When you think of how you want your wedding to be, you want every detail to be perfect and suited to your taste. You want your guests to be wowed by the food they’ve been served and match the rest of your beautiful night. The food served at your wedding is most likely one of the most vital parts of the occasion. This isn’t your average event, it’s your wedding reception! You want your menu to reflect the both of you as a couple and the theme of the whole night. 

There are numerous ways to choose a menu that suits your style as a couple and pleases your wedding guests. Throughout this process, you’ll come across many questions to ask yourself. How can I stay within my budget? How should I serve drinks? How do I know what food everyone will want to eat? 

Keep reading to answer these questions and learn more!

Offer a Variety of Food Options

While your wedding reception menu should represent your tastes, you also need to ensure that it’s also a selection that your guests will enjoy as well. This day is still a celebration for the two of you but also remember to thank your guests and use the food and drink menu to show gratitude. Even if you’re a meat-lover, not all your guests may be so offer options for both carnivores and plant-based lovers alike. Aside from food preference, you also want to be aware of any intolerances or allergies people may have. Offer food options that are safe for people with certain food intolerance. This way all your guests will be able to enjoy the celebration and not go hungry. 

Staying Within a Budget

 When you have your ideal list for your wedding menu in mind it can be difficult to not stray off your budget. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can keep your menu budget-friendly. 

If you maintain a theme for your food and drink this could prevent the need for a larger variety of ingredients needed. This also gives a general idea of what your guests will expect and get excited about. Holding daytime or ending the night earlier can also reduce the costs as many venues tend to charge less for earlier weddings or ones with short run times. 

When it comes to drinks, you can curate a list of different signature cocktails with your caterer that your guests can choose from. This way you can keep up with the theme and even name them after you and your partner all while reducing costs. It’s also best to know if your guests are big drinkers, as the more they drink the higher the cost will be. 

Open Bar or Cash Bar at the Wedding

While it’s perfectly fine to not opt for an open bar at the wedding if you choose to do so it won’t be something your guests will complain about. An open bar can help boost the celebration and show as another way of thanking the guests just as equally as the food menu. Signature cocktails have been trending lately and are the perfect way to show you and your partners’ style. You can present two cocktails, one for the bride and one for the groom to mix in each of your tastes. Not everyone is a cocktail fan, so adding some beer and wine options is a safe bet. 

With a cash bar, your guests will be paying for their drinks. If you’re looking to save up this could be the option for you but also creates a different atmosphere for your wedding. Your guests may not be up for paying for drinks and the process of a cash bar can take longer. You want to keep your wedding party celebrating, rather than waiting in a long line for drinks. However, this choice is best if you don’t have a crowd of big drinkers. 

Work With a Caterer 

With all these considerations in mind, it’s always best to work with a caterer to find the best methods and create the food reception menu that’s just what you want for your special day. Figuring the reception menu is extremely stressful on top of the other details that go into your wedding. Save yourself from this amount of stress by hiring a caterer who is an expert in this field and will be sure to fulfill your needs. 

When you book an event at Cadence at the Strip, you’re promised quality food for your wedding with Common Plea Catering. Common Plea is available for both large and small weddings and your guests are bound to experience a unique and fulfilling array of foods. You’ll be able to work together to perfectly create the menu that fits you.

FINDING YOUR CADENCE

People often ask about the origin of our name. Many people mistake the meaning with the popular women's name Candace, or guess that it was named after a child or special someone.  In actuality, the could have lots of meanings.

In running, cadence is often defined as the total number of steps you take per minute. An easy way to measure your cadence on a run is to count the times your feet hit the ground in 60 seconds. ... Good runners usually have a higher cadence because they usually go faster than beginners.

On the bike side, we look at pedal revolutions per minute (a.k.a. RPMs).  Cadence is the rate at which a cyclist pedals. 

For many, there is a cadence to a workout, a pace or tempo they try to keep.  In the military, there is a cadence to marching, a way of keeping time together.

It can have a spiritual connotation as well, just like our beginnings here at Cadence Clubhouse, which was founded on Christian principles and values. Cadence can be the beat of our walk through life. The rhythmic patterns of footsteps hitting the dirt or waves crashing on a shore can be quite therapeutic and some might even say spiritual, allowing a connection with God.

Cadence is a simple term with lots of meaning! For us, Cadence is all of these and even more... just don't call us Candace!  

The Rehearsal Dinner is no longer the simple affair of the past. Traditionally arranged and paid for by the groom’s family, now couples, entire families, and even friends have been coming together to put together a unique experience that mirrors taste and style of the soon to be married couple.

 Not sure which direction is right for you? Here are our Five Top Tips to help you decide what your perfect rehearsal dinner will look like.

1) Start With the Three  W’s & Two H’s.

Save yourself some stress and start with your 3W’s by deciding early on WHO will be hosting the rehearsal dinner, WHERE it will be held, and WHEN to hold it.

Your 2H’S come next. Once you know the host, determine HOW MUCH they are comfortable budgeting and HOW MANY guests that budget allows. Keep in mind that feelings can be sensitive so it’s important to have these conversations early and openly. Once these decisions are made you can start planning the fun stuff. 

Cadence @ the Strip can walk you through all your questions with our many exciting offerings for every vision and budget.

2) Make it Your Own

 Choose a fun theme and personalize the space. Pictures or album of the bride and groom through the years are a fun way for guests to interact and share memories.

3) Your Guest list

Take time to decide what type of event you want and build your Rehearsal Guest List. Go through your wedding guest list and see how many people are coming in from out of town and if you will include them. Your Rehearsal Dinner is the perfect opportunity to break the ice and make introductions. If a Big Rehearsal dinner isn’t for you, another option is to design a guide for visiting guests of recommended places to visit and eat around town on their free night.

4) Your  Venue

 Location of your rehearsal dinner is open to many options, but there are a few things you want to keep in mind. Rehearsal dinners tend to be smaller than other gatherings during your wedding weekend, but can grow if you have a large family or friends coming in from out of town and choose to include them.

Think about the venue of your rehearsal related to your dinner, can the facility accommodate the numbers for the type of event you desire? How busy does the venue get during the time you’ve scheduled your celebration? Does the food match your theme? The more coordinated you can be with your planner and faclity…the smoother your planning will go. You can make your rehearsal dinner anything you want, just make sure your venue has what you need.

 5) Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Take the time to plan out a schedule for your day and evening. Give yourself plenty of time for your rehearsal and transportation to the dinner. This may be a travel day for some…so allow for potential delays. Schedule time throughout your dinner for toasts. Mix the toasts up during the dinner between family and friends. Have a member of your wedding party act as an emcee and toast wrangler.

Finally, enjoy this intimate time with family and friends. For many, the rehearsal dinner will become a cherished memory with best friends that will last a lifetime.

We all have unique gifts. We can use them to build others up, to encourage, and to inspire. The team at Cadence Clubhouse have the gifts of organization and community building, of creativity and boldness. These characteristics are required to take a massive industrial space, the home of Pro-bike + Run in North Park and add to it a cozy hometown café where locals can enjoy rich coffee, specialty wine and craft beer, freshly made bakery items and gourmet-ish food, and also something that has been lacking since early 2020.

Live. Music.

Live Music!

Aligning with their gifts as community builders, one of the goals of the Cadence Clubhouse team is to bring local musicians in to play at the cafe. It hasn’t been an easy year for bands, vocalists or songwriters. Most venues have either shut down live music due to lack of funds or because of COVID-related concerns, leaving artists stranded. Cadence has brought live music back to a community of both musicians and audiences that have genuinely been craving just this.

Fia, a fifteen-year old singer-songwriter from Gibsonia, has performed twice at Cadence. She loves the chill coffee house atmosphere, where people can listen casually as they enjoy their food and company amidst the high ceilings and sunshine that floods through floor-to-ceiling windows. Fia released her first hit single Dreams About You in January 2020. Her EP - Can You Hear Me Now - released the following March. By then the pandemic was in full swing, causing cancellations of several gigs, including her CD release concert. Despite the difficult year, Fia managed to perform fairly often at private events, and her music has been shared worldwide on Spotify, Apple and other streaming services. She has played original music all over Pittsburgh and loves Cadence because it’s a supportive and relaxed environment, the perfect place to try out new originals or covers she has been working on.

And also, she loves the coffee. Everyone does.

Fia has played in the café and is looking forward to playing in the beer garden or for one of the evening events Cadence often hosts, whether it be a wine flight Thursday or a game night Friday. It’s a wonderful place to perform, and it’s great to be part of Cadence+’s vision to support creativity, inspire people to use their unique gifts, and build community.

For event and entertainment info, follow Cadence Clubhouse on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CadenceClubhousePBR and on instagram @cadence_clubhouse. For info on Fia, follow her on Instagram @fiamusicofficial or Fia Faletti on Facebook. Find Fia’s music on Spotify, Apple and all other streaming services.