Today: Upscale Family-Style Wedding Dinners

Family style is the latest trend in weddings and dinner parties incorporating a more casual tone than dinners that come plated to each guest. The idea of passing around serving dishes and helping one’s self to a dish that is part of the meal is meant to conjure up the intimacy of family dinners.

Given this intended intimacy, Chilean sea bass and filet of sole are too difficult to serve each person from a platter. The fish will break, and the mood intended by family-style, is lost.

Some of the better choices for up-graded family style meals are:

*Italian food. Eggplant parmagiana for vegetarians and veal scallopini for meat eaters.

* Indian food. Lamb curry, chicken masala and traditional side dishes with nan bread.

* Lamb chops

* Cornish hens

* Greek food. Lamb, souvlaki and rice dishes.

Cupcakes make a great family style alternative to cakes because there is something a little more intimate about getting your own cupcake, reminiscent of child-hood parties, commemorating a wedding. Many upscale bakeries offer luscious cupcake choices.