Food

When Aaron and I were in the planning process, I think the thing we most agonized about was food. Neither of us saw food as particularly important, so it was hard to justify the amount of money that it takes to feed people with catering. We had so many other things we would like to spend our money on... and quite frankly I have never been to a wedding where I remember the food as being amazing, so catering just wasn't something I was excited about.

We had friends who had gotten married and done a "bring your own picnic lunch" thing and they provided desserts and it was great. We have also had friends who have done pot luck wedding receptions... also a viable option. But both had a lot of pros and cons to them, so we couldn't make a decision. It seemed that several people close to us cared about food more than we did, so we started asking for advise and opinions. Everyone was pretty in agreement that both the above options may create more stress than ease.

Several people kept dropping the idea of having our family friends the Mozingos set up the food, but that was a big thing to ask even the closest of friends, so I kept delaying it. Until finally my sister in law made a good point - it was worth asking and Rand and Michelle would have no trouble saying no if they couldn't do it. So Aaron and I agreed that we would put it out there to see if they would consider it. I called Michelle and of course they immediately accepted!

We met with them several weeks before the wedding to discuss food ideas. One thing you should know about the Mozingos is that they have fed me better than any restaurant of fine dining experience ever could! Food is they love and passion and how they best love others... the magic of their food is that you can taste the loving preparation and intentional thought they put into it. I could not have trusted anyone more with feeding my wedding guests!

Rand & Michelle asked us what kind of food and flavors we like. We wanted hearty appetizers for our guests so they could mingle and not be tied to their tables. I much prefer a ton of appetizer choices and tastes. Aaron and I feebly suggested cheese and crackers, stuffed mushrooms, meat skewers... Rand and Michelle took those suggestions and made them gourmet cheeses and hummus and spreads, fine crackers, soup shoots of Lobster Bisque and Butternut Squash, grilled salmon to put on bread, cured meats and salad. Oh my gosh it was to die for!!!

Everyone kept telling me how I wouldn't be able to take a bite at my own wedding, but I was determined to taste the lovely food... and it was HEAVENLY!

This hummus spread alone was phenomenal!

As anyone who knows me will agree, I love cheese! More than chocolate, I love cheese! Look at all that delicious cheese!

Then we have some shots of the dessert table. As stated in a previous post, we wanted a pot-luck style dessert table. We put Nancy in charge of organizing the people who were bringing food. She took a list of names and some suggestions of Aaron and my favorite sweet treats and turned it into a beautiful spread! People were so generous in making cupcakes, fruit tarts, s'mores snacks, lemon bars, rice krispy treats, and more!

Such glorious food! As you'll notice in some the pictures, the people who donated were thoughtful enough to specify if their desserts were nut free, gluten free, or sugar free. It was amazing!