Catering Outside Wedding Reception in Crazy Heat!

Tented Wedding Reception

Looks innocent enough, yes?  Lovely summer day in the suburbs of Washington DC, lovely Northern Virginia church wedding reception.  Large guest count – 250 – cannot fit into fellowship hall so we had to tent a portion of the parking lot.  Just one wrinkle:  Hot as Hell.  Much of the East Coast is being blanketed with a major heat wave and this past Saturday was record breaking.  By mid afternoon the heat index was estimated to be 114 degrees.  In all my 33 years as a caterer I have never experienced such brutal heat. Yet, this did not stop this reception from being a great party and enjoying all of the menu options provided by Catering By Teatime www.cateringbyteatime.com

This was the second family member to marry; Teatime catered another daughter’s wedding reception 5 years ago INSIDE the church! But not to worry, the heat didn’t slow down anyone’s appetite.  We served miniature white pizza bites (a favorite from the earlier wedding reception) that were simply addictive.

Addictive White Pizza Bites

 Sweet and Sour Meatballs, and our chilled Grilled Garlic Lime Chicken on Bamboo Skewers

Grilled Garlic Lime Chicken

 One of the most important challenges, if not THE most important task of the day is to keep folks hydrated.  We set up multiple water stations around the perimeter of the tent as well as a beverage station that featured water, lemonade, soft drinks and iced tea.

Non Alcohol Beverage Station

 Two of the biggest draws, given the heat, was the Fresh Fruit Arrangement with Seasonal Fruits to include yellow and red watermelon, honey dew melon, cantaloupe melon, papaya and fresh pineapple.

Seasonal Fresh Fruit Arrangement

We created a sensational Tropical Mango Salsa that pretty much rocks everything you put it on.  Of course tortilla chips are the perfect combination but it also kicks it out of the park paired with everything from the chicken to the white pizza.  My staff was putting it on EVERYTHING!  I was simply eating it by the spoonful all by itself.

Tropical Mango Salsa

Let’s talk wedding cake.  My bride wanted a “Texas Sheet Cake”.  I am a New England gal, I had never heard of Texas Sheet Cake.  I did not realize it was A Thing.  I researched and came up with a game plan to turn it into a wedding cake with Celtic Knots as accent.  I believe this is a true first because no where on the Internet could I find any images of “Texas Sheet Cake Wedding Cake”.  Now you can.

Original Texas Sheet Cake Wedding Cake

 Another perfect wedding reception catered with Catering By Teatime.  Folks were hot, but folks were happy.  That’s what it’s all about.
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