Gluten-Free Wedding Menu Ideas?

[twinkle-toez]

Hi All,

I'm not sure if what I want to do is feasible, or whether it would be vastly uber expensive...

I don't know whether I'm fully celiac or not, but I am definitely gluten intolerant. I have accidentally ingested it on two separate occassions now, and both times I have ended up being very ill.

I am getting married next summer (July) and I'd like to have the menu be gluten-free. I told my fiance, and he has been totally on board with it, b/c he has seen the change in me since going gluten free, and he has also observed how left out I am at other weddings and events that we've gone to b/c gluten is in so many things it is ridiculous.

I told my parents and they were absolutely scandalized at the thought of not serving bread. I told a close friend, and she was horrified b/c she thinks the food will be drab and dull and that it will make the catering service look bad (b/c the food will be bad).

I've spoken to the catering service and they tell me that they can do it (they're a university catering service, so they have celiac students they have to cook for anyway).

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for what could be on the menu that would still be uber tasty... maybe a bread replacement of some sort? I'm hesitant to serve gluten-free bread as I have yet to try the stuff myself (mostly been sticking to a whole foods diet as much as possible) and b/c I'm told that it's very heavy and dense and sits in your stomach rather like a brick. So I'm trying to figure out what could be served at the punch reception while photos are being taken, as well as what could go over well at the actual meal, and then the 11p.m. sobering-snack-portion...

I would be BEYOND appreciative of any suggestions as I've only been gluten-free for about a month now so I'm still fairly new at this and really don't know the gluten-free world very well.

Thank you in advance.

[ravenwoodglass]

Hi All,

So I'm trying to figure out what could be served at the punch reception while photos are being taken, as well as what could go over well at the actual meal, and then the 11p.m. sobering-snack-portion...

For the punch reception you could put out plates of different cheeses or antipasto and a variety of gluten free cracker. A chocolate fountain with sliced fruit would be yummy.

There is a lot you could do for the main menu that would be gluten free.

Chicken, fish or steaks can all be done gluten free. Steamed veggies and baked potatoes could round out the meal. Your best bet is to talk to the caterers. They will likely have menus that you can choose from and you will have a tasting where they will give you some of the dishes you think sound good to make your final decision.

The cake can be made gluten free and your guests likely won't even notice.

Have a great time at your tasting and congratulations on the upcoming wedding.

[tictax707]

I agree with the above post. Also, depending on where you are located there are gluten free bakeries that specialize in cakes popping up all over the place. For the "bread" how about breadsticks? Not the ones that are supposed to be all soft, but the ones that are supposed to be crunchy? Schar makes a pretty good version of those. Just my thoughts off the top of my head... Best of luck!!

[Skylark]

Punch reception - Antipasto sounds yummy. Shrimp cocktail can also be gluten-free if the sauce is. Around here, corn chips, salsa, and guacamole are popular. You could also go with a smoked salmon with rice crackers. Other things could be cut fruit, raw veggies with gluten-free dip, nuts, or olives.

Dinner - I don't see a reason to completely avoid serving bread. Some people are really lost without bread at dinner. You can have the caterer put dinner rolls or French bread in baskets on the tables and leave it off yours. Keeping the bread away from your table or anything that is served buffet-style will work out fine.

Salad is easy gluten-free. No croutons and gluten-free dressings.

Entrees - Meats are pretty easy gluten-free. It sort of depends on what the caterer can do. You could have roast beef au jus or prime rib with a gluten-free broth, salmon with capers in a lemon-butter sauce done with cornstarch, or herb roasted chicken done with gluten-free seasonings. If it's a big wedding, you could do a carving board with roast beef, turkey, and/or ham, all of which can be gluten-free.

Sides - Roasted veggies brushed in olive oil are really nice. Steamed broccoli or asparagus with hollandaise sauce is an elegant, classic choice too, especially if the meat is relatively plain. As well as baked potatoes, you could do mashed potatoes or rice pilaf. Adding a little wild rice to the pilaf is nice. For a buffet style dinner, baked potato bars are fun.

Cake will obviously be gluten-free.

Weddings I've been to didn't have a separate late snack. There is often a table with sweets, coffee, and tea. You could do chocolate-dipped strawberries, meringue, and coconut macaroons, all of which are usually gluten-free.

Gee, now I'm hungry.

[sandiz]

being a caterer my self, we meet with the couple and come up with a menu. this is totally up to you and any caterer will work with u on it. there are mixes out there for gluten-free breads if ur parents really want bread. as for ur friend, thanks for the support- gluten-free is not boring or drab!

what do u like? that is the key. and remember it is ur day not everyone elses.

[THernandez]

You might want to ask your caterer for suggestions as well. We just had a party last weekend for my parents 50th wedding anniversary and the caterer was able to suggest several gluten-free options to accommodative my kids. For appetizers, we had fresh fruit on sticks with a yogurt dipping sauce and gluten-free crab cakes (my dad is originally from Baltimore).

The entrees were chicken and fish that were both gluten free and in addition to bread and other items, she made a fabulous risotto.

[Pac]

I just had a gluten-free wedding last saturday and it turned out great. It was just a small family thing - 16 people in total and we prepared all the food ourselves. I even got up at 6am on my wedding day just to make the bread! 'cuz it's so much better fresh than one day old. It worked - most people just loved the bread.

Main meal was salmon with black olive pesto and baked potatoes with an alternative of potatoe salad with breaded chicken for those who don't eat fish. We had another dish of potatoes in cream dill sauce with prawns ready "just in case".

Snacks were different cheeses (cut in cubes or thick slices), pepperoni, smoked meat, veggie salad (bell peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce...) with fresh mozzarella, black olives, mint and basil leaves and very simple dressing of balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Guacamole, zaziky, salsa, beside bread there were chips, nachos, rice crackers. I guess in America you can add corn tortillas or even better make quesadillas with them. (I still have to figure out where to get good corn here in Europe.)

Cake was a mix of hazelnuts with pinapple and chocolate. Filled with butter spread with pinapple juice whipped into it, nutella with sour-cream and red-current jam. Coated with white chocolate and whipping cream with chocolate hearts on top (dark, hazelnut and white chocolate). It tasted so good even I liked it.

But the best thing for sure was that I didn't have to worry - didn't need to wash my hands all the time, didn't have to watch over my plate of gluten-free food and condiments all the time to avoid contamination... The only gluten in there was beer, which is easily avoided and is almost gluten-free anyway. (I wanted to get gluten-free beer, but surprise! - gluten-free beer in Europe is just plain over-priced german barley beer with even higher content of gluten than many czech beers like Pilsner.)

Don't worry, there's no need for gluten-free food to taste bad or dull. Use naturally gluten-free meals and snacks rather than replacements of gluten-filled products and most guests won't even notice there's no gluten on the menu. Good luck!

[Yup]

Hi All,

I'm not sure if what I want to do is feasible, or whether it would be vastly uber expensive...

I don't know whether I'm fully celiac or not, but I am definitely gluten intolerant. I have accidentally ingested it on two separate occassions now, and both times I have ended up being very ill.

I am getting married next summer (July) and I'd like to have the menu be gluten-free. I told my fiance, and he has been totally on board with it, b/c he has seen the change in me since going gluten free, and he has also observed how left out I am at other weddings and events that we've gone to b/c gluten is in so many things it is ridiculous.

I told my parents and they were absolutely scandalized at the thought of not serving bread. I told a close friend, and she was horrified b/c she thinks the food will be drab and dull and that it will make the catering service look bad (b/c the food will be bad).

I've spoken to the catering service and they tell me that they can do it (they're a university catering service, so they have celiac students they have to cook for anyway).

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for what could be on the menu that would still be uber tasty... maybe a bread replacement of some sort? I'm hesitant to serve gluten-free bread as I have yet to try the stuff myself (mostly been sticking to a whole foods diet as much as possible) and b/c I'm told that it's very heavy and dense and sits in your stomach rather like a brick. So I'm trying to figure out what could be served at the punch reception while photos are being taken, as well as what could go over well at the actual meal, and then the 11p.m. sobering-snack-portion...

I would be BEYOND appreciative of any suggestions as I've only been gluten-free for about a month now so I'm still fairly new at this and really don't know the gluten-free world very well.

Thank you in advance.

You could also do sushi with gluten-free soy sauce!

[11475]

I went to a wedding earlier this year where a gluten-free quiche was served as one of the courses. It was great, and all guests seemed to enjoy it (I did!).

[JeepWidow]

I think that you should stop telling people it's gluten free and just have an awsome meal. I think Gluten free makes people nervous and more critical. I would personally skip serving gluten free bread, it's going to end up being very expensive and if you've got lots of other carbs I don't think it will be very missed. You could do a risoto or new potatoes, which would probably be a bit more formal that a baked potato.

[lisa25]

The food at our wedding was all gluten free (and dairy free, soy free). I didn't want to take any chances and be sick for the whole honeymoon...plus it was our day and we didn't want to be around a bunch of food we couldn't eat that looked good (my husband is celiac as well). We had bbq (ribs, brisket, pulled pork, turkey), baked beans, roasted potatoes, fruit salad, and gluten free cake. I didn't hear anyone complain that there was no bread. The only people we told the food was gluten free were the other celiacs we knew would be there.

[twinkle-toez]

Thank you all for the wonderful ideas - I believe that doing a gluten-free wedding isn't that big of a deal and I don't understand why the people who made such a fuss did. The only people whom actually have to know are my parents, b/c they are chipping in for a portion of the cost and it's probably wrong to leave them in the dark on this one. Other than that I had only told one or two close friends (one responded really positively by saying that we'd have a bake-fest to try different gluten-free mixes for cupcakes, cookies, etc) and the other responded really negatively. So yes, it will not be broadcast at all that it is going to be gluten-free. I definitely have alot of great ideas now though!!! Thank you so very very much!!!

[elk]

I think it's a great idea and it's your day to put your personal stamp on it anyway! I agree about foregoing the gluten-free bread, especially with all the wonderful ideas here. Congrats!

[notme]

The food at our wedding was all gluten free (and dairy free, soy free). I didn't want to take any chances and be sick for the whole honeymoon...plus it was our day and we didn't want to be around a bunch of food we couldn't eat that looked good (my husband is celiac as well). We had bbq (ribs, brisket, pulled pork, turkey), baked beans, roasted potatoes, fruit salad, and gluten free cake. I didn't hear anyone complain that there was no bread. The only people we told the food was gluten free were the other celiacs we knew would be there.

i think that is a great idea. soooo many things can be made gluten free, etc., and nobody would even guess. just don't tell or they won't eat it lol - why is that??!!

o, and i bought some chebe (sp?) rolls the other day - haven't had a chance to try them yet. if they're any good, maybe you could sub them for regular bread? if bread is a hot topic, i mean.

either or, have a great day and good luck with your plans!!!

[Aphreal]

This is something that sticks in craw. People other than the bride and groom thinking they have the right to say what goes or doesn't in someone elses wedding. Do you have to have it a catered event? Our reception was short and sweet. Cake and a few snacks and we were off. We were not into the day long into the night wedding receptions that are catered meals. That is just us though. We used that money on our honeymoon.

If you DO really want a catered meal, remember this is YOUR wedding. Not your parents. If you don't want to serve bread, don't! You can also opt for gluten-free crackers of some sort with cheeses and meats instead of full out bread? ya never know who in your invitee list is also gluten-free. They may appreciate that!

Congrats by the way!

[twinkle-toez]

Rice crackers and corn chips with guacamole, hummus, etc were things that I was thinking of that could serve as 'snack-y' type things.

I hadn't planned on serving gluten-free bread b/c it's so iffy, and I think it would be a red-flag that I was doing something particularly "weird" and very "Twinkle-toez" regarding the food (which by the way, is not a compliment - very much an insult to myself. No one trusts that I can make any kind of responsible decision regarding food - whether it be what I put in my own body or in others - I think it stems from the fact that I have an eating disorder. But god it pi*ses me off!!! I mean, I spent nine years in remission before I finally had a relapse, I think they owe me some credit for that! Gah! But I"m off track...).

Instead of bread I was thinking of maybe serving soup of some nature, I'm not really sure, or maybe just skipping straight to salad. I know that there are some people who do feel lost or whatever without bread at a meal, but I don't really care... and I know that sounds awful, but geez, they can do what they want (or wanted) on THEIR wedding days. I hate that everyone is trying to push me around. The biggest reason I won't serve any bread, even though it would be easy to give it to every table except the head table is that I LOVE bread. The last thing that I want on my wedding day is to be jealous and bitter that everyone else gets to eat wonderful smelling bread that I can't go near. I can't somehow seem to get that through my parents head in any way they can comprehend - their stance "just get the kitchen to make you a special plate of food that you can eat". I find this ridiculous b/c I don't want to be treated like a bloody hospital patient when I'm getting married. Grrrr!!!! Needless to say we've fought over this quite a bit.

It would be MUCH simpler to just forgo the big long reception with a catered meal... It's my fiance who wants the traditional family wedding. We did spend quite a bit of time talking about what each of us want and why, and I agreed to comprimise my desires on wedding size because he's going to comprimise on the style of the meal (buffet) and on the menu (gluten-free, which he's totally okay with and never made me feel guilty about for asking.) And we do have the agreement that if something horrendously catastrophic happens in terms of my health (so when I meet with the neurologist this week and hopefully get some answers), that we will elope and say to hell with all this. Our closest friends and family would come, and everyone else, well, we could have a house party with those who wanted to celebrate it with us when we got back.

So that's my rant about that. Thank you all for listening. I never realized why wedding planning is so stressful, but now I get it. And even more stressful when you have all kinds of unanswered health concerns and food problems to deal with.