Wedding Menu, as promised

I promise that I will get off of the wedding / honeymoon topic soon (don’t want this to turn into a “My Wedding” blog) – but coincidentally I learned about Food Blogs shortly before I got married, and started this blog shortly after returning from my honeymoon. Since James and I are “into” food, fine dining, etc., many of the details of our wedding and honeymoon relate to this blog, so I am including details.

We got married at Tangata at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Tangata is part of the Patina Group, so naturally the food is terrific. James and I had decided early on in the planning of our wedding that we wanted an intimate multi-course formal dinner reception. We have both gone to huge wedding receptions with so-so food and wine. Since our budget was relatively tight, we decided to have a small wedding (about 40 guests) with a fabulous menu. No music, no dancing, just very good food.

We both hate that, at most wedding receptions, the guests have almost no time with the bride and groom – perhaps as little as a 30-second conversation in a receiving line. James came up with a great solution. Rather than have a “head table,” we decided on having five rectangular tables (similar to a home dining room table) seating 10 people each. However, only eight guests were seated at each table, with two seats at each table designated for James and me. The tables were named according to course – “Soup Course,” “Salad Course,” etc. During the reception, James and I sat at the designated table for each course, moving to the next table at the change in courses. This allowed us to spend “quality time” with all of our guests, and gave the reception the feeling of an intimate and elegant dinner party. This idea worked wonderfully – virtually every guest told us how much they liked and appreciated the opportunity to actually spend time with us at the wedding!

I am hoping to be able to post a few pictures – not the regular wedding photos (i.e. me in my wedding gown), but photos of the tables, wine, food, etc. My photographer took some great photos of that type of stuff (very “photojournalist” style). If I can work things out, I'll edit this post to add the pictures.

Now, as promised in a previous post, here is our Wedding Menu (note: we considered the Cheese and Wedding Cake as one course). Our budget was tight for wine, so we picked up some affordable but still excellent wines at the local wine discounter and paid corkage to Tangata, which was still less expensive than buying the wines from Tangata directly.

Lobster Cappuccino with White Truffle Froth and Savory Anise Biscotti
Piper Sonoma Methode Champenoise Brut

Belgian Endive and Watercress Salad with Roquefort, Candied Pecans,

Asian Pear, and Sherry Vinaigrette
L’Estandon Cotes de Provence Rose 2004

Proscuitto-wrapped Halibut with Wild Mushrooms and Braised Oxtail Ragout,

Roasted Salsify, and Red Wine Sauce
L’Estandon Cotes de Provence Rose 2004

Deconstructed Ribeye with Tower of Roasted Potato,

Applewood-smoked Bacon, and Caramelized Red Wine Onions
Chateau Yon Lavallade Bordeaux 2003

Assorted Spanish Cheeses with Sherry-roasted Red Grapes
Heitz Cellars Grignolino Port 2003

Carrot Wedding Cake with Cheesecake Filling and Classic Buttercream
Coffee and Tea