Today, we’re launching a new bi-monthly feature that focuses on food – an area oft-overlooked by wedding blogs in favour for pretty dresses, accessories and DIY tutorials. We like to appeal to our readers with new and interesting content however, so we invited Jen Middlehurst, Director of the award winning Kalm Kitchen, to share her thoughts today about that humble little edible that we all affectionately know as the ‘canapé’.
Canapé are like little treats from heaven at weddings – they fill the hungry gap between ceremony and reception and help relax the atmosphere as your guests mingle and nibble on tasty treats at the same time as getting to know each other and relaxing in to the swing and celebration of the day. I’m a huge canapé fan (as anyone who has ever attended any event with me will know) and so today, I’ve invited Jen to share her thoughts on this much loved little food morselthose canapé. Over to you Jen!
Image Credit: Eddie Judd Photography
Having worked alongside Annabel at the launch party for her gorgeous book Style Me Vintage Weddings I am delighted to have teamed up to guest post on all things scrummy for the Love My Dress readers. Food is a hugely important aspect of your big day, a large proportion of your budget goes towards it and the quality of your food will definitely be remembered by your guests, however the wedding breakfast can often be overlooked with couples leaving this towards the bottom of the planning list, or simply choosing certain dishes that may be expected of them by their guests.
Your wedding breakfast should really reflect you as a couple, your personal tastes and preferences, and – most importantly – your menu should be an extended celebration of your theme. Through my series of posts throughout the next year I hope to provide an insight into creative food styling and offer ideas and inspiration to enable you to inject a sense of fun and theatre into your wedding breakfast – allowing you to think outside the box and challenge your caterer to create something truly magical for your big day! First and foremost is the canapé. The first morsel of food your guests are likely to have eaten since breakfast (and whilst they are still sober!) canapés are hugely important, they can set the tone and expectation for the meal to follow. Canapés have become much more fun in the last few years and we are seeing a real emerging trend with couples looking to wow their guests upon arrival, creating a real talking point that can both break the ice for guests and tie in your weddings theme. Below are some of our current favourite ideas.
Vintage…
First things first, for Love My Dress readers, vintage is of course extremely popular. When Annabel first approached us to style the food for her book launch party, we knew we had to really set the bar high, with numerous press and industry types in attendance we were keen to bring Annabel’s book to life and reflect the venues styling. We sourced numerous original vintage props for the evening that were used to house our delectable canapés, we were keen for the food to be as visually exciting as it was tasty. Old birdcages and vintage suitcases were lined with rows of canapés whilst original Apothecary bottles were filled with mini beef skewers. These props don’t have to cost the world, and you can have hours of fun sourcing items for the big day, rummaging through vintage stores for second hand finds. One simple idea for literary fans is to use beautiful old books upon which canapés can be laid, a very simple idea that your guests will love – each book can be personal to you to add a real talking point.
Image Credit: Eddie Judd Photography
Luxe for Less… If you are looking to create a luxurious theme without stretching your budget one great idea is to ask your florist to provide some stray stems of flowers, your caterer can then lay these on perspex canape trays creating an elegant whimsical look that is easily put together yet very effective
Image Credits top – Anneli Marinovich Bottom left and right – Kalm Kitchen
Other luxurious ideas include using old mirrors to display your canapés, mercury pots and tealight holders are also great for adding a luxurious look with a whimsical edge. Our latest favourite technique – to create a real show stopping service – is to serve canapés on a tray of dry ice – this adds a great sense of drama to any event!
Image credits top Christy Blanch, bottom Eddie Judd
Retro Cool For those looking to insert some old school fun into your day think mini slider burgers and fry cones served on red and white striped trays.
Image credits – Kalm Kitchen
Some of our favourite canapés are quirky twists on classic favourites – you simply can’t beat beef, horseradish and mini Yorkshire pudding canapés – always an absolute favourite amongst guests.
Image credits – Kalm Kitchen
Pop to your Hearts Content! One of my absolute favourite trends right now is serving popcorn canapés. This is a novel, fun and economic treat that goes further than a traditional canapé. Served in an assortment of flavours from truffle popcorn to chilli, salt and cheese, the options are endless. Presented in personalised bags printed with you initials these make a really fun treat for your guests that could double up as a favour. Fusion Food… If your wedding signifies the culmination of cultures your wedding breakfast is a great opportunity to pay homage to this. Canapés are an easy way of combining a multitude of cuisines, from Sesame vegetable tempura served with Asian dipping sauce to Jerk chicken chargrilled wraps your guests will love the assortment of flavours on offer. 
Image Credits top – Anneli Marinovich
Image Credits top – Kalm Kitchen Bottom left Anneli Marinovich, bottom right Ashton Jean Pierre
I hope this has provided some inspiration to get your creative juices flowing, it’s hugely important to remember to have fun with your food, take your time choosing a range of your favourite canapés and then start to think about styling options. In just the same was as you would choose to style your cake or dessert table, the same techniques can be applied to your food.
Happy planning and until next time, Jen 
Jen Middlehurst is a Director at Kalm Kitchen, a team of young, energetic, professional caterers, who share a passion for great food and great service. You can get in touch with Jen and her team by visiting the kalmkitchen.co.uk website.
Follow Love My Dress on Google+
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
Despite having just eaten my lunch, this blog post has managed to make me hungry again!
I’m also a huge fan of canapes. I adore the way Kalm Kitchen present their delicious food. It’s simply breathtaking!
Franky xxxx
Ditto – hungry. Need steak on a stick!