BALTIMORE | 112 | WEDDINGS
during another big wedding-food trend:
late-night bites.
“That’s a place where we do a lot of per-
sonalization,” says Seana Hale, an account
executive for Occasions Caterers who often
works on Baltimore weddings. She says it
could be a French fry bar or samosa bar,
reflecting a favorite food or something
from the couple’s background. “For one
wedding, we passed Chicago hot dogs,
and everyone is like, we get it, the groom
is from Chicago. That’s definitely a place
where they let loose a little bit.”THE PRICE OF PROGRESS?
Regardless of how a couple wishes to
express themselves after their nuptials,
Stewart is fascinated with how the rituals
of feeding guests at weddings connect
cultures from across the globe.
“What I think is particularly interesting
is how universal it is,” she says. “Food is
generally used across cultures to celebrate
most big occasions but particularly wed-
dings. There’s a persistent use of rice and
grains across cultures, and traditions are
rooted in hopes of fertility for the couple.
Ultimately, it might sound old fashioned,
but so much wedding ritual is wrapped up
in perpetuating the family.”
And while just about everyone who is
in the business of making couples happy
on the big day has openly embraced the
major changes in wedding food, Stewart
wonders if shedding these rituals comes
at a price. When everyone is looking for
what’s new, next and different, regional
traditions duch as the Pennsylvania cookie
table, where an area is filled with dozens of
different kinds of sweets, often homemade
by family, or the once-ubiquitous rites of
passage like cutting the cake start to fall
by the wayside in favor of trends such as
cupcakes or passed desserts.
Others argue that it follows the natural
trajectory of changing social norms as
couples often pay for their own weddings,
brides opt not to throw the bouquet or
take the groom’s name, and that whole
garter belt thing seems kind of creepy by
today’s standards.UNVEILEDSet the stage
for your perfect day.
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