10 Wedding Food Trends We Wish Had Never Happened

Food is an extremely important aspect of wedding planning, but there are some cringeworthy trends that could leave your guests with a bad taste in their mouths. Steer clear of these 10 faux pas to ensure that everyone will eat, drink and be merry on your big day!

By: Hannah Doolin

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Photo By: Hakule ©Hakule

Novelty Cake Toppers

Those ball-and-chain figurines aren’t as hilarious as you think they are, and you don’t want their tackiness to cast a shadow over the whole beautiful confection. Even creepier: cake toppers designed to look just like the couple. Instead, add some sugar (or fresh!) flowers and call it a day.

Bottle Cams

Recording memories during the reception is a must, but slapping a GoPro on a bottle of Fireball won’t have quite the same effect as hiring a videographer. Though this undoubtedly provides an entertaining video for the couple to laugh about on their honeymoon, bottle cams can inspire some seriously bad behavior in front of the extended family.

Bad Signature Cocktails

Mixing up an original quaff for your guests to enjoy at cocktail hour is a nice way to personalize the celebration — that is, unless you’re serving them swill. Cutesy names like “Something Blue” can inspire some nasty concoctions: Curacao will definitely add that pop of color to the beverage, but it will not taste good. When in doubt, champagne never fails.

Bacon on Everything

Serving savory bites is a surefire way to keep people happy until dinner is served, but don’t fall prey to this overdone trend. Nobody feels glamorous munching on a piece of fatty pork, so keep the bacon bits off your cupcakes, and please don’t pass appetizers wrapped in slices of it.

Vegetable Bundles

Banquet hall meals often leave something to be desired — a fact that even the most-elaborate presentation techniques, unfortunately, can't hide. That sad little pile of steamed green beans won't taste any better tied up like a present with a red-pepper bow.

Surf & Turf

Turning out quality food for a large group is enough of a challenge, so you’re really asking for trouble by putting meat and seafood on the same plate. They require very different preparations and cooking times, which means one or both items are bound to come out at the wrong temperature, putting a damper on what should be a luxurious meal.

Naked Cakes

More and more couples are opting for barely-there icing on their wedding cakes, revealing the layers of cake and frosting in each tier. We can understand the desire to skip heavy layers of fondant, but this technique often looks as though the cake decorator ran off without finishing the job. Plus, it causes the cake to dry out quickly.

Chocolate Fountains

Don’t give someone an excuse to compare your nuptials to their little cousin’s bar mitzvah. The appeal of this gimmicky dessert option wore off long ago, and once the ring bearer discovers it, get ready for a mess.

Cake in the Face

Funny at a casual birthday party — not so much when it dares to destroy an expensive hairdo, makeup job or outfit. Avoid being in the doghouse on your wedding night by politely feeding each other small bites like civilized humans. You’ll be happy you did when your professional photos come back.

Mashed Potato Bars

We can’t say a bad word about mashed potatoes — they’re the ultimate comfort food, and the obvious favorite on any Thanksgiving table — but serving the spuds in delicate martini glasses does nothing to up their elegance factor. Stick to bite-size hors d’oeuvres to keep things classy, and to prevent your guests from spoiling their appetites for dinner by eating a mashed-potato sundae heaped with sour cream, bacon and chives.