These are the foods wedding guests don’t want to see at your wedding

As wedding season comes to an end, experts reveal how wedding guests really feel about the food options at UK weddings

• Google searches for ‘wedding menu ideas’ soar by 212% in August as couples seek to understand what guests want to eat at weddings

• Survey shows that wedding guests look forward to a sit down dinner (58%) and traditional wedding cake (30%) at weddings, while beige finger foods (35%) and marzipan icing (42%) are amongst the dishes that give them the ‘ick’

• While grazing tables are popular on Instagram with over 686,000 photos posted, only 6% of guests look forward to these at a wedding

• Exclusive data reveals the UK’s most popular wedding caterers include London’s Blame Frank, Smoke Tin Kitchen in Wiltshire, and Hungry Hog BBQ based in Essex

August is regularly hailed as the most popular month to get married in the UK, with 15% of all weddings planned for the last month of Summer. Now it also appears to be the perfect time for nearlyweds in the throes of wedding planning to consider their catering options, as Google searches for ‘wedding menu ideas’ surge by 212% as couples seek out the perfect food to serve at their weddings.

To help those looking for the catering inspiration, experts at the number one wedding planning app Hitched have analysed the exclusive user data captured from couples planning real life weddings, to understand the UK’s favourite wedding foods.

UK’s Best (and Worst) Wedding Foods

In a survey of 1,094 respondents* it seems that when it comes to dinner foods, wedding guests are most hoping for a good sit down dinner, with 58% of respondents saying this is the wedding food they’re most looking forward to eating, followed by a traditional wedding cake (30%).

However, the type of sit down dinner really matters to guests as more than a fifth of respondents (22%) said that a vegetarian or vegan option that was *just* vegetables would really disappoint them, with another fifth (19%) saying that the idea of sitting down to a roast at a wedding would give them the ‘ick’ as it’s just too heavy for this type of event.

Following a traditional three course meal, a quarter (24%) of guests say they are looking forward to tucking into street food options from food trucks – so long as they’re not too messy, with 24% of guests not keen on feasting on messy meals at a wedding. And while 12% of guests say they are genuinely looking forward to a selection of beige picky bits in a buffet, more than a third (35%) say that beige foods and communal options (27%) are foods they are not keen on at a wedding.

What’s more, while there are more than 12,100 Google searches every month for ‘grazing table’ ideas and a whopping 686,570 photos on Instagram tagged with #GrazingTable, only 6% of respondents said they were looking forward to a grazing table option when it comes to their favourite wedding foods to be served, despite the general popularity of these creative food displays.

In terms of dessert options at weddings, it seems you can’t beat a classic. The majority of respondents (30%) said they were most looking forward to a traditional wedding cake – except if it was covered in marzipan icing, with a whopping 42% saying this timeless delicacy would give them the ick.

Quirky options like a donut wall or cupcake stand are also popular options amongst guests (28%), as well as both ice cream trucks (21%) and a cheese board selection (21%).

Zoe Burke, leading wedding expert at Hitched.co.uk says: “Wedding food is really having a moment now – and rightly so. Your food is a huge part of the day – it’s one of the key things guests’ remember, and look forward to, when it comes to your wedding.

“Getting creative with your wedding food is a great way to represent your personalities, cultures or even just make your wedding a little different to the ones you’ve attended previously. It adds to the guest experience, and it’s something that every wedding needs, so you may as well make it as fun as possible!”

UK’s Most Popular Wedding Caterers

Analysis of the Hitched Marketplace of quality wedding vendors against a range of criteria including the number of Hitched Wedding Awards won, the number of reviews posted on Hitched by happy customers, and the number of enquiries placed from couples during their wedding planning process, experts at Hitched can also reveal the wedding caterers who are most favoured amongst couples.

With almost 250 enquiries by couples this year and one Hitched Wedding Award under its belt, the most popular wedding caterer in the UK is none other than London’s Blame Frank. Speaking with editors at Hitched.co.uk, Kathryn Collier, events manager at Blame Frank shares what foods you should and should not serve at a wedding.

“Wedding menus can be tricky to put together, you want to be able to provide options that all of your guests will be able to enjoy, but it’s your wedding, prioritising foods that you are excited to eat is just as important as catering to the picky eaters.

We keep our menus as flexible as possible so that hopefully we can work with our clients to find solutions to satisfy the tastes of all their guests.

In summer we recommend some canapés that are light, and fresh. You want to whet your guests appetites but not overwhelm them with too much food right away. I’d recommend couples try our Sea Bass Ceviche Tortilla, or the Whipped Blue Cheese, Pear, and Parsnip Crisp Cup. And then a brilliant option for a summer fiesta is tacos, they are festive and fun to eat, and we have a variety of options for fillings and sides.”

Touching on costs, Kathryn tells Hitched that affordability will change seasonally or in relation to volume. “A more reliable way to make a few little savings though can be to look in more detail at your service options. Having your guests collect their own meals, either from a point of service or from a buffet, can be more affordable than a full table service meal, for example.

For more wedding catering options, please visit: https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-catering/