By Silver Star Event and Decor Hire

Gone are the days of people sitting down for long, heavy meals at events, and only speaking to those directly next to them. These days it is more about connecting with people than eating. And thus, the popularity of food stations is on the increase.

With food stations, you can go any direction you want to. At a wedding, (which is typically a longer event) – you can, for instance, have food stations for guests to nibble at, while the wedding couple gets their pictures taken. Grazing tables with a variety of cold meats – or in South Africa some dried meats, like biltong and droëwors – with cheeses, dips, pieces of bread and fruits are a very good idea to keep guests occupied.

“At a wedding for which we did the planning, coordination and décor, the grazing station was such a hit, the guests did not want to move away for the wedding cake picture!” says Maryke Minnaar, owner of Silver Star Events and Décor. “You also get to extend your theme even more, through the use of relevant crockery, serving products and décor items.”

She says that there has been an upsurge in using food stations in South Africa the past two years. “Stations are very popular at any type of event, be it weddings, baby showers, children’s parties, grown-up parties or even corporate events.”

Candy buffets and popcorn stations work very well at weddings, baby showers and smaller children’s parties. “Not only does it look very pretty, but people are still having conversations while trying out everything. I think people eat less too, with food stations,” says Maryke. “Here you can bring in smaller serving plates and utensils, and add cake stands and mason jars for serving. It looks very festive.”

For corporate events, Maryke suggests looking at sushi and oyster bars. “How you serve and present the food at the stations adds to the atmosphere and theme that you want to create. Add a gin bar with fancy glasses, and serving bowls for fruits like strawberries, pomegranate, pomelo and kiwi, jugs with mint and water, and big silver bowls for ice with fruit in it and you’ve upped your event to trendy, instantly.”

She says that something like the champagne popsicle is a nice new trend away from the traditional welcoming drinks. “Not only is it refreshing on a hot day, but it looks so beautiful when combined with our large ranch bowl full of crushed ice,” she says.

Contact Silver Star Events and Décor for a whole range of Candy and Food station items and ideas.