Food, glorious food, that oh-so-important at-the-table prerequisite to good mood, big smiles, and general contentedness

Warning: if you are hungry, do not read further.

If the food is good, everyone will work conversation around it after praising it; they will neatly dispatch it to their stomachs, with some lip-smacking, wiping their plates clean, and buzzing and chattering about the topics of the day and in this case, it's your wedding. This is pre-nuptial food, in celebration of old times, the present times, and days to come. If the food is especially good, they'll ooh and aaah over each plate and beg for recipes. These are the good friends and relatives at the table, gathering in celebration of the bride and groom. And no matter the season in which the wedding will occur, there is more to bring to the table for those intimate gatherings and get-togethers than just summer salads, winter soups, fall squashes, and spring leftovers from the root cellar.

Talking trend...
Everyone is doing it; everyone is holding and hosting small, pre-nuptial gatherings at the table, from bridal luncheons and Mother-in-law teas to best-friend breakfasts and themed rehearsal dinners where food and mood go hand in hand and regardless of the season, plates popping with colorful presentations are the fare-est of them all.

Neither spring, summer, fall, nor winter precludes a beautiful plate of lusty vegetables and well-placed entrees. Plucky American spirit and inventiveness brings pages, books, and volumes of ideas to the table -- and then there's the caterer, ready to render any food event entirely simple, handling it all, including service, thus allowing the bride and/or the party-givers to remain calm, conversational, and celebratory.

Years ago, weddings were huge and held in halls and you invited everyone you knew, said Mike Orlando at Orlando's Garden Banquet Center. Now, the wedding event is smaller and has engendered more quality spin-off events, usually centered around the table, though food may play second fiddle to the gathering itself. The table is a social arena; but place well-prepared and aromatic foodstuffs in front of guests and watch the party take off.

Today's bride and groom, in their late 20's-early 30's, are often older than the average couple in the days of yore (18-22). Today's bride and groom are also career-established, earning well, and often paying for their own wedding; nuptials have become less and less a mom-and-dad sponsored affair. And while they may invite fewer guests, the couple is more likely to spend more (for quality) on the reception, assures Orlando.

Simultaneously, there are more intimate (food) gatherings throughout the pre-wedding days, including luncheons and dinners with friends and in-laws. Caterers (and even best friends) are there to offer ideas, service, and venues.

When event planner ReGina Simo decided to throw a bridal luncheon for best friend Annie, the list of invitees grew to 46. Simo wanted to hold the event in her home, for the comfort (and beauty) of it. It was March, a month famed for blowing hot, cold, and unpredictable. It is an end-of-season month when the produce section at the grocery looks a bit pale and tired and being a month of very little holiday, there are no obvious themes to play with. This was to be no problem whatsoever.

To "build" her setting, she called Party Arts to rent table linens, chairs, and chair covers. The bridal luncheon was specially (and unusually) themed, "out of desperation," says Simo who didn't want to rent 40 of all the same things. Her cupboards were packed with an assortment of linens, and she went with it to create a Formal Table, fussy and beautiful; a Casual Table; a Holiday Table with velvet tablecloths and silver reindeer cardholders (all tables had themed cardholders); an Outdoor Table, with patio furniture; and a Linen Table, using bath cloths and printed pillowcases over the chair backs.

Simo, a gourmet cook, was totally unflappable regarding the menu; she knew Annie's tastes. The food was easy -- each dish was one of the bride-to-be's favorites. She created a broccoli salad tossed with golden raisins and bacon, individual chicken pecan quiches, and individual blackberry and peach cobblers. Everything was homemade, from scratch. And she did have help in the kitchen. The afternoon kicked off with cocktails, followed by mimosas with the sit-down luncheon. Hot tea with dessert obliterated the snowy view. (In spite of the weather, 40 of the 46 invitees showed up. Simo suggests that the invitations lured them -- each was handwritten and "themed" according to the table that guest was assigned to. Note that each guest brought a bridal gift according to her assigned table's theme also.) In spite of the snowy day, the tables were bright with broccoli green, quiche-yellow, purple and peachy dessert plates. High marks for taste and appearance. A year later, the luncheon still gets kudos when the friends get together.

Beth Williams of Cuisine d'Art would certainly give Simo high marks. So much depends on the setting, says Williams, after nearly a decade in the food business, which also pulls in all the planning aspects.

When doing a pre-nuptial food event, find a good setting -- a beautiful, homey, charm-filled ambient and memorable setting. Choose someone's home, a historic cafe, or an outdoor venue -- but avoid thinking formal or franchise, she says. The next few days (months) will be filled with formal dinners and sit-downs.

Every season has fine food offerings for the table but summer peaks the charts for best and brightest and in terms of luncheon: bright asparagus, grilled yellow squash, grape tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrettes, mesclun salad in a filo cup and wood-roasted, almond-rubbed salmon with dill and pink peppercorns first come to mind. (See how poetically caterers think?) It has gorgeous appeal and plate presentation, Williams adds.

But what about Fall -- can we get past our harvest visions of pumpkin and squash to create something fabulously seasonal? Think herb-encrusted pork tenderloin, acorn and butternut squash with brown sugar and pine nuts, a wild rice pilaf, apple tartins (puff pastry in a skillet over apples and topped with caramel.) OK -- any questions about autumnal foods? Call a caterer.

And there's to be no whining about winter dishes. Yes, white is very dramatic -- great for soups. Amazing things can be done with onions and cheese. But Williams spins beef dishes, such as a bourguignon-seared sirloin with mushroom and onions, all wrapped in filo like a beggar's purse and sided with purple potatoes, baby zucchini, and patty pan squash. Is it only the language that's colorful? No, it's the plate. And don't forget chocolate, the year-round crowd pleaser. It seems particularly apropos to winter desserts. How about a chocolate pâté, a loaf of chocolate, sliced and topped with a raspberry coulis.

Spring gets no food distinction -- it runs into summer when fresh color bounty returns to the table and everyone feels lighter. Above all, make it memorable. Don't sit around a restaurant table and order from a menu. Cook -- or call for help. Go theme-ish. Williams has seen (and rendered) everything from a luau style rehearsal dinner to a very formal barbecue with ladies-in-hats and white linens. And she revels in throwing a fiesta luncheon or picnic. The secret to success? Shop... for food, yes, but for ideas first. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

And you might want to try a dessert party but be careful -- the wedding party may express concerns about fitting into their dresses and tuxes. Fine. Please pass the fruit salad.

A few food rules
There are a few rules regarding celebratory food and before breaking them, one must know them. Bryan Young of Bryan Young Catering Plus suggests a few of the following.

Presentation is always the first and most important aspect of the meal. Anything can be beautiful on the plate, even chicken pasta -- but it has to TASTE good.

Different events require different food. Wedding events often follow one right after the other, as the Big Day gets closer. If there's steak at the rehearsal dinner, you may not wish to repeat it at the wedding reception. And if there's chicken in the appetizers, don't serve it again as the entree.

Some brides are vegetarians -- until they get into their wedding gowns. But their guests are not always vegetarian -- be considerate of all tastes.

Though combination plates are popular for a sit-down gathering, do not feel compelled to oblige.

Do consider healthy foods, no matter the season. Too much sauce drowns presentations, rendering some of them completely unidentifiable. People like to see what they're eating. And go easy on the fats and oils -- that's a good rule for everyone, not just Aunt Sweetie who's on a medical heart-healthy diet.

On the other hand, you cannot please everyone. There may be only one or two vegans. Do not plan your entire meal around them. Your caterer will deal easily with the exceptions. (But if you're celebrating on the west coast, for instance, where vegetarianism is more life-style than diet restriction, acquiesce.) Be considerate of special food requests but do not give guests a choice. This is your day, your way, and your celebration.

Buffets are informal; plated sit-downs are formal. Buffets require walking and balancing dishes -- how old are your guests and can they manage the balancing act? (Also duly note: Sit-downs require decent conversationalists.)

Buffet-style, for any food gathering, allows choice -- everyone is happy.

No season is more difficult than the other in terms of finding food. We are no longer hunters and gatherers. If you want something particular on the plate, speak up. Your chef/caterer can get it; your best friend will find it.

Know your budget; be realistic. Is a caterer expensive? Aren't you worth it? Get help.

This article was contributed by Saint Louis Bride Magazine, working in partnership with Wedding-Club.com. If you have questions or comments about this article, please email their editor at nancy.slade@wheremagazine.com.