2020 Wedding Trend: Craveable Bites

2020 is here! At the start of the New Year, we like to dig through our journals, notebooks, Drive folders, and Pinterest boards, connecting the dots. Through research, ideation, and inspiration accumulation, we’re able to pinpoint the trends which are really driving the hospitality industry. 

The first trend we’re loving and customizing with our clients?

Craveable & Nostalgic Eats

Craveable and nostalgic eats. We love to create menus and bites which are hyper personalized and pure fun. We are working with our 2020 (and 2021!) couples on nostalgic menus, which combine high and low elements and incorporate joyous, playful, and favorite moments from their pasts. (And yes, veer into the comfort food category!) Examples?

Mini grilled cheese sandwiches; kobe beef sliders; baked kosher salami on a stick with apricot mustard glaze; mini skillets of mac n cheese; and of course, tiny Chicago dogs with all the fixings. 

A personal favorite? Gourmet cheese “doodles” (made to be gluten-free for our health-friendly 2020 audiences). 

The First Course

For the first course, we like to introduce a touch of formality to traditionally playful bites – finding the middle ground between decadence and sophistication. Think Crissy Teigen post Oscars, enjoying an In-N-Out Burger. 

EC takes on this concept have been: Late night fried chicken sliders, polenta fries with artisanal sauces; classic french fries in paper cones with warm Merkt’s cheese sauce, spicy aioli, ketchup and mayo. 

Dessert

And for dessert, we indulge, testing the limits of our couples imaginations, for the bites they’ve enjoyed throughout their lives (inspirations have included: summer camp, teen tours, family trips) – like s’more shooters with chocolate mousse with torched marshmallows and graham cracker dusted rims; mini chocolate chip cookies in skillets with a dollop of vanilla ice cream; and mini shakes. We’ll be sharing more 2020 and 2021 trends as the weeks unfold – stay tuned.