The Benefits of an Intimate Wedding to Achieve a Luxury Wedding Menu

Want a luxury wedding menu but don’t know where to begin? Planning a large wedding can be stressful and demanding. There are already so many boxes to check off your to-do list when organizing a special occasion: choosing the cake, looking for inspiration for flower arrangements, searching for a beautiful venue, curating the perfect decor, and keeping everything organized in between all of that.

Making sure you stay within your budget and ensuring you have enough food, tables, chairs, and space for all of your guests can add even more stress to your platter. I have two words for you…intimate wedding.

The beauty of an intimate wedding can fit right onto your platter with ease, any size budget, fewer people, and fewer worries to be expected when you plan on a smaller scale while not sacrificing the luxury feel you desire.  Keeping it intimate can make things more personal, better quality, and more bang for your buck – words we all love to hear!

What Is An Intimate Wedding?

An intimate wedding is considered a typical wedding day with fewer guests, usually anywhere from 30 to 75. Although they call for fewer guests, that doesn’t mean that an intimate wedding is a less extravagant wedding. It’s an excellent idea for a couple looking for something they can put their heart into for every detail. Don’t be afraid to go over the top and be extravagant!

Why An Intimate Wedding?

We could list hundreds of reasons an intimate wedding is an amazing choice for couples. From the personable aspect of having your closest loved ones around you to the detail of the gourmet meal that you can fill your guests’ bellies with. When you don’t have as many people to accommodate, you can focus on up-leveling the rest of the variables. That, of course, means especially your luxury wedding menu.

What Does That Entail?

Communicate with your caterer when planning a menu for your intimate wedding. They could have a special meal that you would have never thought of. Think of crown-roasted pork with mushroom dressing or duck breasts with apricot chutney. With the extra wiggle room in the budget and time, making sure you stun your guests with an extravagant meal is a must! Chefs love to get creative when they can focus on the quality of a meal.

In formal dining, there are usually a plethora of courses. You can have anywhere from 3 to 16 courses in a meal…don’t hold back! It is typical in many regions like France for a formal meal to consist of 7 to 12 courses, especially for a wedding. Although this may sound like a lot, it is “the norm” in many places around the world. It makes for an astonishing and unforgettable wedding experience.

The meal can be the perfect way to create space for your friends and family to break bread together, visit and truly savor the moment at a gathering. What would this menu look like, you may ask? Let’s look into some examples of different courses you could serve throughout your wedding dinner.

The Amuse-Bouche

Tomato Basil Bruschetta

To get everyone started, you could begin with an amuse-bouche. I’m sure you’re wondering what exactly that means. An amuse-bouche is just a single bite-sized hors-d’oeuvre, it’s like an appetizer before the appetizer! Tomato basil bruschetta consists of roasted tomatoes upon a thin layer of fresh mozzarella over a glazed balsamic and olive oil drizzle. It is then peppered with colorful basil and onions. 

The Soup

Italian Wedding Soup

Following the amuse-bouche, much of the time during formal dinners comes soup! Soup often helps with digestion and therefore is the perfect thing to begin dinner with. What other soup would be perfect for a wedding than an Italian wedding soup? The name, wedding soup, comes from the Italian phrase, minestra maritata, meaning married soup. The marriage of all of the ingredients of the soup makes for a perfect flavor. Peppered pork and chicken meatballs float in a chicken and parmesan broth with a variety of vegetables. 

The Appetizer

Caprese Skewers With A Balsamic Dip

A pop of color and enough to have leftovers at the end of the night, Caprese skewers are one of the perfect appetizers for your intimate wedding. Brought out while the main entrée is being perfected, these little guys will have your guests wanting more. These mini high-quality mozzarella balls are skewered with fresh and leafy basil in between. Plus to add a pop-of color wild cherry tomatoes are topped off with a sweet and tangy balsamic drizzle.

The Salad

Greek Salad

You can never go wrong with salad, especially a Greek one. The compliment flavors of the romaine and kale with baby tomatoes sprinkled throughout topped with a greek salad dressing can compliment any kind of entrée. A traditional Greek salad includes cucumbers, tomatoes, green bell peppers, red onions, olives, and crumbly feta cheese.

The Entrée

Seafood Stuffed Salmon Filets

With fewer plates to prepare, creating a plate full of flavor and detail for each person is pretty simple! A mouth-watering salmon filet filled with fresh crab and cream cheese garnished with lemon wedges and sprigs of fresh herbs is sure to make your guests never forget your day… or that salmon!

The Palate Cleanser

Mint Tea

Palate cleansers often hold neutral flavors to prepare the guests for the next course of a meal. They can improve digestion, stimulate the appetite, and also remove any aftertaste you are experiencing. A classic traditional palate cleanser of french origin is mint tea. You can use a variety of mint leaves in your tea, as well. Remember to keep it creative and unique!

The Dessert

Dark Chocolate Tart

Although there will be cake, let there be tarts! No gourmet dinner is complete without a special and unique wedding dessert. A light crust with a dark chocolate custard topped with dried blood orange slices, berries, and fine Himalayan pink salt to add a little tinge of color and a hint of piquancy. Served after the entrée, serving an additional dessert can leave your guests feeling extra sweet after your big day.

The Mignardise

Tiramisu Choux

A mignardise is an after-dessert dessert. They are bite-sized desserts that are meant to serve the purpose of having one last sweet taste before your dinner is over. Usually a choux, tart, or clafoutis. Varying in flavors from chocolate to matcha green tea, they are the perfect send-off for dinner. A choux is a simple and fluffy bite-sized pastry. You can flavor them with just about anything since the recipe is so simple. Top a tiramisu choux with a bit of mascarpone whipped cream, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder.

An Intimate Wedding Is The Perfect Touch

The creativity, personal touch, and budget maximizing achieved from having an intimate wedding can lead to more than just an extensive menu. Unique venues such as wineries, museums, and castles are much more obtainable with the funds you save on intimate weddings. High-quality specialty linens are within reach, as well. Voluminous centerpieces and lush floral installations can become a reality with less tables needed and more space for creativity. 

There are endless possibilities for the inspiration you can fit into your intimate wedding menu, and keeping it simple is just not an option! With a smaller wedding, courses can be brought out one-by-one to each person. This allows them to stay seated and removes the hassle of a buffet or a self-serving line. It also allows for a more personable, sophisticated evening with friends and family.

You can give your wedding that luxe feel with bigger and better meals and it allows many more options with the ability to have personal touches to each course. It’s the perfect option for couples who are torn between an elopement and a big traditional wedding. Share a taste with your close ones while living out your dream day and dream luxury wedding menu, of course. 

 *The sample menu in this article does not reflect the wedding menu of the photos used for this article.*

These photos were provided by the Knight wedding at Moss Mountain Farm in Little Rock, Arkansas. Check out this gorgeous intimate wedding’s vendor team!

Planner: Perception by Anna Dickinson | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Caterer: Vibrant Occasions Catering | Instagram | Facebook | Website | WBB

Venue: Moss Mountain Farm | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Rentals: Eventology | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Rentals: Party Time Rentals | Instagram | Facebook | Website | WBB

Photographer: Lela and Lyla | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Music: Central Arkansas Entertainment | Instagram | Facebook | Website | WBB

Cake: Mickey’s Cake + Sweets | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Makeup Artist: Jessica Humerick | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Florist: Cabbage Rose | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Videography: KB Studios | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Dance Floor: The Dance Floor Man | Instagram 

About Chef Serge

Chef Serge Krikorian and his wife, Mary Krikorian, started their catering business in 2002 and have been in the family restaurant business since 1994. Having catered thousands of events over the years as Dinner’s Ready, they launched Vibrant Occasions Catering, a new name that more accurately depicts the level of food and service provided at weddings and social events. Krikorian was born in Lebanon and moved to the United States with his family as a child.  He now hails from the quaint town of Benton, Arkansas. His southern hospitality paired with his penchant for developing unique international fusion-style recipes, especially sauces, has garnered his reputation as foodies’ fan favorite in his community and now on the Youtube space for his cooking show, Cooking with the Kriks. 

After years of dreaming about owning a mobile kitchen, in December 2020, Serge and Mary launched Our Mobile Kitchen with the intention of providing fresh, 5-star quality chef-prepared cuisine to patrons visiting where the mobile kitchen is parked or on site for catered weddings and social, private or corporate events.  Krikorian is an alumnus of Henderson State University where he studied business earning his Bachelor’s Degree and met his wife, Mary. He earned his MBA from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. 

Serge became a restaurant entrepreneur when he purchased an old, run-down pizza parlor he and Mary revived and called Sergio’s Pizza.  After a few years, they knew the restaurant business was not for them.  Mary booked their first official catering gig, much to Serge’s surprise. They began receiving more and more requests for catering luncheons and events. The catering business took over after six months and they never looked back.  They have three sons who often work in the business around their academic and career schedules, making their enterprise a family-built business.

Vibrant Occasions | Instagram | Facebook | The WBB | Website | Email

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