Fun & Famous

Carolien’s wedding diary

What’s on the menu?

When you think of Italy, what do you immediately picture? Exactly, platters full of delicious antipasti and freshly made pasta and pizzas from the wood oven. If Jon and I agree on anything, it’s that the whole weekend should be about love and lots of good food. The search for the perfect caterer was just one little thing... Luckily, a friend tipped us off about her aunt who has been catering fantastic events for years and also speaks fluent Italian. Of course, we give her a lot of freedom to showcase her cooking skills, but a few of our favorites are a must on the menu. I am addicted to burrata with figs and Parma ham, and Jon can't go without vitello tonnato and pasta with fresh truffle that weekend (she types while drooling, quickly saving her keyboard...). Something that definitely cannot be missed are super delicious pizzas according to Italian recipe. So we start the weekend with a ‘pizza & bubbles party’, where a local pizzaiolo will prepare the most delicious pizzas from the wood oven. For dessert, we have Italian ice cream from our favorite ice cream shop in Florence that we discovered two weeks ago while wandering around there. We absolutely do not want a stiff affair with appetizers that you don't even dare to eat and dishes with a dollop of this and a sprinkle of that... Just tasty and simple dishes where high-quality ingredients are central.

Then there is of course the most important food moment that needs to be tackled: the cake. Something that may be a minor detail for some, but on my list, this ranks almost as high as the rings. I still remember walking into a Ladurée store for the first time and thinking upon seeing those giant macaron pyramids: if I ever get married, this must and will be my wedding cake. Coincidence or not, there is a tiny Ladurée store in Florence where they can make those pyramids to order. Apparently, I have sent that dream well into the cosmos all those years...

You really are amazed at all the things you have to think about: from salt and pepper shakers to water for the table. Jon and I are both addicted to San Pellegrino, which is fortunately Italian, so we can find that in abundance there. But besides all the delicious products from Italy, we also want to bring a few of our favorites from the Netherlands. At home, we always have Eat Natural bars for snacks and reach for a bag of Propercorn for a healthy snack. So we will create a beautifully filled snack table during the weekend, so no one has to starve. Such a delightful prospect, a whole weekend of eating until you can't anymore! Ah, that dress only needs to be worn for one day, it's a pity there’s no ‘eating machine’ setting on it :).

Carolien’s tip:

Have no idea what to serve your guests? Keep it close to your own taste. It really doesn’t have to be all fancy just because it’s a wedding, but create a menu that consists of your favorite dishes and give each course a name that refers to that. For example, we have ‘Jon's famous chicken from the oven’ on the menu.