Special Dietary Needs at Your Wedding? Rosemary’s Catering Has You Covered

Thinking about building your wedding menu? The job can seem overwhelming – not to mention when you start to consider any special dietary needs you or your guests may have. It’s important to respect those needs and ensure everyone can enjoy a wonderful meal, which is where Rosemary’s Catering and their 70+ years of expertise can help. We sat down with the Rosemary’s team to talk about being inclusive of dietary needs when creating a wedding menu, new trends they’re noticing and a few more gems of advice you don’t want to miss!

Photo: Cory Ryan Photography

How do you adapt to dietary needs?

We ask clients to be as specific as possible. When everything is made in-house, it makes it really easy to skirt dietary restrictions! Knowledge is power though, so getting a detailed list of the guests’ names, allergies and where they are sitting can help us. We will let the guests know either a.) what is safe for them on the menu tonight, or b.) that we will be bringing them a special plate that fits their diet. Guests are typically very grateful that we’ve addressed it head on and they don’t have to ask!

Plated vs. buffet style – what will you be seeing more of this season, and how do you decide which option is best for you?

We will see a few more buffets in the wedding world. A lot of couples are shrugging the traditional idea of everyone getting served at the table. Buffets help to give your guests options and choices and required the smallest amount of planning from the couple. We typically ask about the feel of the event (formal vs. more casual) and how much time they have set aside if for dinner, if we need to help a couple decide!

How do you incorporate local fare into a wedding?

We try and recreate some of the foods known to Austin with our own twist. We started with catering barbecue and fajita buffets 70 years ago, so keeping true to our wheelhouse, we do still see a lot of those options. For the more adventurous couples, we do a lot of fusion stations. They range from Asian fusion, with dim sum and ramen, to street tacos, to even some completely vegetarian stations. We try and make nods to the varied food culture here in Austin.

How do you incorporate clean and green eating?

For the most part, every meal couples choose comes with a fresh, colorful salad. If we notice that the couples have chosen stations without any veggies, we usually try and move things around to get something healthy on the menu. But for the most part, our clients are looking for a little more indulgence than clean eating on the big day!

What catering trends are you currently loving?

Bright colors and plating artistry are always trending and always on our top list. We try and make sure that each item on the menu covers multiple spectrums on the rainbow for a very eye-catching appearance.

What is your favorite dish to serve?

Honestly, we’re going to go with hors d’oeuvres. We love nothing more than the special platter prepared just for the bride and groom with four different hors d’oeuvre options. Some of our favorites are our smoked chicken botana, shrimp spring rolls, and the lavender aqua fresca with goat cheese crostini.

Any tips on creating the wedding reception menu?

To all the couples out there, make sure the menu reflects what your favorites are!

As you can see, Rosemary’s Catering knows a thing or two about incredible wedding food. They’ve got the expertise and thoughtfulness to help you curate a menu that not only tastes amazing, but makes sense for everyone in attendance. Reach out to Rosemary’s via their Brides of Austin vendor profile!