Spice up your big day

WHEN it comes to organising the catering for your wedding, you'll want to create a menu that will excite and entice your guests. So if you fancy something a little different from the usual sit down roast dinner followed by the obligatory evening cold buffet, read on for our ideas on how to spice up your big day.

*Grazing A new buzz word in catering, grazing is a buffet but not as we know it. The idea is to create a more sociable dining experience so that guests aren't restricted to sitting on a table surrounded by a handful of people.In the winter, a warming touch would be to serve soups in a shot glass, such as French onion.They are usually more than happy to show off their skills adding a great spectacle to your reception.Why not give it a go and add a little extra something to your wedding breakfast?*Medieval banquet Instead of segregating your guests off onto separate tables where they may have to sit with strangers, arrange to have two or three long tables alongside each other and enjoy a Medieval style wedding.For example, if you're having an autumn wedding choose apple-maple glazed chicken with pumpkin cheesecake.*Cocktails Set up self-service cocktail bars with shorts, juices and mixers and let your guests create their own drinks - they could even name them and you could maybe offer a prize for the most inventive!*Comfort food If you prefer to stay a little closer to home with your cuisine, take some great British favourites and some them straight up with a chic twist. Fish and chips wrapped in newspaper have been popular recently, you could also offer bangers and mash or a traditional hog roast. Comfort foods can also be served family-style, setting a relaxed and festive mood for the wedding reception.Dress to impress with your wedding table*Go ethnic Global cuisine is very in vogue so why not take your guests on a culinary voyage overseas? Whether you wish to honour your family heritage or love the flavours from a certain country - an ethnic-inspired menu is sure to spice up your wedding. You could have Italian pasta or Chinese wok stations or even a build-your-own taco bar. You could even choose the cuisine from your honeymoon destination or take your guests on a world tour, and serve a little bit of everything!For an added feature consider having your meat carved at the table for guests to watch whilst they wait to be served.*Colourful catering Co-ordinate your cuisine with the colour scheme or theme of your wedding.It might be worth hiring a professional cocktail waiter to assist your guests and offer them some tips.CAPTION(S):a more relaxed ambiance. Food stations are set up around the room as opposed to one specific area forcing guests to explore the room and make new acquaintances along the way.*Fondues and fountains Chocolate fountains have been around for a while now but are still are real favourite with guests who can enjoy decadently dipping fresh strawberries and marshmallows into the cascading melted chocolate. Or for something a little different - why not kick start your evening reception with a fondue fountain of melted Swiss cheese or even a fruit coulis? *Mini meals Mini meals - or scaled down portions of traditional dishes - are one of the hottest trends in hors d'oeuvres. Think miniature hamburgers with teardrop tomato slices, tiny Chinese to-go boxes stuffed with lobster, shrimp, and Chow Fun noodles, and mini Caprese salad served on skewers.

Dress to impress with your wedding table