The Wedding Feast

AN ENDURING TRADITION
TO JUMPSTART THE MARRIAGE

Written by FRANCES KIDD

Weddings and the wedding feast have been around since Ancient Rome. Initially, marriage was an arrangement between two families, lots of paperwork and little romance. In most cultures, of course, this and other ancient wedding traditions have disappeared over the last 2,000 years.

The wedding feast, however, has lasted through the ages.

Even in arranged marriages, there was a large wedding feast after the wedding contract was signed. Since eating together is one of our most basic shared activities, it’s no surprise that newly married couples for millennia have celebrated with food.

Here in Coweta, the wedding feast has evolved over the years. Coweta native Kay McWaters Cawthon says, “When I was young, weddings were primarily in the afternoon with a reception following in the church fellowship hall. The staples on the refreshment table were most likely chicken salad sandwiches, cheese straws and Jordan almonds.”

For many folks in the area, this seems to have been a county-wide custom.

Since the receptions were at church, no alcohol was served, but it was always possible to find a good fruity punch.

Nowadays, the wedding feast has a new look and taste.

“When my daughter was married in 2008,” Cawthon recalls, “the ceremony and dinner were at Dunaway Gardens and the food was more reminiscent of a Southern family reunion, with a grits bar and black-eyed pea succotash served in martini glasses.”

Meals at contemporary weddings in Coweta today can range from a barbecue to a food truck to the more traditional sit-down dinner.

While some of the changes began due to challenges posed by the pandemic, it seems the wedding feast of today is more about fun and a good party.

Paige Paul, owner of Paige Me Events and Marketing, says she’s noticed that weddings are much more casual today and there are many more options for food.

“The Georgia Shrimp Company in Peachtree City did ours,” Paul says. “But we’ve seen trends change even in the last couple of years. For example, the charcuterie board seems like it’s becoming a staple.”

Mariah Broome, of Mariah Caitlin Events, says, “I’ve noticed, especially this past year, a lot of couples are focusing on the guest experience and doing things a bit out of the ordinary.”

Broome says her clients are steering away from buffets, partly due to COVID-19.

“We’re seeing a lot more heavy appetizers and more farm-to-table dishes,” she says. “In some cases, since weddings are smaller, again due to the pandemic, couples are paying more attention to the food.”

Broome says she’s also seen a lot of crowd-pleasing favorites, such as a build your own mac-and-cheese bar as well as more unique items like sushi stations.

Youlanda Jenkins, owner of Elegant Catering and Décor, says that more than half of the weddings she does are the more traditional type.

“We do a lot of sit-down dinners, and the bride often chooses the traditional tiered cake,” says Jenkins. “But we also do casual wedding dinners like a barbecue and maybe even a fish fry.”

Wedding celebrations in Coweta seem to be as diverse as the community itself.

While there wasn’t much drinking in the church basement, now many couples have a signature cocktail like Tamiko and Whitney Williams, one of the featured couples in this issue (see page 41). Their signature cocktail was named after one of their dogs: Comet-ka-zee.

The traditional white tiered wedding cake is no longer found at every wedding. Some brides choose to serve multiple smaller cakes with favorite flavors. Some cakes are created as a lifelike version of an item significant to the couple. A dessert station, basically a buffet with a choice of sweets, is also popular. Some couples have both: the traditional cake they cut together and a
dessert bar.

The groom’s cake appeared in the 17th century as a dark, heavy fruitcake. Today, says Broome, “I mostly see the groom’s cake served at the rehearsal dinner.”

Today’s groom’s cake is chosen to fit specific tastes or interests. Some grooms choose their favorite dessert, such as peach cobbler, or in some cases, it’s iced with the colors of a favorite college football team.

The food truck craze has expanded to weddings and has been a good alternative in these pandemic days. The couple usually chooses a food truck that specializes in one item, like wood-fired oven pizza, with stations for sides. Some couples use a food truck to deliver a late-night snack after the reception dinner and dancing.

While some traditions have lasted through the years, there is no one category for weddings today. The ceremony and wedding feast directly reflect the tastes of each bride and groom.

The big question: Has Coweta really said “goodbye” to cheese straws and Jordan almonds and “hello” to artisanal salami? NCM