Wedding Foods Trends of 2014

Are you part of the Millennial Generation, aka Generation Y? If you were born between the 1980s up to the early 2000s, you are! Right now this demographic represents the largest portion of the wedding population. That means what is influencing Millennials is also shaping the trends of today’s weddings. Being a Millennial myself I spend a lot of time reflecting and thinking creatively about my future, including planning for my wedding. Apparently, this is pretty typical for us Millennials. Not necessarily the wedding planning, but creative thinking. We are considered highly creative. Do you do the same? Have you been doing it for your wedding planning? I hope so!

Since I love to think about planning for weddings, I enjoy doing research on the latest trends. Sometimes I spend hours thinking about my floral design, or what it would be like if something I saw in my favorite movie (I loved Amelie) was to be at my wedding. I have to think you do something like this too. If you want some inspiration for even a real cool color scheme, check out Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel.

I saw that movie recently, and since it focuses on baked goods, I got really into thinking about food ideas for my wedding. I always hated in high school when we would have to sit down for the meal. I wanted to keep partying and eat when I felt like it! I now know I don’t want the same at my wedding. So I did some research.

Apparently a lot of people in my generation feel the same way, or want some kind of variation on the traditional wedding theme (kudos you if you love tradition however- I’d still have fun at your wedding, it is a wedding after all!) It only stands to reason that with the current wedding population demographic, that we would see the influence of our style and attitudes right down to the wedding hors d’oeuvres. Millennials, known for our desire to make everything meaningful, get just as creative when comes to our wedding fare.

So if you’re looking for some ideas, or a peek at wedding food trends, here is a look! I just hope it tastes as good as the thinking behind them.

Keep it Simple!

 

Photo Courtesy of: GreenWeddingShoes.com and Eco Caterers

Since the concept of luxury is at odds with many of us and our typical Millennial mindset, simplicity rules the day for many wedding meals. Luxury is fun and lovely (who am I to refuse) but sometimes it just seems like a little much to some of us. What does this no-fuss-and-frills attitude look like? Think sliders instead of filet mignon. Simple, moreover, is not at odds with unique, which brings us to our next wedding food trend…

Unique Treats!

Photo Courtesy of: Wedding Dish

Don’t you just love this cupcake wedding cake? Did you know that couples today want the foods they serve to be foods they actually like, and enjoy? Many of us do not just want to serve the fancy plate. This attitude is an echo of seeing the wedding day as a celebration of our love, and for everything associated with the wedding to reflect the uniqueness of our unions. This can be seen with the replacement of traditional wedding cake (see picture above), or at any other point during the wedding food service for that matter. As Azure Nelson of OneWed.com had to say, “Cocktail hour is becoming more representative of the couple — it’s being used more to showcase a couple’s favorite foods.” Wedding food trends are also very self-defined. It makes sense. It is my special day and I want it to taste good!

 

DIY!

Photo Courtesy of: Project Wedding

The idea of “do-it-yourself” is on the wedding menu as well. Normally I think it is best to get professional assistance with all parts of your wedding, but designing the menu and encouraging your guests to help themselves to their own creatively designed meals is something I also think is awesome! Snapping right back into line with the mentality of creativity, many of us Millennials opt to share our attitude of “I’d like to do this myself and be creative” with our wedding-goers.

Theme-y and Dreamy!

Photo Courtesy of: Wedding.allwomenstalk.com

Of course, creativity and self-expression are both often influenced by the media. Sigh, and there are so many movies that inspire me to think richly about what I would want for my wedding day. As many of us are already aware of, the vintage theme is huge among the Millennial generation. With movies like the “Great Gatsby” harkening back to nostalgic days of yore, the simple elegance of these rather highly stylized renditions of the much older days, appeals to us meaning-seeking Millennials. It also connects with the idea of substance, but with a twist of dreamy romance. Something that is vintage and/or antique, even in appearance, suggests something that has stayed desirable for decades.  That tasty sentiment is surely a wedding food trend that is here to stay.