BALTIMORE | 110 | WEDDINGS
There were some historical exceptions
to the lavish displays and sit-down dinners
that dominated the better part of the last
century. For instance, Stewart found an
abundance of information on World War
II weddings during her research. During
this time of rationing and victory gardens,
she says “food was very closely tied to pa-
triotism,” with magazines and cookbooks
filled with recipes for sugarless wedding
cakes and ways to make food delicious
without using meat or butter.
“The ladylike thing to do was keep a lid
on it as much as possible,” she says of those
wartime celebrations. “But back then,
there wasn’t necessarily an expectation of
a meal, anyway. A tea or just coffee and
cake was acceptable, depending on your
region and economics.”
As for regional changes, Michael points
to the formerly ubiquitous oyster-shucker
station that is often replaced by a raw bar
or even passed oysters to better reflect the
formality of the event. “We started doing
highly stylized, gorgeous displays with
the shucker in the back,” he says. “More
recently, we’ve been doing roving oyster
stations on hawker trays like at a ballpark.”LOVE IN THE AGE OF PINTEREST
Nowadays, Stewart says it makes sense
that couples are less interested in blowing
the budget on flowers or limousines, opt-
ing instead to create highly personalized
culinary experiences. “It’s really exploded
in American culture, even in the past 20
years—but that mirrors our overall inter-
est in food as a culture.”
Melissa Benson, owner of Baltimore-
based Eleven Courses Catering & Event
Company, agrees that it’s common for a
couple to bring in treasured recipes that
have been in the family for generations.
“Sometimes we literally have family mem-
bers come in and test it with us,” she says.
“It’s more time invested, but it’s part of the
storytelling and makes everything more
special. It feels like you’re making magic.”
For one couple that tied the knot
at Belmont Manor & Historic Park in
Howard County, Eleven Courses createdUNVEILED