4 minute read
ONE-STOP SHOPPING FOR SMALL, BACKYARD WEDDINGS
Taylor Paull shows off a small section of Sullivan’s champagne and wine selections couples can choose from to ensure guests have great alcoholic options at their reception.
Sullivan’s Foods and other grocery stores can be a source of wedding reception essentials
Story and photos by Shannon Serpette
Some couples have scrapped their plans of having a big wedding and reception because of the coronavirus pandemic. Their new plans often include a more scaled-down affair, with a smaller guest list and a more intimate location.
Brides who are now only having 20 or so guests instead of the 200 they had first envisioned may not want to take all their time doing extensive planning when it’s only their best friends or closest family who will be there for the event.
Still, other couples are opting to have a small gathering now for a tiny wedding, with hopes of having a large reception to celebrate their marriage within the next year, hoping the newly-released vaccine will get rid of the pandemic.
For brides who don’t have much time or energy to plan a simple wedding, one alternative is going to stores that address several key aspects of weddings and receptions. Sullivan’s Foods in Princeton is one such store, where you can find a catering department, a huge wine selection, and a bakery.
“We do catering from the deli, hot and cold food,” Taylor Paull, manager at Sullivan’s, said. “We do cheese
One of the most requested catering items for weddings and receptions at Sullivan’s Food is their fried chicken.
trays, veggie trays, and fruit trays.” Sullivan’s gets a lot of business by providing the food for weddings and supplying the employees to cater the events.
“I personally helped the deli with a 200-person wedding when I first started here,” Paull said.
Sullivan’s lets you customize your menu, or you can go with packages. One package, the Taste of America menu, includes roasted sirloin or beef, rolls, baked chicken, and your choice of sides like mashed potatoes, cheesy hashed brown potatoes, green bean casserole, and more. They also offer a wedding meal featuring one of the superstars of their deli – their fried chicken.
Angie Bohm, the deli manager at Sullivan’s, said the chicken is one of the most requested items for weddings.
“We have Italian beef that is also very popular that I make homemade,” Bohm said.
When taking food orders for receptions and weddings, she has noticed a decrease in the number of weddings. Those that do take place generally don’t have as many guests as many weddings did pre-pandemic.
“It’s been smaller lately,” Bohm said.
The last one she prepared food for was an outdoor, socially-distanced wedding that was going to have up to 75 people.
When hiring Sullivan’s to prepare food for receptions, the store can drop off the items or stay and serve it to guests, depending upon the COVID-19 restrictions at the time.
Once the meal has been planned, brides need to think about desserts and beverages.
The bakery at Sullivan’s can do wedding cakes, but they can also offer numerous other dessert options that may better suit a smaller reception.
“We do a lot of cupcakes,” Paull said.
When planning for something to wash down that dessert, couples can look at Sullivan’s extensive wine selection instead of hiring someone to operate a full open bar for just a few guests. The wine is often listed at a good price at Sullivan’s because the store orders it in mass quantities.
“We have a lot of wine,” Paull said.
If you don’t see the wine you’d like, Sullivan’s will try to order it for you.
“We can bring in special wine,” she said. “We also locally carry August Hill wine, which we sell a ton of.”
Brides who aren’t picky about which brand of wine they serve at their wedding can often score a good deal by watching for sale prices on certain brands of wine at Sullivan’s.
And if you’re having a small wedding and only need a few flowers or a small bouquet for the bride, Sullivan’s, which doesn’t generally carry flowers, will work with you.
“We can order flowers. We’ve done some vases. We do have a vendor we can order flowers through,” Paull said.
We havebeenservingCentralIllinoisforeightdecadesandthreegenerations.Letour experienceandqualityassureyouthatyouwillbesatisfiedwithyourdinnerneeds Callustodaytobookyourevent,ourfriendlystaffwillputtogetheramenuthatwill surelysuityourneeds.
