East Meets West
Combining hyper-fresh ingredients and beautiful presentations, the team at East Meets West keeps in close contact with clients, venues, and other vendors to make certain each wedding goes off without a hitch. And you can count on the cuisine, which includes a delectable fusion of dishes ranging from raw bars with freshly shucked oysters to passed hors d’oeuvre such as Vietnamese summer rolls and beef- tenderloin-topped brioche toasts. eastmeetswestcatering.com.
Forklift
Mediterranean, Asian, classic American—this Union Square caterer will happily hop from cuisine to cuisine for your wedding spread, incorporating vegan and gluten-free menus with ease. Chefs Dennis Tourse and Jamie Rogers are tight with local farmers, which translates to personalized menus featuring natively sourced ingredients whenever possible. Top requests include avocado beggars' purses and fava-bean crostini with wild mushrooms. 5 Sanborn Ct., Somerville, MA 02143, forkliftcatering.com.
La Bonne Maison
BK&B No generic pasta bowls here: La Bonne Maison appeals to foodies with creative fare such as buttermilk-chicken sliders with hot--pepper jelly, and stuffed apples, baked to perfection. Opt for the team’s full-service catering or easy drop-off meals, and don’t forget the cocktails; the “Flower Child,” for example, blends tequila, orange blossom honey, and hibiscus. 367 California St., Newton, MA 02458, labonnemaison.com.
Max Ultimate Food
The sadly standard wedding victuals (banal cheese selections, limp veggie platters) find no place on the menus of MAX Ultimate Food, provider of both impeccable service and outstanding cuisine. The company's repertoire marries the creative with the classic: grilled shrimp with blood orange glaze, roasted duck and caramelized shallot tartlet, and lobster blini tied with chive. There's no taste too exotic, no request too outlandish for the indefatigable crew headed by good veterans Neal Balkowitsch and Dan Mathieu—from tiny weddings to big fat Greek blowouts. 100 Magazine St., Boston, MA maxultimatefood.com.
East Meets West
As challenging as combining two families may seem to a bride and groom, the caterer has an equally tough job: feeding them. East Meets West's creative menus promise to keep both sets of in-laws happy—chicken stuffed with mozzarella and pesto for his Mediterranean clan, mushroom ravioli with sun-dried tomatoes for her vegetarian relatives. Now, if only there were a way to get everyone on the same page about the reception music... 212 Old Colony Ave., Boston, MA eastmeetswestcatering.com.
Season to Taste
Season to Taste’s creative farm-to-table menus make a big impact at wedding receptions without creating a big carbon footprint. Chef-owner Robert Harris is passionate about sustainability in catering, showcasing the season’s bounty in ever-creative ways: take his summer heirloom-tomato bar, which offers six or seven varieties prepared to order with mozzarella, basil purée, balsamic-cider reduction, and crusty bread. Staffers will even deliver leftover food to a homeless shelter upon request, making sure absolutely nothing goes to waste. 2447 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 2140, seasontotastecatering.com.
The Herb Lyceum at Gilson's
Micro weddings are here to stay — and no venue caters to them quite like the Herb Lyceum. Its amenity-laden package includes access to party spots such as an airy greenhouse; locally sourced cuisine prepared by catering partner Puritan & Company, which uses herbs grown on-site; and an in-house planner to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. 368 Main St., Groton, MA 01450, herblyceum.com.
Chive Events
Drawing from an arsenal of locally sourced produce, Chive whips up such mouthwatering dishes as apple-and-wine-braised short ribs and decadent cocoa-caramel cream puffs. Need another reason to book? To avoid wasting food, the company delivers leftovers to local composting businesses. Virtue never tasted so good. 30 Rantoul St., Beverly, MA 01915, chiveevents.com.
Saltbox Kitchen
Chef-owner Ben Elliott, whose grandparents started the family farm in the 1940s, grows garden staples and lesser-known heirloom veggies and raises sheep for meat, chickens for eggs, and bees for honey, which translates to the freshest ingredients possible on your wedding plate. His stint as chef de cuisine at Barbara Lynch’s No. 9 Park, meanwhile, translates to creative, beautifully plated dishes—from wild striped bass with tomato agrodolce in the summer to handmade tagliatelle with white-wine-braised rabbit and charred baby onions in the fall. 84 Commonwealth Ave., Concord, MA saltboxkitchen.com.
Boston Unique Events
It's your wedding and all you got was this lousy, rubbery chicken. Make your special day special by hiring Boston Unique Events. Owner Susan Callender puts together wedding menus with a chef s eye, and her seasonal dishes lemon-marinated grilled scallops, warm pumpkin-ginger bisque, seafood crêpes with thyme cream made with fresh ingredients and plated with a subtle flair, ensure the food looks as good as you do. 498 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA bostonuniqueevents.com.
Institute of Contemporary Art
Photo by Henry + Mac You don’t have to be an art lover to appreciate the grandeur of a wedding at the ICA. With skyhigh ceilings and swaths of glass (to say nothing of the city and harbor views), the museum’s customizable event spaces are truly in a league of their own. But it’s not just the architecture that stands out; with artfully prepared cuisine from the seasoned wedding vets at the Catered Affair, the ICA’s exclusive caterer, you’ll be more than satisfied even if you don’t duck out to enjoy the galleries (although you totally should). 25 Harbor Shore Dr., Boston, MA 02210, icaboston.org.
Hamlet & Kenn
Primarily a caterer, their cookies and petits fours are unrivaled. 123 Appleton St., Boston, MA .
Boyajian's Smoked North Atlantic Salmon
Smoky, see-through, and silky, it's perfect for Sunday brunch, but almost too good to be smothered with cream cheese on a bagel. Instead, we prefer it on toast with chopped onion and capers.
The Spa at Chatham Bars Inn
Courtesy of Chatham Bars Inn No need to forfeit the Cape’s sea breeze when you unwind with a treatment at the Chatham Bars Inn’s spa: Surrounded by nature and the salty air from the ocean less than a quarter-mile away, its private outdoor cabanas are the perfect spot to unwind with a bliss-inducing deep-tissue CBD massage. If you’re looking to make relaxation the full focus of your Cape getaway, book one of the hotel’s spa suites (in-room soaking tub, sauna, and steam shower included). 297 Shore Rd., Chatham, MA 02633, chathambarsinn.com.
With Panache
Rene Oranburg's firm will stage any kind of get-together you want, arranging for caterers, decorations, and entertainment. Reasonable fees, too. 110 Independence Dr., Chestnut Hill, MA 617-469-9736.