A wedding menu for all seasons

No doubt your dress, venue, colour scheme and flowers have all been chosen with the time of year in mind. It's also important to consider the seasons when it comes to planning the menu for your big day. Putting a little thought in to what your guests will enjoy, what will work well in your venue, and what will suit the time of year and time of day is crucial to ensure your wedding breakfast really is a treat for the taste-buds

• Before you plan the menu, work out your budget. That way you can spend it wisely. Simple food such as sausages and mash can be hugely successful and very inexpensive. Far better to have well-cooked food than to try and stretch your budget to overly-adventurous options. 
• Consider your guests palates. It is wise to avoid anything too unusual or spicy, especially if you have a number of children and elderly guests.
• Take on board suggestions from your caterers. They will generally know what works well in a venue and may also have speciality dishes. It's always a good idea to choose a menu your chef enjoys cooking.
• As well as considering the season and venue, it's important to plan around the number of guests at your wedding. A more intimate dinner can be a great opportunity to serve an adventurous, more complicated menu. However, a wedding with 120 guests is not the time to decide to serve the perfect soufflé.
• Choose something that works well with the facilities at your venue. If, for example, the kitchen area is small, it can be a good idea to choose a relatively simple menu and perhaps a cold starter. A venue with wonderful grounds could lend itself well to a barbecue.

Spring and summer menus

• A spring or summer menu should be light and tasty. Fish and poultry are ideal. Make the most of wonderful seasonal produce such as asparagus and strawberries. A simple pudding of strawberries and cream can't fail to impress.
• Berries are fabulous and also add a splash of colour. Consider using them to decorate your table, serving fruit coulis with your wedding cake, or even presenting each table with a wonderful summer pudding for dessert.
• Buffets work well in the summer, as it's a great opportunity to serve cold food. You might even consider a barbecue or hog roast as the focal point, with a selection of delicious salads.
• If your wedding is likely to be on a warm day, it is wise to avoid anything that won't enjoy the heat. Chocolate cakes, for example, look wonderful, but won't last long on a hot summer's day in a marquee. You don't it to melt before you've even cut it.
• Refreshments should be abundant in spring and summer months, especially non-alcoholic drinks. Instead of offering just water or orange juice, create various fruit punches and place them around the room.

Autumn and winter menus

• Cooler months lend themselves to hot food, so it's a good idea to choose at least two hot courses. You can get away with serving one cold course, but not three!
• While barbecues and salads aren't ideal for these months, heavier, richer food is perfect. If you're a fan of red meat and ‘proper' puddings such as sticky toffee  pudding or apple crumble, this is the time to serve them.
• Soup makes a great starter at this time of year, or even a delicious hot canapé.
• Consider offering warming welcome drinks. Champagne is always a success, but you might also offer a choice of mulled wine or whiskey when guests arrive.
• Winter is a great time to serve a roast. Why not give each table its own joint of meat and allow them to serve themselves?

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