Say “I Do” to Latin Food Stations

Flowers, fancy clothes, delicious food, wedding season is about to go into overdrive. Whether you’re newly engaged (congrats!), just starting to plan your reception, or heading to the altar next weekend, there are simple ways to incorporate a love of Latin food into your reception through food stations. 

Over the past few years, the preferred meal style at weddings has been a collection of various food stations. Food stations offer the variety and casual nature of a buffet, while encouraging mingling between guests, yet still keeping the sophistication of a plated menu intact. Natalie Reynoso of Premiere Events, a Los Angeles-based event planning company, and Helah Kehati of Manhattan’s JPO Concepts both said it’s common for couples to request a couple of Latin inspired stations during wedding receptions and cocktail hours. 

“More often than not, our wedding clients want one to two Latin inspired stations among three to four total dinner stations,” Kehati said. Selecting a few Latin-inspired dishes is sometimes is a great way for couples to show off a love for a favorite summer food, their individual heritages or even to design stations around favorite travel locations.

“Usually there is a Latin themed station, Asian station, Mediterranean station and a comfort food station,” Reynoso said. 

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Some options our experts recommend include: taco stations, an empanada station featuring three to four types of miniature empanadas that allow couples to appease vegetarians, as well; a fresh ceviche station with different accompaniments or a ceviche tasting station with bite sixed portions of five-to six different types of ceviche; skewer stations featuring, grilled chicken skewers severed with mango salsa and/or grilled skirt steak skewers with herb chimichurri. Quesadilla stations and paella stations are also popular.

Couples wanting to showcase Latin flavors at their wedding don’t just have to stick to the main dishes, though. 

“Clients can also format cocktail hour to be a tasting of sorts, where their guests can try a wide variety of foods. They would typically request one to two Latin inspired hors’ d’oeuvres from a total of eight to ten hors’ d’oeuvres,” Kehati said.

Other ideas include having mojito, sangria or margaritas as a signature drink during cocktail hour, or served at a specified drinks station. Kehati said JPO Concepts even offers several Latin inspired items on their miniature dessert menu such as homemade tres leches cakes served shot glasses and a miniature servings of dulce de leche flan.

For more ideas, ask your caterer what type of Latin inspired dishes they are comfortable making. While Kehati said JPO Concepts specializes in American cuisine, their chef is from the Dominican Republic and works with clients to create any food option they may want.