The team at Ed Dixon Food Design ‘live and love food’. Creating spectacular occasions of all kinds since 2001, the team at Ed Dixon Food Design know just how to throw an amazing party!
With an eclectic range of incredible event spaces plus their beautiful menus that look almost too good to eat (almost!), Ed Dixon Food Design has gone from strength to strength over the last 17 years.
We were so delighted to speak to the team of catering and event gurus at Ed Dixon Food Design to find out about their wedding and event trend predictions for this year and to get their top tips on how to make an event really special.
What are the Ed Dixon Food Design team’s catering and event trend predictions for 2018?
Shared dining is still easily our most popular menu for weddings and events and we’ve seen this evolve into huge grazing tables. In 2018 we think this will lead to more DIY food stations – taco bars, sundae toppings, “pimp your Prosecco”, etc. This type of event is a win-win – guests enjoy the novelty of something different whilst hosts can tackle dietary requirements, quantities and variety really easily.
The focus on health is continuing with trends leaning towards a more vegan offering – poke bowls, acai bowls, substantial salads. Also, non-alcoholic cocktails are increasing in popularity.
At the other end of the scale, we’re also seeing an increase in ‘midnight snacks’ at weddings and evening events. Think pulled pork sliders, loaded fries and mini ice-creams – carnival type food!
Tell us about some of the most unique spaces that you create in events in.
The most unique space we’ve been in recently would be the Gershwin Room at The Espy. We did an event there whilst the rest of The Espy was still gutted. The atmosphere was super spooky!
What are the team’s favourite wedding style predictions for this season?
For styling themes, we think Scandi will still be big – timber, clean lines and a warm atmosphere work so well at weddings, also the style is very accessible as it’s present in many areas of our lives; furniture, décor, etc. We predict the Palm Springs theme to become more commonplace – the colour palettes are great and everyone loves a relaxed summer vibe! We also think balloon installations will become bigger and crazier!
The other trend we’re predicting is more wed-stivals – Festival Weddings. We’ve started doing a few of these, but with the popularity of glamping, music festivals and festival-type styling, we see this becoming more popular.
Tips for event planners – what are your team’s top tips for organising memorable events this year?
• We love an outdoor party however always make sure a wet weather contingency is in place!
• Trust your suppliers – they are (generally) experts and have a heap of experience planning events like yours.
• Preparation is key – we recommend maintain a Master Sheet, which has all your supplier details and information. This will allow your Event Manager to identify gaps or troubleshoot BEFORE the day of your event.
• When in doubt, pay a professional. Similar to the saying “If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur…” You will NOT feel like hanging lights or putting on chair covers on the morning of your wedding. You also won’t feel like packing up and carrying everything home after your reception so pay the extra and have it all done for you.
• And in terms of weddings – take a moment to soak it all up – it goes way too fast!
What’s new at Ed Dixon Food Design?
We have a new head chef who is bringing a wealth of knowledge and fresh ideas to the team. Plus, a change of season means new menus are out soon! Watch this space.
If you want to make your wedding or upcoming event reallys special, contact the awesome team of foodies at Ed Dixon Food Design today.
*Feature image credit @bravonovember