BALTIMORE | 111 | WEDDINGS
a traditional Indian din-
ner to reflect the bride’s
background and a Lithuanian
cake came from a bakery to
honor the groom’s heritage. “When [the
bride] brought her grandmother to the
tasting, we knew the stakes were high,”
says Benson. “Impressing her grandmother
was just as important to us as impressing
the couple themselves.”
A military couple that recently married
at Big Cork Vineyards just west of Fred-
erick wanted Benson to feature some of
the regions where they had been stationed
around the globe. That menu included
shepherd’s pie appetizers, Hawaiian pork,
and Mongolian dumplings.
And while many caterers lament that
sites like Pinterest have somewhat homog-
enized wedding styles across the country,
there is no doubt that couples still manage
to put their unique stamps on the big day.
“One of them might have spent some
time doing social philanthropy like the
Peace Corps in Costa Rica or have family
members from Pennsylvania or are plan-
ning a honeymoon traveling to Morocco,”
says Horwitz. “It’s our job as a caterer to
reflect all parts of that and do the best we
can to complete that story—and at the
same time keep everyone happy.”
Stewart notes that this notion of highly
individualized wedding food highlights a
deeper shift in our society.
“Today, there’s a cultural desire to stand
out, whereas past generations felt a strong
desire to fit in, to be the same, to not stand
out,” she says. “That’s where the trend is:
mini and me. Individualized, little por-
tions that are more of a way to express
yourself instead of blowing it all on the
chicken or the beef.”
Occasions has also catered a fair
number of weddings that feature interna-
tional flavors—everything from Indian to
Southeast Asian to Russian, and maybe
incorporating an Italian grandmother’s
beloved meatball recipe. But even couples
who want to stick with something more
traditional for the main event can still findWEN J IA TAN Gan opportunity to inject their personalities