Your wedding menu is an important part of planning your big day. You know what they say: Your guests will remember your dress, they’ll remember your photos, and they’ll remember the food! But where do you start? While some venues and planners have pre-ordained vendors to narrow things down, there’s still a whole wedding menu to craft from there. Need some guidance? As a professional in this industry for more than a dozen years, I’ve got you covered. Let’s get started with my favorite wedding menu tips and trends!

Wedding Menu Tips

Start with the budget. There’s not much worse than coming up with the perfect wedding menu only to end up with it just out of reach. Knowing what you’re willing to spend on food heading into conversations, planning, and tastings can make things more clear from the very start, and give your potential vendors a parameter for what they should and shouldn’t present as options. 

Then choose a style. My advice? Choose a style that’s consistent with your wedding’s theme. Plated meals are both formal and traditional, and they take up less space in your reception area. A buffet is most cost-efficient, and gives guests the freedom to pick and choose their meal, or a family-style dinner could fit a more fun and friendly vibe. Food stations require some space, but they also provide variety and freedom of choice without giving up too much structure. Whatever you choose, make the choice before getting your heart set on any specific wedding menu items. 

Make it personal. Your wedding should reflect your love story in every way, from the date to the venue, flowers, colors… and food! If you and your fiance never eat cake, why have one at an event that celebrates the two of you? But if your families are traditional, a stunning multi-tiered cake might just be a perfect focal point. If you met at a restaurant, or if you have a favorite date night haunt, consider serving that style of food at your reception. Give some nods to your love story so the whole day tastes, looks, and feels like… you!

Things to consider: Personal tastes, seasonal availability, and dietary restrictions. One way to consider all three? Plan to offer options. Showcase your preferences (because who has just one?) and ensure you’ll be able to get what you need—and so will your guests!

Wedding Menu Trends

Interactive experiences. 2025-26 brides are all about creating unique hands-on experiences for their guests, including the wedding menu! Build-your-own taco bars, sundae stations, pasta bars, and burger stations are great ways to make your guests feel like they’re part of the special details, and help foster a real family/community feeling among your guests. 

Cultural celebration. Whether you’re native to your venue’s state, a transplant or even planning a destination wedding, the wedding menu is a great place to celebrate your family’s culture—or allow guests to fully experience the tastes of the celebration itself! Industry trends show an up-tick in themes like sharing locally-grown foods, dishes made famous in your wedding city, and even menus that share and celebrate family and ancestral heritage. 

Grazing tables. If the meal styles mentioned above don’t fit your wedding vibe, consider grazing tables instead. They’re huge for 2025-26 weddings! Instead of traditionally plated meals, create large table displays of assorted meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, and spreads for your guests to enjoy. Why stop at one? Keep things fun with tables for desserts and late night snacks, too.

Whatever you choose, be sure to set a menu and plate aside for your wedding photographer. Don’t believe me? Check out these dreamy detail shots! You’ve worked hard on these details. Let’s help you remember how special each one was forever!

Wedding bouquets can be a tricky detail—especially when your vision and the calendar don’t align! But don’t worry. When it comes to creating your perfect wedding florals, there’s always a way! If you’re wondering where to start, look no farther. Here’s my advice for incorporating the perfect blooms for your big day! 

First Things First

First you need to decide where flowers fall on your list of priorities. If you want your wedding bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces to be stunning staples, you’ll need to make sure your budget is allocated appropriately. Likewise, if you’re not planning on floral statements, you’ll need to make sure your budget reflects that, too! From there, you can start the process of researching vendors, scheduling consultations, and building out your ideas and preferences. 

Dare to Dream

I always say to start with your venue, wedding date, and location. If you’re planning an outdoor ceremony or reception, your venue may already have gardens you’ll be working around. Some flowers bloom in colors better suited for certain times of the year, and some only bloom at certain times in certain parts of the world! Make sure you have your details and color palette handy when you go in for your consultations. This will definitely help the process go smoothly! Remember to choose flowers, not just colors, use visuals (like pinterest or saved photos), and be flexible. Even vendors with greenhouses are at the mercy of healthy roots and supply!

Need a cheat sheet to get you started? I’ve got you covered: 

Wedding Bouquets: Spring Staples

Planning to tie the knot with a springtime wedding? You can’t go wrong with daffodils, tulips, sweet peas, lilacs, peonies, irises, flowering branches and shrubs. Need to narrow it down? Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the most popular wedding florals, and what’s in bloom, and when: 

March

• Ranunculus
• Sweet Pea
• Tulip

April 

• Sweet Pea
• Lily of the Valley
• Hyacinth

May

• Peony
• Hydrangea
• Lilac

Wedding Bouquets: Summer Staples

Summer weddings are tried and true. In part because there are so many flowers in bloom! Think garden roses, hydrangeas, cosmos, foxgloves, sunflowers or fruiting branches. If floral statements are part of your vision, then a summer wedding is definitely the way to go! Here’s just a few of the most popular blooms: 

June

• Rose
• Larkspur
• Gardenia

July

• Lisianthus
• Calla Lily
• Gerbera Daisy

August

• Protea
• Zinnia
• Cosmos

Wedding Bouquets: Autumn Staples

Believe it or not, autumn weddings have recently beat out summer in terms of wedding date popularity. And why not? The colors and temperatures are absolutely stunning. An autumn wedding bouquets could include dahlias, chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and even fall foliage. Here are the top three most popular picks for each month: 

September

• Dahlia
• Marigold
• Carnation

October

• Dahlia
• Chrysanthemum
• Amaranthus

November

• Scabiosa
• Celosia
• Stock

Wedding Bouquets: Winter Staples

Winter weddings are absolutely gorgeous! Maybe it’s the ice skater in me, but I think there’s something so magical about the twinkling, icey hues. And while the cold winter months might not scream “flowers,” there are still some stunning wedding florals to be had in the wintertime. Think wedding bouquets of snow white amaryllis, dusted with baby’s breath, evergreen greenery with poinsettias, or even pops of vibrant anemones. Dive in farther with these popular blooms by winter month:

December

• Rose
• Hellebore
• Camellia

January

• Anemone
• Amaryllis
• Baby’s Breath

February

• Orchid
• Ranunculus
• Waxflower

Last but not least, don’t forget to ask questions! If it’s not perfect, communicate what is, in your eyes. The floral process might not always be simple, but your vendors are in business for a reason. And their knowledge and industry experience are yours for the asking! 

No matter what you’re planning for your dream wedding, let’s capture the details together.