How to plan the perfect wedding food that everyone will love

When choosing your wedding menu for you, your friends and your family, it’s essential to keep your guests’ food preferences in mind. From the canapes right through to your evening meal, as when you choose Touchays to create the perfect food, we want the experience to be loved by everyone all day.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher Gluten Free (Coeliac Disease), Lactose Intolerant (Dairy-Free), Nut Allergy, Intolerance or Sensitivity the more people you bring together for a social event or your wedding, the more likely it is that you are going to encounter one, all the above dietary requirements. Also, one or more of your guests might be pregnant, so they have a specific need that might include no alcohol. It is now estimated that 5-10% of people have a food allergy or intolerance – and this figure doesn’t include religious or ethical reasons (www.brideandgroomdirect.co.uk).

How accommodating should you be of dietary requirements?

When you are hosting a wedding or event, the guest service you and we combined provide significantly impacts how your guests will rate your special day. If we both do a great job and go above and beyond, make them feel welcomed, cared for and entertained, they will never stop talking about your day and your food and drink.

There was a time when nearly everyone accepted what was on the menu and they turned up ready to eat what they were given. But now almost everyone wants to know what’s on the menu well in advance, and everyone wants the menu to be imaginative, tasty and enjoyable but importantly embrace their specific dietary requirements.

Whilst you might want to focus on your favourite foods or dishes, that means something to you, either a particular time or place or your cultural background, now people expect you, and therefore us, to understandably cater for their dietary requirements. Or perhaps you might want an entirely plant-based menu that blows your guests away?

How are we expected to know what's the perfect menu for everyone, and how do we accommodate everyone’s different food requirements?

Don’t worry, Touchays are here to help you and we relish the challenge of creating your wedding menu. All we ask is that you make us aware of your guests’ dietary requirements as early as possible as it enables us to work on menus and find the best and most tasty ingredients. Remember, no restriction is a challenge for us if we have enough notice!

We, therefore, recommend that you follow a simple process, in brief here are six steps to ensuring everyone loves the menu:

When booking Touchays, if you know you want a specific menu, for example, Vegan, let us know before you book to talk openly about your menu.
When sending your Save The Date Cards, you ask guests to make you aware of any dietary requirements as soon as possible. These can then be discussed on either a zoom call or let us know before your food tasting, enabling us to have an open conversation. Don’t be afraid to ask guests if they have any food allergies or dietary requirements, etc. Remember, this is part of the planning process and can also include issues over drinks.
Following your food tasting. When sending your invites with your menu included, don’t forget to ask about dietary requirements.
If you have opted for food choices, then when submitting your spreadsheet (we can help with a template), don’t forget to add a column for dietary requirements.
When supplying your table plan to Touchays, please ensure that anyone with allergies are clearly marked.
When writing place cards, the menu is placed on the reserve and guests are encouraged to turnover at the start of the meal so that as food is delivered to each guest, the Touchays team can see clearly what the guest is expecting, but we will always ask just before the ‘plate’ goes down if they have any dietary requirements.

How do you know if your guests have special dietary needs?

Once you have booked Touchays as your wedding or event caterer, we will organise for you to attend a food tasting. It’s great if you already know some food allergies within your family or friends, but it’s not imperative. After you have chosen your food, the next step is to send out your invites. Within your invitation, it is always good to let your guests know what you have chosen and then ask if, for instance, you are offering chooses, then also ask them if they have any dietary requirements.

What to write in your wedding invitation?

Regardless of how small or large wedding, regardless of offering different meal options, here are some of the best ways for addressing dietary requirements with your guests in your RSVP cards:

Please use the RSVP response card to advise us on any dietary requirements
We will be serving the following for our Canapes, Wedding Breakfast and Evening Meal; please let us know if you have any dietary requirements we need to be aware of as our caterer needs to know in advance.
Please specify any dietary requirements.
Please detail any dietary requirements.
Please make us aware of any dietary requirements
Please indicate any dietary requirements
Working with our handpicked caterer, we want to ensure all our guests love the food (as much as we do), so please indicate any dietary requirements, whether for medical or moral reasons, thank you.

Then leave a line or two for the guest or guests to complete.

What makes Touchays different when it comes to catering for dietary requirements?

At Touchays, we love working with couples who don’t want to shy away from the issues associated with dietary needs and this month, May 2021, we will be announcing some exciting news.

To assure you, we love working with couples who want to do more than just offer alternatives, like the dreaded vegetable stack or stuffed red pepper. However, when planning your special day, it can feel stressful, especially when trying to accommodate all the different dietary requirements, religious or personal beliefs. At Touchays, we understand that food is one of the most significant touchpoints of any event, so getting it right is paramount to a successful wedding or event, so we are here to help you.

How does Touchays help you create the perfect wedding breakfast menu once you know your guests’ dietary requirements?

The first thing that Touchays does is to distinguish between someone who chooses not to eat certain foods, for instance, for religious or moral reasons, and then we look at dietary requirements.

Vegetarian/Vegan/ Pescatarians/ eco-conscious menus

To assure you, we understand that veganism isn’t a trend instead of a way of life. We recognise that dietary requests are now mainstream and savvy couples have their guests’ health and well-being in mind. With our passion for food and creating menus, there is an abundance of delicious vegetarian, vegan or pescatarian menu ideas for your wedding menu that will make fans of your wedding food.

Dietary Requirements

Dietary requirements are more difficult for us to consider. For instance, if you opt for a plant-based or gluten-free menu, the recipes will often contain nuts is a no for your guests with nut-related allergies.

To spoil your guests with a dietary friendly menu, it takes time and creativity to find ingredients to enable us to create the flavours and textures.

So, all it leaves us to say is Bon Appetit to all your guests!

How to plan the perfect wedding food that everyone will love

How accommodating should you be of dietary requirements?

How are we expected to know what's the perfect menu for everyone, and how do we accommodate everyone’s different food requirements?

How do you know if your guests have special dietary needs?

What to write in your wedding invitation?

What makes Touchays different when it comes to catering for dietary requirements?

How does Touchays help you create the perfect wedding breakfast menu once you know your guests’ dietary requirements?

Vegetarian/Vegan/ Pescatarians/ eco-conscious menus

Dietary Requirements

Drumroll

We are social