Typical French Wedding Menu [Updated 2023]

Wedding menu on tablesPhoto credit: Anne-Claire Brun Source: Style me Pretty

Savor the Romance: Crafting Your Dream French Wedding Menu

Choosing the perfect wedding food menu for your celebration is a task that requires meticulous planning, much like the other aspects that surround your one-of-a-kind celebration of love. In doing so, French food brings charm and refinement to the table, making your special day extremely sophisticated. Creating the perfect French wedding menu means incorporating a plethora of flavors and showcasing a true culinary paradise.

From Parisian delicacies to provincial fine dining, you have plenty to choose from. To that end, we’ve created this article where we’ll talk more about choosing the perfect French wedding menu. Specifically, you will learn about the typical foods for weddings served at French celebrations, and you will manage to blend this timeless culture with the wonderfully rich taste. Keep reading and find out more.

 

Plan ahead for your French Wedding Menu

Creating your fancy French wedding menu should start early. For this purpose, talk to your partner and discuss your vision for it. This will help you determine what kind of French food to choose and which vendors are best to get you what you want. Of course, planning ahead will help you prevent hasty decisions and unnecessary stressful situations.

Consider your wedding budget

Next, you need to think about your budget. That means predicting how much you would spend on wedding food catering. After deciding on the number of guests, you will have roughly the amount that would be budgeted for just food on your special day. Only once you have a plan set in place can you start researching wedding food ideas.

Finally, be transparent about your food budget with the caterer you choose. Regardless of the amount, they will be able to suggest options to make your French wedding menu perfect!

Inspire yourself          

Before you meet with the caterer, getting inspired and knowing what to talk about with them is important. Browse French wedding menus on blogs to get an idea of ​​what you want to incorporate into your celebration. Naturally, the caterer is there to advise you and guide you to choose food that primarily appeals to you and, of course, looks amazing.

Think about the style of serving

Next is to decide on the style of serving the food at your French wedding. Here are some great options to consider:

Buffet

This is a serving style where large tables are set up with food from which guests can serve themselves. Because of the variety of dishes, this serving method is great for taking beautiful photos. In this case, you can choose all kinds of French wedding finger foods like bread and a vast array of delicious cheese.

Plated

This way of serving food is suitable for traditional weddings where servers bring the food to the guests. Usually, guests get the same dish, so you can opt for fanciful dishes like lobster or coq au vin.

For simplicity, this the below example will only refer to the main ingredients found in a traditional French wedding feast.

Starter

Foie gras

(often translated as ‘liver pâté’)

Scallops

Lobster

Main dish (meat)

Beef fillet

Duck breast

Medallion of Veal

Lamb

(all best served rare or ‘pink’)

Pigeon or quail

Main dish (fish)

Monkfish

John Dory

Salmon

Red Mullet

Dessert

Macarons

Crème brulée

Sabayon

Fresh fruit ‘soup’

French pastries such as eclair, tart, millefeuille etc.

(often served as a selection of mini portions)

French wedding cateringPhoto credit: Anneli Marinovich

Serving corners

Serving corners is an interesting concept for serving food from your French wedding menu. This is a great opportunity for your guests to get an authentic taste of the country. For example, you can have a place that serves different types of cheese. Also, it is a place where your guests will have the opportunity to try thinly sliced ​​meat delicacies such as Jambon de Bayonne or Jambon de Lacaune.

French cheese at weddingsPhoto credits: [Left] Erika Gerdemark [Right] KT Merry via Style Me Pretty

Consider your guests

To create the perfect French wedding dinner menu, consider your guests. Think about what would appeal to them the most. This will actually help you narrow down the list of French foods you could choose. You will also learn more if they have any foods they are intolerant or allergic to.

Opt for a taste test

Finally, taste the foods you’re considering including. It will help you understand if you’ll have to replace some items or if you are making the right choice. Even if you have to pay extra for the tasting, this is an essential step to ensure you get the perfect French wedding menu.

Wedding Menu stationerySource: Wedding Sparrow

What food is served at a French wedding?

French weddings are known for having a delectable palette of authentic dishes. As appetizers, you’ll most likely create an assortment of bread rolls, cheese, and meat delicacies. For the perfect display, consider adding fruit to the table, which will also serve as a refreshment for the tastebuds.

Bread favor at weddingsSources: [Left] Style Me Pretty [Right] Atelier Cecilia Rosslee

Of course, this also includes meat culinary masterpieces such as veal fillet and duck breast, which are typical dishes at French weddings. As for dessert, you can serve macaroons or creme brulee, in addition to the most important dessert, the piece montee – the deconstructed wedding cake.

What are three popular French wedding menu items?

With so many delicious yet popular French wedding menu dishes, picking just three is hard! But since we must, we have to mention the coq au vin, which is a slow-cooked chicken stew, and the duck breast, which is slow-cooked duck meat. For dessert, tarte tatin is a caramelized apple tart, which is a typical French dessert.

What type of dessert is traditionally served at French weddings?

French macaron wedding cakeSource: Wedding Chicks

The French are known for their vast selection of pastries and desserts, so treat your guests to an experience they won’t forget! Namely, the most traditional option is the piece montee, but those straying away from customs might include macarons, eclairs, and profiteroles. Furthermore, suppose you’re hosting a French wedding in the summer. In that case, you might want to consider Le Clafoutis – a delicious fruit pie usually made with strawberries or sour cherries and sprinkled icing sugar on top.

What is a traditional wedding meal?

Wedding Food StationPhoto credit: Anneli Marinovich via French Wedding Style

The traditional French wedding meal is composed of several parts. For starters, the Starter section comes with soups. Then, meat such as beef or  Duck Breast is in the main dish. Next is the Cheese part, where guests can try different types of cheese, as well as a salad to cleanse the palate. Next is the dessert in the form of Creme Brulee or, for a more traditional approach, the deconstructed wedding cake. As a finale, the wedding meal is concluded with cognac or another type of alcohol.

What are French wedding finger foods?

These are one-bites that show the French enthusiasm for the wonderful. For example, there are Canapes and Gruyere cheese puffs.

Conclusion

We hope our article has helped you in selecting your French wedding menu. If you are interested in more wedding tips, don’t forget to check out our other blogs.

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