Smaller Weddings When there is no room for a reception or for other reasons only the immediate families attend the wedding, a family luncheon may follow the church or home ceremony. At such a luncheon there is usually only one table with bride and groom and their families seated informally around it. The menu for this occasion is whatever the bride and her parents prefer. They may serve the traditional wedding breakfast menu, or something quite different. For example, a country luncheon of honeydew melon, broiled chicken, new asparagus, hot rolls or biscuits, the Bride’s Cake, and homemade lemon ice cream. The cake may be the centerpiece on the luncheon table, or it may be brought in at the end of the luncheon to be admired, then cut by the bride and groom and served to everybody. It may be homemade or a caterer’s cake, 3-tier, or simply a large layer cake, the top decorated with frosting flowers. And, as at the larger affair, there should be punch in which to toast the bride and groom, before the luncheon begins.
The same sort of luncheon is a favorite of families who live in city apartments and who prefer a home luncheon after the wedding to a club or hotel affair. If the traditional menu is not served at this home luncheon, any simple but delicious combination is suitable. But it should include a Bride’s Cake, and sherbet, ice cream, frozen mousse, or parfait to go with it, and punch in which to toast the couple.
Late Afternoon and Evening Weddings are sometimes preferred to a morning ceremony. In small homes, or when for any reason the wedding has been kept small, a dinner or buffet supper for the wedding party may follow the wedding. In a larger home with facilities for a reception, guests may be invited for dancing and late supper after an evening wedding. All such entertaining follows the usual rules for buffet supper evenings with the exception that there should be some beverage in which to toast the couple and there should be a bridal cake.
Menus for these suppers include sliced turkey in aspic garnished with pimiento and capers, ham mousse, small assorted sandwiches of anchovy, cheese, and cucumbers, small tomatoes stuffed with celery salad, small buttered rolls, the Bride’s Cake, fruit sherbets, and coffee. Or, chafing dish of lobster Newburg, herbed French bread toast, lemon gelatin ring filled with fresh grapefruit, white seedless grapes, and sliced avocado salad, the Bride’s Cake, ice cream bombe, coffee.
Decorations for these afternoon and evening weddings should be white flowers, with smilax or other greens. Tablecloth and cloths for small tables around the room should be white. Or for a second wedding, in the bride’s favorite color. Candlelight, especially in silver or crystal candlesticks, should be used as lavishly as possible as decoration and to light the table. The bride’s bouquet might be laid in the center of the table and surrounded by candlesticks holding lighted candles.
Another centerpiece arrangement for these tables is mixed bouquets of white flowers in crystal or silver epergnes or other footed containers, used as a pair on the table with candles between. Place cards, small gifts for members of the wedding party, or small packages of wedding cake are sometimes added to the place settings.