All this wedding week talk must have worked up an appetite, so please enjoy a taste of the dishes we served on our wedding day.
Perhaps our boldest DIY choice was skipping a caterer entirely and preparing the entire menu ourselves. It may sound crazy, but there were practical reasons behind it. Many caterers require a separate prep area and our modest rancher didn’t have the space. We also thought hired servers in black uniforms circulating appetizers in our backyard might feel out of place for our intimate celebration. Mostly, though, we’re enthusiastic DIYers who love a challenge. Feeding 75 guests sounded daunting, but with careful planning, make-ahead components and smart delegation — including a lot of pre-prepared items with a gourmet touch — it went surprisingly smoothly.
We simplified service by designing a menu that needed no hot kitchen work (the only heat came from the grill for entrees) and relied on finger-friendly sides and hors d’oeuvres that required just one utensil at most. Keeping the spread straightforward — fresh fruit, cocktail shrimp, rotini salad, lemon pepper potato chips, and the like — while adding an upscale twist where possible (an unexpected ingredient or a special dipping sauce) fit perfectly with our informal backyard vibe.
Our “simple with a twist” strategy also applied to the main course, which we listed on a chalkboard above the grill for guests to choose from.
Guests stepped up to the grill to order a blue cheese angus burger with parmesan-caesar dressing, a sweet apple chicken sausage with honey-dijon, or a tomato-and-cheddar veggie burger with basil ketchup. We made the blue cheese burgers ahead by mixing chunky blue cheese dressing into ground beef, forming patties, and freezing them to defrost the morning of the wedding. The sweet apple chicken sausages and the tomato-and-cheddar veggie burgers were purchased in bulk a few days prior. We splurged on gourmet buns and elevated the toppings — a hint of basil in the ketchup and a creamy caesar dressing on the blue cheese burgers added freshness and depth. These small twists on familiar favorites were a hit, and we made sure to have plenty so guests could try more than one option.
Although we didn’t have a moment to taste much ourselves, the verdict from guests was clear: lots of second helpings and very few leftovers.
One charming last-minute detail came from my husband, who tucked extra lemons into a large galvanized tin of ice while I was inside getting ready. Those inexpensive lemons transformed an $8 tin of ice into a stylish, refreshing display — a simple touch that made a big visual impact and showed his knack for finishing details.
The most popular choice of the night, by far, was to keep dessert simple and serve Richmond’s famed Ukrop’s cupcakes. For those unfamiliar, Ukrop’s is a local grocery chain celebrated for its classic vanilla cupcakes. We briefly debated dressing them up with sprinkles or lemon candies, but decided not to tamper with perfection. Presented together, the cupcakes became a beautiful, irresistible display — guests couldn’t get enough, with some confessing to four or five each. Feeding each other cupcakes also made for a fun, informal twist on the traditional cake-feeding moment.
Another memorable touch was the s’mores roast at the end of the night. After many guests had gone home, the remaining friends and family gathered around our firepit to toast marshmallows and assemble s’mores. Marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers are budget-friendly, but the activity created a cozy, memorable moment that lingered long after the embers cooled.
As all good things come to an end, so does This Young Wedding Week. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Thanks for following along with our wedding celebrations — and don’t worry, there’s more to come: we’ve got engaging before-and-after projects lined up for the coming week, so stay tuned.
*Check out our Wedding Album under the header to see all the details of our big day from start to finish.