When I’m planning a wedding with a couple, one of my favourite parts of the process is actually getting to know them. Rather than immediately talking about specific dishes, I’ll often start talking about food memories, flavours and experiences.
-Where have you travelled together?
-What did you eat on your first date?
-Was there an incredible meal on a trip to Bali that you still talk about?
-Is there something your family always cooks when everyone gets together?
-Was there a dish you both grew up eating?
Sometimes it’s a flavour rather than a particular dish. Sometimes it’s a completely random story that comes up during the conversation. That’s where I like to draw inspiration from. The idea isn’t necessarily to recreate that exact meal. It’s about taking something that means something to the couple and finding a way to bring that memory or flavour into the event. It could inspire a canapé, a sauce, a main course or even just one small element of the menu. Suddenly the food has a story behind it. And when a couple can say to their guests, “That’s actually inspired by something we ate on our first trip together,” it becomes much more personal than simply choosing Option A or Option B from a wedding package.