why is when i watch american episodes of this show so i see mashed potato bars and mac and cheese stations at so many of these weddings? what is up with the obsession with these foods? neither of them on its own should be wedding food imo. far too casual for my liking. is it traditional in a generic american wedding and if it is, why? please explain
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i've come to the conclusion that it offends my sense of formality. never will i understand it
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let's not go to camelot, it is a silly place
Some people like to do "soul" food, barbecue, and home cooked stuff.
I think they take the approach of their wedding being like a church event. Church events always have that type of food (because they are often pot lucks).
And people do love their mac n cheese - even at high end restaurants in the US you'll see fine dining takes on mac n cheese. I was just looking at a pricey restaurant in DC that has lobster mac on their menu.
You should choose your food to fit the tastes of your guests and family. I think that's what matters.
please explain soul food to me. and almost none of the brides i was watching in all of those episodes were in a church so it didn't occur to me they would want church style surroundings. to serve up 5 different kinds of mash in a bar is madness to me, to be honest. and if you can eat macaroni and cheese at home and in a restaurant, why drag it along to a wedding? wedding food varies but why wouldn't you want to up your game on the wedding food? i just don't get it
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let's not go to camelot, it is a silly place
I've been to a lot of weddings that were on strict budgets. Many of them were held in fire halls or church social halls. Macaroni and cheese and/or mashed potatoes and/or some kind of pasta was always served.
Boo Hoo! Let me wipe away the tears with my PLASTIC hand!--Lindsey McDonald (Angel)
i see. still will never understand it as occasion food but at least now i get the reasons as to why it's served
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let's not go to camelot, it is a silly place
No you really don't. When you see the mashed potato bars and macaroni bars, those are not 'cost efficient'. Those cost usually about 2000 dollars for one station. Have you not noticed in almost every wedding, these bars are during the cocktail hour? Not during the dinner? Cocktail hours are about finger foods and snacks with your drinks. Instead of having a cheese plate and the boring stuff, people like to spice it up. Make it fancy by having different topings for the potatoes, or for the pasta. Not everyone dreams of some black tie, white glove catered pompous peacock wedding.
shareyou sound far too defensive in tone, calm it down. in my country, even people who don't have a 'pompous peacock wedding' (which is at least half of the population) still find time to source better food than a bunch of cheesy carbs you would give to your kids for tea
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or like ramen noodles. cheap and cheerful and not in a good way
shareActually what I notice is there is as much food if not more during the cocktail hour than at the actual dinner. Numerous times I have seen episodes where the guest brides simply can't eat any more because they stuffed themselves during cocktail hour. IMHO, if there is to be ANY food during cocktail hour, it should be little hors d'ouvres, finger foods, or a cheese and fruit tray. It's cocktail HOUR and if you can't wait an hour for the main event food then hold back on your alcohol consumption.
Personally I think it's America's absolute devotion to faddism (fads) that have resulted in all these mashed potato bars with toppings in martini glasses. One bride saw it, had to do it, too, and then it got on TV and now the whole world wants it. I can't stand mashed potatoes and certainly wouldn't spend that kind of money on it at a wedding. Pretty sure we didn't even HAVE finger foods at our wedding, but then we ate the main meal almost right away after our arrival, and after the line at the bar went down.
At my own wedding and many of my family members' weddings, we had the cocktail hour before the ceremony and the reception with the sit-down dinner and dancing after. This allowed people to regain their appetites and digest the canapés during the ceremony and come "fresh" into the party.
I'd like to be a pessimist, but this is a luxury I cannot afford.—Joseph of Cordoba
Church = Family. That's what I meant - the people attending and purpose are like a church event not the physical location. A wedding is the biggest family event ever, whether it's held in a church or not.
Soul food is basically southern food, I was incorrect to say soul food because that's primarily considered to be African American even though most southerners of all races/cultures eat many of the dishes. Mac-n-cheese being one of them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_food
I think what you're missing is that people in the U.S. really love mac and cheese, other people come to weddings expecting to really eat, so some people decide to have comfort food at their weddings.
I'm not getting what's so hard to understand about that...
Unless you're a rich poser or someone who really is in the public eye, a wedding is not an occasion to impress people or make your cultural stamp among the social elite. You want people to have a good time. Eat, drink, and be merry.
This wedding catering article right here says the same thing: "comfort foods are a crowd pleaser". http://allcalledcatering.com/add-a-macaroni-and-cheese-bar-to-your-men u/
One of the four weddings with the best received food was the one chick whose father was a chef. He did a mac-n-cheese with bacon and it looked amazing.
At any rate, to each his own. We all now know you won't be having mac-n-cheese at your wedding (if you're not already married or whatever).
mac and cheese isn't a staple of the uk and is not adored in the same way. just think that a wedding should be more upmarket and posh than what you usually eat for a night in watching the tv. i feel like there is no sense of occasion and you don't need much money to create that. just adding in some bacon doesn't make it a classy affair. i just think there are occasions that should be celebrated appropriately and no matter your budget, can be done better than a simple church affair than usually happens every sunday. it's not to give yourself airs and graces, it's making it an exceptional event. you should make an effort for your wedding. thanks for explaining
shareNo matter your budget? Surely you jest! I have been to a large number of weddings in western PA in which the budget was obviously under $10,000 (maybe way under). And in most of them whole families were invited, including a number of young children. They were all happy occasions, special occasion, and everyone had a good time. By the time you figure the bride's gown, the ceremony costs (minister or priest, music, etc), the liquor (maybe just beer and/or wine), the invitations, clothes for the bride's parents (suit, not tux, for the father), dj (rarely a band), rental of the venue (church basement may be free, fire halls not expensive), there is little money left for food. And everybody wants comfort food anyway, as long as there's a cake.
Fortunately I was able to give my daughters more expensive weddings and receptions. My youngest daughter had one child at the wedding--the groom's nephew, who was the ring bearer--so we didn't have to worry about food that kids would eat.
Boo Hoo! Let me wipe away the tears with my PLASTIC hand!--Lindsey McDonald (Angel)
no jesting. most people i know want posh food, not comfort food at their wedding. it's important to a lot of people and it can be done on a budget. some people make their own decorations to save on money they can spend on a fancy feast. they usually have plain food provided for children but i've never been to one where the kids turned their noses up at it
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let's not go to camelot, it is a silly place
The people I know now probably do want posh food; the people where I grew up (western PA) for the most part can't afford it. I've been to a couple of weddings in the last few years for relatives back home, and they still have the kind of weddings I described.
When my youngest was married, she & her fiancé chose to be married in FL, where his parents live. I wasn't even sure some of our relatives could have made it here to DC for her wedding, let alone to FL. So we had an engagement party back home in a nice but not luxurious restaurant. We had a nice buffet dinner of comfort food with a cake and an open bar (but beer & wine only) and a dj that we found at a cousin's wedding. Husband's cousin, a professional photographer, took photos of everyone. It was a little nicer than they usually had but not enough to seem pretentious.
Boo Hoo! Let me wipe away the tears with my PLASTIC hand!--Lindsey McDonald (Angel)
i find that quality doesn't necessarily have to be expensive. i just think that some things should be occasion appropriate and food is one of them. i'm fairly flexible on that regarding different tastes etc but some food is just too ordinary to serve for a wedding
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let's not go to camelot, it is a silly place
If that's what the venue you can afford provides, you go with it. These people are doing the best they can. Do you not know people without much money?
Boo Hoo! Let me wipe away the tears with my PLASTIC hand!--Lindsey McDonald (Angel)
of course i do. i'm one of them. but they manage by skimping slightly on other things to have something over average for the wedding feast and most of them make those things look quite good in the end. that's their personal touch and nothing to do with money
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let's not go to camelot, it is a silly place
I agree with you whole-heartedly. Not being a fan of children in the first place, I certainly didn't take them into consideration when planning our wedding menu. We had carved prime rib and turkey as the main entrees. Nothing that could qualify as "posh" but not mac n cheese, either. When I eat mac & cheese it is straight out of the saucepan I made it in, with a big spoon, in front of the TV. And I am usually hung over.
sharei just think there are occasions that should be celebrated appropriately and no matter your budget, can be done better than a simple church affair than usually happens every sunday.
I don't go to a lot of weddings, and I do live in the Deep South, and I have never seen either of these served at a wedding. Maybe with all the wedding shows that are on now, it is an idea that is taking off, I would think primarily because #1 it is inexpensive, #2 it is guaranteed that almost everyone eats them, #3 starchy heavy foods fill you up, so guests probably won't leave hungry. Just my take.
sharedidn't think of 3. good point
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let's not go to camelot, it is a silly place
True. And they're [starchy foods] are a good hearty base that sop up lots of liquor, in addition to filling up your guests so maybe they won't drink as much liquor on your dime LOL.
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