Nowadays  you  can  pretty  much  please  yourself  when  it  comes  to  choosing  how  you  cater  for  your wedding guests. Formal sit down, buffet, stand up bowl food, barbecue…it‟s your choice!

The  only  rule  is  that  you  should  never  leave  your  guests  feeling  hungry  or  in  need  of  refreshment.
Guests who are starving and thirsty aren‟t going to be having a good time!
Even if you‟re on a tight budget, you still have lots of catering options.  Marry later in the day so you only have to feed your guests once, or have an earlier ceremony and and serve a slap up afternoon tea!
Food styles are changing all the time and so we asked some experts what‟s in store for 2014.

Nostalgic nibbles
“Weddings  are  about  cherishing  happy  memories  and  creating  new  ones,  so  why  not  recreate  the food  you  enjoyed  as  children  and  reinvent  classic  dishes  like  bangers  and  mash  or  fish  and  chips?” suggests  John  Hearn,  executive  chef  of  food  design  and  event  management  company  Tapenade . “Using  local  produce  where  possible  will  personalise  your  menu  that  little  bit  more  –  and  may  be gentler  on  your  budget  too!”  If  you  really  want  to  add  a  personal  touch,  why  not  try  His  and  Hers courses, with favourite recipes from each side of the family?Mini sized pies are sure to remain popular. “Treat your guests to an array of British favourites such as steak  and  kidney,  chicken  and  mushroom  or  beef  and  onion,”  says  John.  “Platters  served  to  each table, or buffet style, with a selection of side dishes such as tas ty mash and seasonal vegetables will make  for  a  sociable  event.  This  trend  can  carry  through  to  dessert  with  apple  pie  and  custard  or apple and rhubarb pie with a crumble topping.”

Best of British
According to John, canapés are still a popular option, either for informal dining  or served before the
main  event.  For  2014,  traditional  British  fare  in  miniature  form  looks  to  be  wildly  popular  – why  not try small newspaper cones of fish and chips, mini steak and chips with a warm horseradish cream dip, or miniature ice cream cones?

Continuing the classic English theme,  nostalgic tea parties will offer a more relaxed atmosphere and allow guests to mingle. “It‟s easy to add a gourmet twist to a traditional tea,” says John. “Try finger sandwiches  or  fresh  strawberry  meringues.  You  could  also  offer  a  choice  of  flavoured  sweet and savoury  scones,  such  as  wild  watercress  and  dill  scones  served  with  oak  smoked  salmon and  cream cheese, or fresh raspberry scones.”

If  you‟re  looking  for  a  more  formal  dining  experience,  John  suggests  a  selection  of  upmarket  edible delights.  “With  the  increasing  awareness  and  popularity  of  celebrity  chefs  and  fine  dining,  some couples  will  want  to  recreate  the  „Michelin  star‟  experience  with  tasting  menus,  offering  several smaller courses and a real gastronomic experience, for a truly memorable wedding breakfast.”

Brunch for brides
One hot new food trend for 2014 is the true wedding breakfast, with couples having their ceremonies first thing. “Due to the fact that morning weddings are generally cheaper than afternoon and evening affairs,  we  are  seeing  the  rise  of  brunch  as  a  catering  option,”  says  the  UK  Academy  of Wedding  & Event Planners. “Think omelette stations, mimosas, pancakes, and Bloody Marys.”
If you have your heart set on food vans, good news  –  this playful catering option is still going to be popular  in  the  upcoming  years,  according  to  the  Academy.  “Fun  food  elements  are  still fashionable and  will  continue  to  be  so  in  2014.  Ice  cream  vans  and  food  trucks  are  leading the  way  here  and although this isn‟t new, it is still hot!”

Another  new  and  emerging  trend  is  food  „themes‟  –  that  is,  taking  one  food  element  and featuring this throughout. “As an example, try a food station featuring bacon, which is a hot food right now,” suggests the Academy. “You‟d serve different dishes of food where bacon is the star, such as bacon doughnuts, mini bacon burgers, and bacon salt.” 

Luckily for all you cocktail lovers out there, imaginative drinks aren‟t going out of style any time soon. “Couture cocktails are here to stay but they‟re going high end, with silver or gold sugar rimmed glasses and unique cocktail bars,” says the Academy.

Cookies take the biscuit
Handmade cookies will go from strength to strength in 2014 – whether you offer them as wedding favours or as dainty snacks for guests to nibble at teatime. You could make your own but we love these from The Cake Artist. Top tip – you could always double up the cookies as place names and favours if you personalise them (named cookies start at £2.50).

Delicious centrepieces
Another way of making your catering do double duty is to use cupcakes as table centres instead of flowers – we think this Beau Cake from the Cake Artist is stunning and will certainly get the conversation started between guests. Alternatively you could put a floral display of cupcakes like this on a dessert table.

The great wedding bake-off
The traditional white tiered wedding cake may have morphed over recent years into a tower of cupcakes or even tiers of different cheeses, but wedding cakes of some description show no sign of going out of fashion.

“When I start work on a new collection I always begin by taking a look into the key trends coming through in the wedding world, not just in wedding cakes but also in bridal fashion,” says cake artistShelly Shulman, who creates some amazing confections through her business Cakes By Shelly. “A bride‟s wedding dress often dictates the style and theme of the wedding, and so can have a substantial impact on the design of the cake.

“Just as brides are seeking an abundance of textures with their dress design, they are also seeking similar detailing for cakes, a look that is particularly stunning on an all-white cake. Ruffles, quilting and even delicate frills are all standout effects.”

The trend for dress-inspired wedding cakes doesn‟t have to be limited to texture – Shelly suggests that Vera Wang‟s 2014 black and white palette is a perfect choice for an elegant monochrome cake. “Such a minimalistic colour palette looks especially fabulous when combined with the 20s-inspired Great Gatsby trend that has been extremely popular this year,” she adds.

For vintage-loving brides, softly-coloured cakes are still set to be popular in the coming years. “The incredible Sarah Burton design, worn by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, inspired a renewed love for all things lace, and this is a trend that remains strong for coming seasons,” says Shelly. “I expect to see vintage-themed wedding cakes for a while yet! Lace work, sugar flowers and soft pastel hues work amazingly well and if you are not a fan of icing then the current trend of naked cakes is just up your street.”

For every bride seeking a neutral or monochrome colour scheme for their wedding cake, you will find another who craves colour for their big day. “Colour is a strong trend for 2014, with pinks and purples continuing to dominate the wedding industry,” says Shelly. “The great thing about colour is it can be used in very different ways. For a more traditional look, you can keep your subtle white or ivory icing, which beautifully disguises a stunning coloured ombre cake inside – a sure-fire conversation starter following the all-important cutting of the cake!”

Another beautiful way into integrate colour and design into your wedding cake is to consider a hand-painted cake – according to Shelly, these intricate creations are becoming more and more popular. “Hand-painted flowers look stunning and florals once again continue to be a popular trend as we move into 2014,” she says. “Even the simplest of wedding cakes can become breathtaking when painted to match those in your bridal bouquet.”