Almost anything goes at wedding receptions these days. Whatever you want, caterers can deliver.

By Teresa Forbes

The buffet line is not as crowded as it used to be at wedding receptions.

That’s because family-style dinners, hors d’oeuvre stations and picnics are entering the halls of matrimony.

Although buffets remain popular at receptions, couples are going for something different when it comes to feeding their guests.

“A lot of receptions are going to fountains, and not just chocolate fountains but fountains with nacho cheese, caramel and barbecue sauce,” said Kim Kapfer, a bridal show coordinator and assistant manager for Hy-Vee Food Stores, 3405 Oak View Drive in Omaha.

Kapfer said she has catered many themed weddings recently, from garden gatherings to elegant affairs to barbecues and picnics. If couples decide on a buffet-style reception, they want more than just roast beef, pork and chicken for their guests. Today’s buffets will include Chinese food and nacho cheese bars.

“They want something everyone will like,” Kapfer said.

Along with offering guests plenty of food selections, brides also want to present their guests with something unique and memorable at the reception. Guests are now being served a signature drink, such as a cosmopolitan or rum runner, said Carolyn Sullivan, senior sales manager and wedding coordinator at Brandeis Catering, 2440 S. 141st Circle in Omaha.

“Signature drinks are very popular with brides,” Sullivan said. “We work with brides in creating a signture drink for them.”

Sullivan said the majority of brides she works with usually decide on buffets for their receptions. Brides also are opting for hors d’oeuvre stations, which encourage guests to move around the room and mingle, she said.

Wedding receptions are indeed becoming more casual and intimate in feeling, said Lisa Hermanek-Roth, event coordinator at Omaha’s Scoular Building Ballroom, 2027 Dodge St.

“Brides are creating a more cocktail-lounge feel where there’s more mingling and socializing and where people aren’t sitting at one table all night,” she said.

Hermanek-Roth also is seeing more family-style dinners where platters of food are set on the tables.

While she agrees that buffets are still popular, she notes that the food and presentation are more elaborate. For example, a chicken entrée might be served with an interesting sauce. And the chafing dishes, utensils and linens also are of beautiful quality.

“The feeling is much more dramatic than it used to be,” Hermanek-Roth said.