Manuevering through the wedding buffett

Because Vronsky and I both come from inordinately large families (I am one of four, he of nine, including his half-siblings, our mothers are both one of five....it spirals out from there), there is no way to avoid a grand, enormous "big fat" wedding short of eloping, which would just devastate my Po-po beyond repair, and so, royal wedding it is.

That said, seeing as our rehearsal dinner is already looking to top 100 people, and that is without one single non-relative attending. A sit-down dinner for 250+ people at the actual reception not only sounds like setting fire to a winning lotto ticket, but also a bit of a drag, because it will doubtless take a long time to move through the service no matter how awesome of a caterer you hire.

And since I do NOT want anyone bored on my wedding day (they should be awaiting the first dance and speeches with baited breath, getting good and drunk and ready to hit the dance floor), Vronsky and I have decided to forgo a sit-down dinner and have a buffet at the reception. Also, I think this is a bit better, gastronomically speaking, for the guests, as they have some options to choose from versus a sit-down, in which you usually only get two choices, if that. What our two families have in common in terms of size I do not think will reflect in terms of palate. Old world southern cuisine versus organic/California/Chinese. I have yet to tell Po-po that his idea of fresh fruit growing up was canned peaches...she would have a box of oranges from her orchard in the mail so quickly I fear for the postal system.

When choosing the menu for our grand buffet, there are a zillion different options and I don't want to get too fancy. First off, the food won't hold up as well sitting in those trays and secondly, we want to please the broadest amount of people.

We will start with a cheese display (mm cheese) and a crudite, and for hors d'oeuvers, I like the idea of smoked salmon carpaccio with dill on black bread, whipped white bean spread on tortilla toast, some beef negimaki with soy dipping sauce, and a peking duck roll. (You'll notice that there are no chicken skewers or egg rolls here...).

For the actual buffet, we will have a mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, some roast vegetables, a caprese, filet mignon with a red wine sauce, filet of salmon with a tomato marinade, some roast breast of chicken, penne a 'la vodka for a vegetarian entreé option, roast potatoes, another veggie medley, and then dessert and cake. I can't choose a dessert option until I settle on a cake, but I am thinking something chocolate-y, as both Vronsky and I are yellow-cake fans, and so if we have a yellow-cake wedding cake, I think we should throw those chocolate lovers a bone.

I am most excited to meet with the pastry chef though when we come by the NYAC for the tasting later this summer. I've had enough penne a'la vodka to last me a lifetime, but wedding cake is not only tasty, but aesthetically pleasing! I am not one for big, flowery wedding cakes. I want something that actually looks edible (plus, I don't really like the taste of fondant). Something clean and elegant like the one pictured above. That way, we can find a funny cake-topper of V and me!

There are some weird wedding cake designs out there (and I won't even go into the ones that TRY to be funny...). Cakes like this are deliberately made to look this way with the idea that it is pretty/glamorous/whatever. What on EARTH would you have a river of BROWN running down your cake? It does not bring to mind chocolate...at least for me, and while I may have the mind of an 8-year-old, I guarantee that I am not the only one who thinks this....