9 Foodie Wedding Ideas for the Couple Who Loves Food

Two weekends ago, Kyo and I were at the Princeton Wedding Show at the Nassau Inn, where we met many fantastic people and sampled some truly delectable food. As I moved from sampling a slice of creamy Abbaye de Belloc sheep’s cheese from Olsson’s Fine Foods, to munching a slice of baguette dipped in Arbequina olive oil from Carter and Cavero, and later moved on to a gloriously rich dark chocolate caramel from Thomas Sweet, I started thinking about all the ways a food-loving couple might incorporate a feast for the tastebuds at their wedding.

Here are nine foodie wedding ideas to get your mouth watering….

In the United States, we don’t routinely serve a cheese course at the end of dinner, but after sampling the cheeses on display at the wedding show, I realized that we are missing out on one of life’s great delights. There is something about a small slice of pungent, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth cheese — it’s a flavor bomb with few comparisons. If you have friends and family who appreciate food as much as you do, a cheese tasting will probably be a huge hit.

One of the best cheese shops in New Jersey is Olsson’s Fine Foods, right on Palmer Square in Princeton. Owner Rudie Smit can help you choose a range of cheeses to stimulate every node on your palate, from mild and rich to nutty, peppery, and strong. His charming, spotless shop carries over 200 cheeses (not to mention the “world’s best” grilled cheese sandwich and homemade mac ‘n cheese).

If you’re in NYC, of course, there’s the iconic Murray’s Cheese.

We’ve worked with several couples who’ve given olive oil to their guests as a wedding favor. Giving olive oil as a gift is a wonderful idea — it is one of the most commonly used pantry staples, so it’s a gift that is useful for almost anyone; yet an excellent olive oil can truly elevate a dish.

At the Princeton Wedding Show, we learned about New Jersey’s Carter and Cavero shops, which specialize in olive oil and carry a wide range of varietals from Italy, Spain, Greece, and beyond. If you go to one of their shops, you can sample as many oils and vinegars as you like until you find your absolute favorites. They offer customized bottles if you want labels to commemorate your special day.

And if you’re interested in taking the DIY route, you can infuse olive oil with herbs or other flavors and bottle it yourself. See the wonderfully informative Olive Oil Source for instructions on infusing olive oil. Here are more Nassau Inn weddings!

You probably already know that food trucks are all the rage right now. And the great thing is, they’re totally portable! So it’s no problem to find your absolute favorite type of food truck and have them show up wherever you’re getting married. At Michelle and Rex’s wedding (pictured above), they hired NYC’s Wafels and Dinges to park outside their wedding and offer guests a deliriously sinful midnight snack.

Did you know that there are food truck directory websites? Yes, that’s right, it’s easy to find a food truck specializing in fresh curries and samosas! Or soft serve frozen fruit! Or Maine lobster rolls!

For New Jersey weddings, visit the New Jersey Food Truck Association.

For NYC weddings, visit the NYC Food Truck Association.

The sky’s the limit with cocktails these days. It’s not just farm-to-table dinner, it’s farm-to-table mixed drinks, too! If you and your sweetie are amateur mixologists, have fun creating something unique for your cocktail hour. Sources of inspiration are endless, but you can try these blogs for some superb recipes:

This is one of my favorite ideas. Instead of decorating your tables with cut flowers that will only last a day or two, why not use beautiful potted herbs, which your guests can take home at the end of the wedding and use to flavor their dinners for months ahead? At the reception pictured above, Stephanie and Paul celebrated their Greek heritage with blue glass lanterns and oregano, thyme, and rosemary herbs potted in blue and white porcelain. They tucked rosemary sprigs in the folded napkins.

For some clear, helpful instructions on how to create potted herb centerpieces, see these articles:

And for aesthetic inspiration, I highly recommend the book The Plant Recipe Book: 100 Living Arrangements for Any Home in Any Season, which has step-by-step instructions on how to combine different kinds of plants (not necessarily herbs, but you’ll get great ideas) to create stunning centerpieces.

For chocolate lovers, the options are endless. Just make a trip to your local chocolate or pastry shop and talk to them. You don’t have to order what’s in the shop; if you have a favorite treat that’s rare or hard to find, most chocolatiers and pastry chefs can make a custom batch for you.

Pictured above is a tray of chocolates from Thomas Sweet, and macarons from Food Company Catering.

In New Jersey we are blessed with a cornucopia of superb handmade ice cream shops. Pictured above is an ice cream sundae station created by OWowCow of Lawrenceville for Alison and Jon’s wedding at Jasna Polana. We don’t have to tell you that it was a huge hit with guests.

Later this year, Kyo will be photographing Lucy and Nick’s wedding, and they’ll be serving an ice cream cake from Halo Fête. We can’t wait to see it — Halo Fête’s ice cream cakes are sublime.

Lately we’ve had a number of clients who’ve served something completely different from the traditional wedding cake at their wedding. One couple had a selection of handmade pie. Kyo will be photographing a wedding next month with a giant chocolate chip cookie for dessert. And later this year, as mentioned above, Kyo’s excited to shoot a spectacular ice cream cake.

One of our favorite options is the confection pictured above, a croquembouche, which actually is a traditional wedding cake — it’s just not traditional in this country! The croquembouche is a French dessert typically served at christenings and weddings: a towering pile of profiteroles (cream puffs stuffed with custard), and often dusted with pearl sugar or surrounded by a spun sugar cage.

This is the most obvious suggestion for serious foodies. If you really want the food at your wedding to be top-notch, consider getting married at one of the best restaurants you can find. Most restaurants can be rented out for private events, and you can talk directly to the chef to create your dream menu. Just make sure you take time to sit and enjoy the food on your wedding day!