In medieval times hog roasts were very popular, you would not have been to any function or banquet without seeing a hog with an apple in its mouth. Gently turning and roasting, whilst being admired by all the guests.  Until recently the hog roast was not seen that often, but it is making a return. Having a hog roast at your wedding, is a low maintenance meal to have. There is very little preparation involved and can feed a small army of people. A whole hog can feed 120-150 people easily, ideally for a whole hog to be worth roasting you would need at least 50 guests at your wedding breakfast. For smaller wedding parties, it would be advised to opt for a smaller animal, like a lamb.

There are two ways of cooking your hog, you can either choose to leave it to the professionals and hire a team to deal with it all or cook it yourselves. If you choose to hire professionals then they will do everything.  They will set the equipment up, cook the hog, and clean up at the end of your wedding. This option does take the worry away from you, and although more expensive, it will give you peace of mind and you can enjoy your day.

If you decide to do it yourself, cooking a hog roast is very simple; the golden rule of spit roasting is that the heat source has to be 12 inches away from the hog. Any closer and you will be serving char grilled instead of roasted hog. Many spit roast machines do come pre fitted at 12 inches so you do not have to worry. The heat needs to be constant, as the hog turns. The whole hog should take at least 7 hours to cook to perfection, and then you will need to take into consideration the carving time. It is a very slow process, but it is relaxed cooking method. Your guests will be watering at the mouth watching their dinner slow roasting, and will make your wedding memorable.

When deciding how best to serve the hog, it is totally down to personal taste. Some people opt to serve it with potatoes and vegetables in a more formal sit down style, with the guests being served by waiting staff. Or simply turn it into a good old fashioned barbeque with other meats, salads, fish and vegetables available. The choices are endless with something so simple. Vegetarians will need to be catered for and you could offer them stuffed peppers, quiches or nut cutlets as an alternative. Hog roasts can be done at any time of day, from sunset to sunrise.
 

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Appetizers come first and your guests will appreciate a small assortment of snacks that are tasty but not messy.  For this reason, anything with a great deal of liquid is a bad idea.  Vegetable platters are good place to start, and any vegetable platter can be dressed up by adding a really knock-out dip.  This is also a good place for cheese.  While you might want to avoid the Super Bowl-party cubes of cheddar, a variety of small cheeses with herbed crackers can make a tasteful addition to the table. 

Quartered sandwiches with the crusts cut and artfully arranged is a regular crowd favorite, and you can surprise your guests with interesting fillings.  While ham and cheese are popular, you might want to try chicken salad, crab and cream cheese, and tomato and basil.  Try to suit the food to the weather as well; during a summer reception, your guests will thank you for those cool cucumber sandwiches!

For a more international feel, if your budget allows, you might want consider sushi rolls.  You can roll the sushi yourself, substituting regular tuna in place of more exotic fillings, and provide your guests with a fascinating new experience. 

For a sweet finisher, a fruit plate with in-season fruit is always a winner.  If you live close to any farms, you might consider seeing if they have anything they can provide you with; fresher is always better, and if you can get fresh, in-season strawberries at your wedding, it’ll be one the guests will remember for a long time.  For the winter months, try something a bit richer.

For affordable wines, look around your area for good ideas and bargains.  You can often get some discounts if you buy several cases from the same seller.  Especially if your wedding party is larger, you may want to consider shopping online; there are some wonderful bargains available if you know where to look.  You can also have a completely non-alcoholic wedding party as well, substituting sparkling grape juice; then pregnant mothers, children and non-drinkers and can enjoy it as well.

Between things like the clothes and the venue rental and the flowers, it can be easily to forget how much the food for a wedding adds up.  Depending on how large the wedding party is, it is possible for the food costs to spiral up to thousands of dollars.  Luckily, there are many ways to cut costs and still have a great time!
 

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