How to Prepare a Colonial Wedding Feast
So, you’ve gotten your pristine gown from the latest fashion designers of the 17th century. You’ve arranged your guest list and sent everyone your hand-written invitations, complete with waxed seal. You have friends and family picking flowers for your hair and reception. The only thing left on your list is catering, right? Here’s how a colonial wedding planner would handle this situation.
Hosting the Wedding
Victorian weddings would be more like what we know today. Colonial weddings were very much a product of circumstance. Most people didn’t have a lot of money, and most buildings were made very simply. As a result, weddings were typically held at a large home where everyone would be able to gather for the big day.
A Few Considerations
Before you order your food, what day is it? If the day happens to land somewhere in the winter, you can mostly forget about fresh vegetables. If the wedding is in Boston, people from Charleston are going to have some comments about the cuisine, as they are used to different foods. What about wealth? The amount of money a family can bring to the planning process most certainly influenced cuisine.
Also, European cookbooks were the norm back then because it was all one could get easily. American printing presses had yet to take off, so many recipes were borrowed from England and France.
Making the Cake
Colonial wedding cakes were rich and spicy. They were piled high with dried fruits, more akin to fruitcakes you get at Christmas. Alcohol was also added to make the cake moist and add additional flavors to the dough, and nuts gave it a certain crunch.
About the Author: Samuel Phineas Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media and Telecom group. You may contact Phin on his Samuel Phineas Upham website or Twitter.