One of the biggest fears of brides seems to be: there won't be enough food and drinks at my wedding. Those any bride would be horrified to imagine that someone at their wedding might not have had enough to eat. Perhaps it is the Latvian mentality, perhaps it is a characteristic of the whole world, as a result of which couples are often quite lonely exaggerates the amount of food.

But how do you ultimately know and know how to calculate how much food and drinks will be needed? We asked that to the chef and owner of the restaurant Entresol Raimonds Sommer.

How much food is needed at a wedding?

Let's start with snacks!

We have created that after the wedding ceremony guests should be served small snacks as well as sparkling and refreshing drinks. Raimonds Sommers points out that this time what to serve on the appetizer table is not as important as the quantity that should be put on it. They could be about 100 grams of food per person.

"When planning an appetizer table, you must definitely think about the fact that the ordered appetizers are non-crumbling, look aesthetically pleasing, as nor would it contain ingredients such as poppy seeds and cumin, for example.

You should also avoid foods that color, for example wild blueberries," advises the chef.

People eat more outdoors

To calculate how much food will be needed for the wedding celebration, Raimonds Sommer recommends first thinking about the specific wedding format – an outdoor wedding in the format of a picnic or a formal dinner at the tables. If the wedding celebration planned more formal, then you can count on 700-900 grams of food for each guest during the entire evening, of which 100 grams will be made up by the wedding cake. On the other hand, if the wedding is planned to be celebrated in the open air, in the format of a picnic, then a larger one should be calculated quantity of food – at least 1000-1100 grams per guest.

"Of course, everything depends on what will be on the menu. If there are only root vegetables and vegetarian salad, then there will be people who will not have enough of it.

Therefore, together with caterers, it is necessary to carefully consider what the meal offer will be," says the chef. Pats Raimonds Zommers, the planned wedding and other festive offer, is divided into four large categories so that it is clear how much food required for the respective wedding:

1. Salad – leafy, vegetarian, fish, meat and other types;
2. Fish – shrimps, lobsters and others;
3. Meat dishes – smoked duck, roast beef, roast, etc.;
4. Vegetarian dishes , such as hummus, eggplant rolls, and other foods you are likely to enjoy non-vegetarians too.

"The menu offer may include different types of salads, snacks, but the main thing is that it does not change the amount of weight required per guest,” explains Raymond.

Food must be seasonal

There are several aspects that must be taken into account when preparing the holiday menu, especially when choosing the main dishes, in order to calculate how much a lot of food is needed for a wedding feast. One of the most important, of course, is the cost, because, undeniably, prices for main dishes are usually the highest. The menu is also determined by the seasonality of the products and their availability ingredients of the chosen dishes. When planning main courses, Sommers recommends also avoiding fish with asak, such as carp and tench. Also, the choice of meat dishes should be carefully evaluated - due to the specific aftertaste of lamb, perhaps it would not be ethical to serve it at a wedding, just like pink meat, because many people have a certain prejudice against it.

The chef indicates that ladies, most often, choose duck meat, and gentlemen - beef, as well as turkey and ostrich meat gained popularity. On the other hand, the most popular fish are sea crucian carp, perch, bream and other white fish. Likewise zander, which can always be obtained fresh and prepared without bones. Of course, it is still served as well salmon, but Raymond Sommers points out that it has lost its former popularity. “The side dishes and sauces of the main meal would be should be seasonal, that way the main dish will not become more expensive," says the chef.

Wedding cake – only symbolic

The chef also supports the sweet, which has already become a tradition table . It's a much better way for guests to sample several types of sweets and can be great an alternative to a wedding cake. If the couple still wants to cut a wedding cake, then it can be a symbolic cake of a smaller size, which after that there will not be much left over. Sommers points out that, as a trend, the individual dessert has remained serving.

What alcoholic beverages are best to offer?

Unless alcohol-free weddings are organized, Raimonds Sommers points out that strong alcohol at weddings should must be The trend shows that young couples often prepare alcohol themselves, guided by the recommendations of caterers. However Sommers points out that if a couple has decided to buy alcohol themselves, they will not always be able to calculate exactly how much alcohol will be necessary. Therefore, a couple of drinks are often bought more than necessary, which means that long after the wedding the house bar will be full of bottles of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Besides, it is not always cheaper to do it yourself buy alcoholic beverages.

"Wedding celebrations should definitely have some sparkling alcoholic drink.

After the ceremony, you can count on 125 milliliters of drink per person for the first glass of champagne. If at the ceremony place is supposed to be for an hour or more, then it could be as much as 180 milliliters per person," advises Raimonds Summer. Speaking about the amount of alcohol already at the holiday dinner and further celebrations, the chef indicates that at wine must be served with dinner - usually two red wines and two white wines of choice are offered. “If the wine during dinner, it is offered with each dish served, then you should calculate 125-130 milliliters with each dish," advises Raymond Sommers.

As for the drink menu for the following evening, it should definitely include both wine and various types of cocktails, as well as the so-called - strong alcohol. Among the cocktails, Apperol Spritz and various types are still popular Mojito . From strong alcohol, you should definitely include vodka, whiskey, gin, cognac, if the wedding allows budget.

Author of the article: LIENE PÄLĆA
Photo: MIKS ŠELS , JURIS ZIĢELIS, GATIS LOČMELIS , BALTIC WEDDING , LINDA LAUVA , HOLDME PHOTOGRAPHY