Fall Catering Trends

Now that we are starting to see an uptick in the economy, together with the ever increasing rise in popularity of social media sites, couples are starting to do a little less DIY, but they are still looking for those customized, personal details for their weddings.  With that, caterers are seeing more demands from clients to help make an event unique and personal. With the rising desire for a custom wedding, here are a few requests you may see this fall:

Custom Cocktails

If you’ve been on Pinterest lately you’ve probably noticed the explosion of apple and pumpkin flavored cocktails. A popular craft cocktail this season is the Apple-achian, – bourbon, apple cider, and ginger ale. There are many variations of this cocktail, some with a cinnamon sugar rim, others with a cinnamon stick stirrer, but all equally delicious looking. Bourbon and apple cider are a big hit for a fall craft cocktail this year.

Another custom cocktail we are seeing a lot of this season is the signature sangria. Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria is quickly becoming a fall favorite, especially because it is easy to make a batch of and can be placed in large “serve yourself” ramekin. If you need a good apple cider sangria recipe we particularly like the one cooked up by The Kitchn.

Most custom cocktails are old classics with a new twist. If your bride and groom are looking for a craft cocktail we suggest some oldies but goodies with some new flare – Cran-Vodka with a splash of champagne, a bourbon ginger with a cinnamon sugar rim, or champagne mimosa with pear juice instead of orange juice. And don’t forget, they have to come with a wedding themed name. Blushing Bride or Grinning Groom, anyone?

Image by Todd Pellowe via Style Me Pretty

Desserts

Recently brides and grooms are forgoing the standard three tiered, yellow cake in favor of a treat that better suits them and their guests. A popular choice this year is the s’more. Some serve their s’mores piping hot from the flame straight to guests while others provide s’mores kits so guests can create their own. If you’re looking for a little s’more love without all the mess we also love the S’more Cheesecake featured on BizBash.

A fall favorite that is making an appearance on the wedding scene this year is the caramel apple. But no one wants to try to eat an entire fair-sized caramel apple in the middle of a wedding, right? Couples are taking care of that by requesting mini caramel apple bites. These bite-sized morsels (produced with a melon baller, some lollipop sticks, and a little melted caramel) are the perfect addition to the fall cocktails we mentioned before.

Another cake trending cake replacement is the pie. Big pies, mini pies, apple pies, pumpkin pies – people are all about the pie this year. Maybe it’s the warmth of pies, or maybe the memory of Grandma’s pies coming out of the oven. Or perhaps people just aren’t cake people. Either way, give the people what they want. For your pie lineup this season we suggest a mix of traditional and new pies – bourbon pecan, pumpkin with a chocolate crust, s’mores pie (that’s right, we found another way to incorporate s’mores this fall), and the classic apple pie. Providing a variety of pies allows couples to satisfy multiple guests and give their wedding its own unique spin.

Whether it’s a signature cocktail or a different type of dessert bar couples are looking for ways to make their weddings special. We hope you find these fall trends helpful as you plan your upcoming fall events.

Image by Fondly Forever Photography via Wedding Chicks

Happy catering!