, between all the photos and stopping by tables, we didn't get to eat a thing. The only cake we tasted was the first piece for a posed photo (and it was blackforest w/ buttercream!). I've since heard that brides and grooms hellbent on eating and partying (read enjoying) on their wedding days usually plan an after party.

I actually don't remember much from my wedding day...such a blur. But my guests still rave about the food, so it must have been good. The wedding was at Overhills Mansion in Catonsville, MD, and catered by Whitehouse Caterers who own the building. Normally I'd shy away from that kind of set up, but I was really happy with them. The event coordinator they provided made the day go smoothly, and really took great care of us. But, the FOOD! We had a buffet and carving station, both because sit down dinners are crazy expensive and because we wanted more of a flowing party than a formal one. I remember the cocktail meatballs being really, really tasty (and while some people might find such things boring or tacky, I'm a fan of comfort food and these guys made a pedestrian food taste great.) There was a beef roast and ham at the carving station with rolls, there was a cheese platter and fruit...honestly, that's all I can remember. If I had been planning an event just to please myself, I'd have done things differently, but mine was the first wedding in my family and my husbands in years (like more than a decade) so it was more about facilitating everyone seeing each other than about the food. I think that chosing to not do a sit down chicken-or-beef? style dinner made the day for us, because it made our guests feel more in control of their environment, and they could just mingle. (and I was relieved that it was well recieved, because my family is mostly older, so some of them come with *expectations* of what a wedding should be.)

Now, if I had it to do over...I would go for a late summer wedding so we could have lots of fresh local produce. Piles of salads, cheeses, breads. Grilled veggies. I'd still do the meat carving station though. For my passed apps during the cocktail hour I'd do Caprese Salad skewers for sure, but I'd have to think on what else...maybe stuffed dates (goat cheese and almonds.) And I wouldn't have worn that awful, puffy, pearl beaded and sequined dress. (Wedding dress shopping as a fat chick was not fun. My only regret is not having ignored mom's advice and made it myself regardless of how much she thought doing so would stress me.)

At my best friend's wedding last summer they had it catered by a local Lebanese restaurant. It was so yummy, and really different for their relatives. Hummus and pita on each table, and then a served buffet table. Quite tasty.

I too had a wedding where my family participated by preparing the food....actually we did everything within the family & friends, right down to the music & flowers. Since I hold a big chicken bbq on July 3rd anyway...my husband & I decided to combine that w/the wedding & get married on July 3rd...taking advantage of the fireworks at the beach as entertainment for our guests.
I had nuts, olives, breadsticks & flatbreads out, along with some finger sandwiches that my in-laws made for guests to snack on when they arrived.
My brother & uncle did their usual chicken bbq, and my uncle prepared pork loin to go with it. My mom makes the best baked beans...so she made her usual baked beans, only for 150 people instead of 50 people. My aunt makes the best tossed salad....including fresh herbs w/all the veggies...so she made that, and my dad made his famous German potato salad. I believe we had a fruit salad somewhere in there too. My sister came up to NY from TN....and in the early July heat spent 4 hours in my kitchen on my wedding day making 4 different kinds of rolls from scratch....they were the hit of the dinner! All the people who are used to bringing a dish to my annual bbq, and insisted on bringing something were asked to bring cookies or a dessert...so we had a wonderful dessert table to go with the beautiful red, white & blue cake a local baker made for us.
We had decided in advance to keep things as simple as possible, so everyone could relax & enjoy the day....it worked out perfectly!
The best part....we get to celebrate our anniversary with all our family & friends every July 3rd when they come to our new house for our annual bbq!

I loved my wedding!! mmmm..... Food? Absolutely deliciuous. Wait Staff? egg heads. The cooks were friends of mine who cater. They made the best Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Garlic Green Beans, "Olive Garden Salad" and rolls. Dessert was my dream come true. A beautiful tiered cake made from white and chocolate cake and "wedding frosting". Except the top tier which was made with spelt for me bc I am wheat intolerant. It turned out exactly like I had dreamed for .... a lot of years. The bad part?? There is not a single picture of the whole thign without cake or flowers cut off. grrr. Food was served family style and everyone thought it was elegant, beautiful and fun. To me, that is the perfect mix.

I made my dress and I loved it!! The whole place was decorated with these HUGE gorgeous mums in rusty red and burnt orange and candles.

If I were doing it again I would hire more experienced wait staff and a different photographer. And my bouquet would be all Carmela roses instead of half astremaria. It does not dry nicely and my bouquet molded. I used it to mark my dog's grave after she talked back to a semi the next week. :(

Oh, and here's my most memorable wedding food story. Unfortunately it isn't a good one. So much went wrong I'll just give the condensed version in bullet points:

- guests on two different levels of the venue. Neither the couple nor their parents made any attempt to go upstairs to visit any guests. AND WE WERE FAMILY. The bride is my husband's 2nd cousin.

- tables set for 9 people. Dinner rolls, at least at our table, for 6 people. And served cold, in a plastic bag. A plastic bag. I'm still shaking my head over that one.

- we arrived at the reception around 5:30. We were still in line waiting to get food at 7:30. There were no appetizers, see above comment about dinner rolls.

- plates were placed on the tables instead of at the buffet line, so while we waited in line we also got to hold our plates

- drinks were inaccessible and damn near non-existent once you found them. except for the keg, of course. that was right inside the front door.

- by the time we finally got to the buffet line most of the food was gone. There was plenty of gravy, however. An older Amish gentleman refilled the gravy while we were in line. I nearly said "Why the f**k are you putting out more gravy, there's nothing to put it on!" but I refrained. I work in foodservice part time. We don't run out of food where I work. It just doesn't happen.

- people were cutting into the sheet cakes before the bride and groom had even cut the main cake. I don't think there was nearly enough cake.

- we left and went out to eat. No apologies from anyone in the wedding party or the family. My husband saw the bride's mother the following week and she said "Did you know that some people didn't get to eat? We ran out of food." and my darling husband said "Yes, I was one of them!"

I wanted to take over the "kitchen" and kick some ass but my husband wouldn't let me.

I had a similar experience to yours, AuntJone ... The reception was held a an upscale venue - the former private home of Liberace! It was an evening reception so we expected to have a meal. Instead there were a scant few trays passed around finally. When people started to line up for what we thought would be a buffet, there was none! We found carrots and celery ... well, that was pretty much it! I vaguely remember thare may have been champagne, but I don't remember having any. I did get a soda at the "bar". The bride and groom did not mingle with the guests - and there were about 200. The last insult has been that after several years, I have still not received a thank you note for the very expensive gift I gave to them!

oh boy. just starting to plan a wedding for next summer. we are going to check out our first venue next week. we have heard amazing things about the place and the food, but i am dreading it being a disaster. i know how judgmental people can be about weddings... all the personal expectations... all the gossip. yikes!

Although this memorable story isn't all about food, I feel like I just HAVE to share:

Last summer I attended the wedding of my little sister's high school friend, who had just graduated college and was marrying the "man of her dreams."
*To start things out, the rehearsal dinner was held at the local BOWLING ALLEY and hot dogs were the day's special.
*The groom spent the ENTIRE time during the ceremony "stretching it out." He was literally up there cracking his neck, shaking out his arms and looking like he was preparing for a 100 yd dash.
*We got to the reception, and it was pretty normal, aside from the absence of anything edible and nothing to drink if you're not a keg-stand fan.
*The bride went to cut her cake and, alas, her husband was nowhere to be found. That is, until an announcement over the PA system called attention to the fact he was out behind a decorative bush "relieving" himself.
*Finally, it was time for this wedding from hell to end----the bride and groom left the reception, were about to jump in the Extended 4x4 Truck limo when all of a sudden the groom ran back inside. He reappeared moments later ROLLING THE KEG behind him and stuffed it in his wife's lap before he jumped in the limo.
I still shake my head and can't believe it happened.