Wedding Banquet Trends to Watch in 2025

As the new year gets into full swing, 2025 wedding banquet trends have only continued to solidify. From interactive meals to bespoke cocktails to memory-laden menus, these trends can make wedding planning that much easier. And at The Four Columns, it is our goal to use our wedding coordination, catering and event design services to ensure that these plans go off without a hitch. To start, we’ll help to inspire you by sharing our impressions of this year’s wedding banquet trends.

The stars of any wedding banquet are, of course, the food and drinks couples serve to their guests. But over the past few years, wedding menus have gained a new level of thoughtfulness. Banquets are no longer just a good meal for the couple and guests to enjoy; they are lively and meaningful affairs meant to engage guests and create a memorable experience for everyone involved. And alongside nostalgic and interactive dishes, many couples are also looking toward more sustainable and plant-based menus that support the health of both guests and the planet. 

These 2025 wedding food trends are taking shape through menu additions including: 

Wedding Drinks and Appetizers

1. Late-night snacks—with an elevated twist

It can be difficult to keep your energy up all night long without something to snack on, and couples have been delivering. Of course, these trending menu items aren’t any old nibbles. While many couples have been focusing on comfort foods, they are serving them with an elevated bent. Truffle fries, ramen bars, artisanal popcorn, milkshakes, donuts and more may all be on the menu for weddings that go long into the night. 

2. Grazing tables

This wedding trend takes charcuterie boards to the next level. Alongside typical additions like cheeses, fruits and cured meats, grazing tables may include options such as sushi, bruschetta and other artisanal appetizers.

3. Bespoke cocktails

No more choosing cocktails from a limited drinks menu; this wedding season, many couples are allowing their guests to personalize their drinks with bespoke cocktail bars. This gives guests the chance to choose what they want in their drinks—and that includes the presence of alcohol. For nonalcoholic attendees, creative artisanal mocktails are becoming equally popular.

Trending Entree and Dessert Options

1. Nostalgic comfort foods

From pizza to burgers to pasta dishes to sweet and savory pies, more couples are focusing on foods which have personal meaning to them. These dishes may hark back to happy moments from the couple’s past, or be intended to bring back the comforting feeling of a beloved family member’s cooking. What’s important isn’t how elevated the dish is, but how it tastes—as well as the memories it evokes.

2. Sustainability, plant-based foods and zero-waste catering

Health-conscious menus are no longer confined to day-to-day life; in 2025, they have begun to grow in popularity at weddings, too. While these menus may make it easier to cater to vegan and vegetarian guests, the focus is on providing a delicious and environmentally-conscious meal. This may include featuring seasonal fruits and vegetables, buying ingredients from local growers and adopting zero-waste practices. That is, reducing food waste by using most or all of each ingredient, as well as ensuring no prepared food gets thrown away post-wedding. 

3. Passed desserts

Traditional plated desserts are becoming a thing of the past. In 2025, couples are focusing on passed desserts—miniature versions of traditional desserts which are passed to guests like hors d’oeuvres. 

Of course, when it comes to wedding banquets, it isn’t just the food that matters—it’s the way the food is presented. From seating arrangements to serving styles, the design of your wedding banquet can play a large role in both the ambience and movement of your event. 2025 wedding banquet trends include layout and tablescape elements such as:

How Should Meals Be Served?

1. Interactive meal stations

Trending build-your-own bars aren’t just focused on drinks; these stations may allow you to personalize everything from entrees to desserts to late-night snacks. And at some weddings, they may even include entertainment such as cooking demonstrations in order to further entice guests. No matter their specific purpose, these displays tend to be elaborate and attractive, practically serving as a wedding decoration in their own right. 

2. Serving styles

Among the serving styles seeing a surge in popularity in 2025 are family-style meals and classic, multi-course plated dinners, each of which can offer something unique to your wedding. Family-style meals make use of large food platters shared by attendees, encouraging connection and an intimate ambience. Plated dinners, on the other hand, are both efficient and elegant, allowing caterers to turn each dish into a work of art. And while this style of meal may not be as intimate, it often allows guests to try a range of dishes while engaging in conversation with their tablemates. 

Table Style and Decoration

1. Curved tables

Whether short semicircle tables or long serpentine tables, curved tables of all kinds are becoming more popular in 2025. They may bring both a playful and modern ambience to your wedding, and their organic shapes are particularly appropriate for outdoor receptions. Additionally, the shapes of these tables may encourage movement and make it easier to arrange tables in unique formats.

2. Fruit and vegetable centerpieces

Just as seasonal harvests are becoming more popular in wedding meals, they are also becoming more prevalent in table decor. Richly-colored fruits such as plums, pomegranates and grapes may be paired with visually and texturally interesting produce such as tomato vines and cabbages. When arranged correctly, these centerpieces can become just as much a feast for the eyes as they would be for the tastebuds. 

Bring Your Wedding Banquet Dreams to Life with The Four Columns

In short, 2025 wedding banquets are all about making memories and being more conscious—of each other, of your health and of your effect on the planet. But they are also about being true to your own pasts and desires. While trends can certainly be helpful for planning your wedding, they are by no means a set guide. In the end, your wedding banquet should be what you want it to be, whether that means following trends or not.

A wedding should tell the story of a married couple, and at The Four Columns, it is our goal to help you bring that story to life. From expansive, stylish ballrooms to a mouthwatering catering menu, our team has everything you need to make your big day truly memorable. So if you’re ready to start making your wedding dreams a reality, simply give us a call or send us a message today.