First comes love

A backyard menu

As I sit and contemplate the "British summer" (seriously, what happened to it??) I can't help but think that a sunny day, comfy chairs and good food are all you really need to cater to the wedding day, or rehearsal dinner or even the bridal shower... if we could just count on a sunny day! You could greet guests with a refreshing glass of fruit and herb infused water:

From the fabulous Sunday Suppers blog. If you're a bit spooked by putting thyme in water, you could play it a bit safer with mint and rasberries, yum! I personally want to try making this with basil and strawberries. I don't know if it would be good but it sounds interesting to me. Then you could fire up the grill with these bad boys:

 

I know, you're probably thinking "Seriously? Kebabs?" But these aren't your typical chicken skewers from the corner shop. This recipe from Smitten Kitchen sounds so mouthwatering!

A homemade cake or pies would fit right in, but I just love this stand for these cupcakes:

(from The Bride's Cafe)

And for dessert, hands down favorite right now: Ice cream served in teacups!

(From the Santa Barbara Wedding Chic blog)

Just because you're eating outside doesn't mean you can't be civilized ;)

Alternatives to the sit down meal

I love food. OMG I love food.  I can probably stand to be a bit more adventurous (black pudding? no thanks) but there's enough out there to keep me happy.  Not only do I love food, I love feeding people food.  I get a glow when Craig's eyes light up when I mention there's seconds of a particularly good meal I made.

We haven't given much thought to our reception dinner yet, but it's basically going to made up of a menu list provided by the venue.  I'm sure it'll be great (trust me, there will be taste tests) but I wish we had room to explore these alternatives to the sit down:

BBQ

From Snippet & Ink.

When San Diego was still a possible location, I was totally all over this idea. My friend mentioned that she got Phil's BBQ to cater hers and she raved about their service.  If you're ever in San Diego I highly recommend this place.  Tip: Do what we did.  Go to Phil's. Laugh at the ridiculously long line. Call them from the parking lot.  Go into the bar and have a cool drink while waiting for your order. Waltz out with your bag of pulled pork and ribs.

Lobster

Now, I know what you're thinking. Lobster, ooh that's so hoity toity. But I'm not talking about lobster already shelled and dressed beyond recognition and served on fine china. I'm talkin' 'bout LOBSTER:

From Snippet & Ink.

Instant source of conversation and interaction.  If I had my way though, I would serve crabs. I like the taste better but more importantly it brings back some fantastic memories of my childhood. My auntie used to work in a fish packing warehouse and once in a while she would bring over a boon of fresh crabs and we'd have a "crab picking" party.  The whole family would sit around the kitchen table with 3-4 crabs, cracking and chatting away.  Good times.

Burgers

From We Met in a Bar.

I think serving burgers would inject such a fresh dose of relaxation and fun to the reception.  You're all there to celebrate and party right?  And if you're in California, there is really only one way to go with this:

Aww yeah.  From Green Wedding Shoes.