Wedding menu dilemma!

[jono37]

My fiancee and I just did the tasting at our venue for our wedding in July. If we stick with the basic package we are supposed to offer two entree choices. The salmon (poached or grilled) was excellent, the ravioli was very good, the rosemary chicken was pretty good, the rest wasn't good. I'm being told that offering a choice between fish and ravioli is a horrible idea for a wedding, since a lot of people don't eat fish but won't be happy with ravioli. That could leave fish or chicken, but what if we have vegetarians?

The other problem with ravioli is side dishes... you really need two vegetable sides since adding another starch to a plate of pasta is pretty unappealing. But fish and chicken go with a starch and vegetable.

It's really just too complicated for me right now. But what do people think? Is a choice between salmon and ravioli a bad idea?

[amandaqtpie]

A good banquet hall or caterer should understand that you will have a few vegetarians and should offer that option in addition to the other entrees you select. I'd go with the salmon (since you said it was excellent and you don't want crap food at your wedding) and the chicken or another meat dish. Offer the vegetarian option and pay extra, if they require it, or simply wait for the responses to roll in and for people to ask about a vegetarian option. You don't have to advertise it if it's not in your budget, but most people know that it's a reasonable request.

[Nicole]

Agree that caterers usually provide a veggie option and that doesn't "count" as one of your 2 choices. That was the case for our wedding. Talk to your caterer/wedding coordinator and confirm. If so, you can safely choose fish and chicken. I would not do fish and ravioli...a lot of people don't eat fish, and a lot of people (especially older folk) don't consider ravioli or other vegetarian fare a "real" meal. It's fine if the chicken is only pretty good.

[normalheightsfoodie]

almost all caters know to also have a vegi option available.

You could asl your guests to pre-choose their entree. If you are doing predetermined seating, their name card would have a picture of a fish, pasta or chicken.

If you are not doing a seating chart, you could still have little name cards that they would put at their seat, that would specify their choice.

[PeterL]

Isn't a vegetarian choice an "automatic" third choice? That's usually how it works. Ask your caterer.

[invinotheresverde]

Agreed. I've never heard of the vegetarian choice counting as one of your options.

[dolores]

jono37, is it horribly cost prohibitive to have the ravioli in a half portion before the entree, where you could offer the chicken and salmon?

[jono37]

Some good ideas here. I think maybe I'll ask the caterer if we can offer chicken and fish, and prepare a vegetarian option for whatever few people select that; I think this would be a pretty small number of people, so it seems they should be able to accommodate that.

[Lenox637]

I have done alot of work with a caterer. Any caterer worth their salt will provide whatever veggie "plates" you will need. Chicken and fish are fine. Depending on when the wedding is, I would recommend assorted grilled veggies and orzo salad. Both are inexpensive to do but are filling and look great.

[nliedel]

If the ravioli is vegetarian, I'd go with that. I would not worry so much about other choices. Those were the two best dishes and the ravioli should be universally appealing.

[Ruth Lafler]

I agree. Everyone *should* be able to eat the ravioli. Whether they find it appealing is really their problem. You can't please everyone.

[spellweaver16]

I think that ravioli is just as crowd-pleasing as chicken and I think it's a good choice. If you serve two vegetable sides alongside salmon, it'll just seem like a light meal, not that there's something missing. That's how I'd look at it, anyway. What about two vegetable sides and rolls or bread for the carb-lovers, if that's an option?

[vvvindaloo]

I suggest you not worry about making a "horrible" menu and focus on making a practical one that you are happy with. It seems like you know you want the salmon but are ambivalent with regard to the chicken/ravioli question. Starting from there, why not work in reverse and choose an entree option that works well with, or balances out, the rest of the menu?
What are the ravioli stuffed with? What kind of sauce do the they come with? How does this go with everything else? You won't be able to offer everyone's first choice, so go with what you think will please most people. There are certain questions that only you can answer: what are the odds that the meat will be missed at a "meatless" dinner? Are you expecting confirmed vegetarians?