Ria Osborne
From canapes to cakes, your ultimate guide to throwing (and attending) the most delicious wedding ever
You’re probably attending a wedding this year. Heck, it might even be your own (in which case, congrats!). And as anyone who has planned one can tell you, weddings today are about so much more than a marriage contract. At their best — whether they’re 300-person, three-day bashes or a trip to the courthouse followed by lunch — weddings are celebrations of partnership and community. At their worst, they are superficial status symbols, stressful ordeals for couples and guests alike. But wherever your next wedding falls on this spectrum (let’s hope it’s the former), one thing holds true: The food matters.
Good food does not always equate to a good wedding, but it certainly helps. And along with fulfilling the practical need of satiating the guests, the food served throughout the event reveals something bigger — about the couple’s personal taste, but also our culture. The precise choice of canape, the decision to plate dinner versus putting out a buffet, the style of cake or absence of cake altogether are weighty considerations that change with the times, elevating wedding food into its own unique culinary genre that, frankly, deserves exploring. (For what it’s worth, we’re Team Cake.)
And so, as we enter into wedding season 2023, Eater is here to help any food-passionate couple throw an unforgettably delicious party all while examining some of the flavorful rituals that have made weddings the central tradition they are. Even if there are no sweetheart tables or cake cuttings in your future, we have advice for how to eat well the next time you’re invited to witness some “I do”s, from how to avoid a disappointing entree to pacing yourself at the bar to rocking the registry. Because as soon as the rings are exchanged, the broom is jumped, or the glass is smashed, it’s really just time to eat.
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Credits
Editorial lead: Monica Burton
Creative director: Nat Belkov
Contributors: Patricia Howard, Bettina Makalintal, Nicholas Mancall-Bitel, Amy McCarthy, Jaya Saxena, Mehr Singh, Peggy Truong
Art director: Lille Allen
Photographers: Roshni Khatri, Ria Osborne
Food stylist: Liberty Fennell
Illustrator: Sonny Ross
Editors: Erin DeJesus, Jess Mayhugh, Jesse Sparks, Lesley Suter
Copy editors: Nadia Q. Ahmad, Leilah Bernstein
Fact checker: Kelsey Lannin
Engagement editors: Kaitlin Bray, Frances Dumlao, Kristen Kornbluth, Mira Milla
Project manager: Lesley Suter
Special thanks to Avery Dalal, Missy Frederick, Rachel P. Kreiter, Ellie Krupnick, Stephen Pelletteri, Prop Haus NYC, Jay Simms, Jonathan Smith, Ed Szymanski, Stephanie Wu
