Goodbye wedding breakfast, hello hog roast

Data revealed by Yorkshire based HRH Group has shown that couples are changing up the traditional wedding format to do away with formalities and spend more time celebrating with loved ones - potentially a hangover from COVID when so many weddings were cancelled and families and friends kept apart for so long. The group, which offers bespoke weddings from The Yorkshire Hotel in Harrogate, is noting an increased trend for customers shunning the formal sit down meal after their ceremony and diving in feet first to what used to be the ‘night do’, but is now very much the main event for many celebrations.
Interior dining room at wedding venue

The weddings team has seen a huge increase in bigger evening dos with food instead of a wedding breakfast. Couples that do still want a formal meal, are in the main choosing to have theirs on the night before the wedding with the immediate wedding party as their guests.

Then the big day itself is focussed on dancing, drinking and informal food choices. The hotel's big favourites for 2022 have been burgers with Chorizo jam, smoked Applewood and skinny fries, buttermilk chicken, beer battered haddock with minted peas, proper chips and homemade tartare and a hog roast! One thing that hasn't changed is dessert - the top selling wedding dessert at the hotel since it launched its new wedding venue remains Sticky Toffee Pudding!

Simon Cotton, Managing Director of HRH Group, said: "We have noticed a real shift so far in 2022. Our brides and grooms are wanting to enjoy their wedding days more and reduce the stress and formality. They are choosing a small dinner the night before, then a ceremony followed by a bigger party and skipping the wedding breakfast. Rather than a buffet for evening guests, they are going for informal dining options such as burgers or the hog roast. As many of 40% have done this so far this year.

"What these changes haven't meant is a reduction in budgets though. Brides certainly aren't choosing cheaper options and most are using this new format to invite 50 per cent more guests but they are spending more on making sure that their guests really enjoy themselves with more money often going behind the bar. We are tweaking our offering accordingly ensuring that the bespoke weddings we curate at The Yorkshire Hotel have as many options as possible to offer our couples a truly dream day."

In response to these trends HRH Group has made some changes to the sample menus it offers at The Yorkshire Hotel. The 81 room boutique hotel offers a 100 per cent bespoke service for all wedding meals but guests do often ask to see examples so the hotel now offers a range from five course fine dining to much less traditional 'fast food' options and buffets with a twist, alongside street food and the hog roast.

The four star hotel's brand-new wedding suite has been tastefully designed by leading interior design teams to create a stylish wedding venue, complementing the hotel's Victorian heritage whilst hosting everything the modern-day happy couple could dream of on their special day. Its range of packages are carefully crafted to combine delicious dining from the group's AA rosette head chef, Richard Ferebee, and drinks options blended by barman of the year, Dario Silveria.

With an elegant Victorian exterior, the Yorkshire Hotel was built-in 1818 with its incredible rooftop view of the town and 81 bedrooms.
It is the perfect choice for a short break, family holiday or business trip with world famous Bettys Tea Rooms and Harrogate International Centre on the doorstep, plus some of Yorkshire's best known attractions only a short stroll away, the town centre hotel offers a great stay in an ideal location.
Visit: https://www.the-yorkshire.co.uk/weddings/wedding-trends/

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