Once you’ve made the decision to have your intimate wedding during the time of covid, you need to start thinking about how to handle all of the regulations that come with the current times. Hand sanitizer and masks aside, you may be thinking: how am I going to feed my guests? While wedding catering may look a little bit different, there are still plenty of ways to have a delicious meal with your nearest & dearest. Read on for creative ways to feed your wedding guests during Covid-19.

Pre-Plated Hors D’oeuvres

Instead of trays with passed apps, caterers can curate plates of appetizers for each guest. In a lot of ways, guests may prefer this as it’s often hard to get a taste of everything. This would work well with mini cheese and charcuterie plates, or assorted canapés. You could even have your caterer create specific pairings on the plate, like cheese with jam or a certain fruit.

Creative Pre-Ordering

An intimate wedding means you might be able to support a local restaurant, versus hiring a catering company. Traditionally, when offering guests their meal option on a reply card, it’s a “chicken” or “steak” situation. You may be able to expand this with your super small guest list. Talk to the restaurant about curating a menu specifically for your wedding with your favorite dishes. If you’re getting married at a restaurant, you may even be able to let guests order on-site.

A New Way for Family Style

Family style dining doesn’t have to be completely abolished. If you seat your guests at bistro style tables, those who are in the same household can be served family style meals. It would feel similar to a restaurant where platter sizes are smaller, but still give everyone the opportunity to try more than one dish.

Re-imagine The Plated Meal

Individual plated meals may seem boring, but there are so many ways to jazz them up. For a backyard wedding, lean into the BBQ theme with silver trays like you’d get at a classic bbq joint. If you’re in a more rustic venue, go with a picnic set up and ask your caterer to pack everyone’s meals in picnic baskets (these also make for a great favor!). For a more upscale meal, you can opt for fine dining with a cloche for each person’s plate (a la Beauty and the Beast).

Box it Up

Think about some iconic to-go boxes and let your imagination run wild from there. What about individual gourmet pizzas for each person in a custom box with your wedding date & hashtag? Or mini Chinese food containers with assorted noodles and rice? Again, everyone can rest assured knowing their food is in a closed box no one else has touched.

Put a Lid on It

Pre-batching cocktails is not a new idea, but usually they’re batched in a large vessel that is then poured into glasses as guests order. Instead, ask your bartender to pre-pour cocktails into mason jars with lids, or order custom bottles with screw tops. For beer and wine, go with cans that people can open on their own.

To-Go Bags

To minimize the amount of eating on-site, send everyone home with a sweet treat like assorted bags of candy or cookies & a carton of milk. If you’re tied to wedding cake, order little cake boxes and gift everyone a piece on the way out.

Now that you’re set with ideas, next step is to start planning.