The trickiest thing about weddings is that although every bride and groom (OK -- mainly the bride) want the day to be perfect and always start out with the best intentions, it is rarely just about their own wishes. So many factors go into creating a menu for the most important meal of your life, especially since you'll be sharing it with those you love. And there are countless other issues to consider. At times it can seem that, no matter what you serve, it will never satisfy all the needs of the day. Coincidently, I am in the midst of planning my own nuptials, so I have recently been tackling this very issue. If you have ever been married, or planned a wedding, I have no doubt you know exactly what I mean.

Forget all the other particulars a wedding entails; selecting the wedding menu is enough to overwhelm you completely. First the venue must be considered (indoors or out, banquet hall, loft space, restaurant or country field), then of course the season comes into play. And what about formality -- seated dinner, family-style feast, buffet, or cocktail reception? How conventional or how offbeat? Of course each of your backgrounds must play a role, as well as family traditions, dietary restrictions, allergies, size, caterer specialties, who pays the bills ... the list goes on. With all this in mind, it is no wonder all of our cheftestants had a hard time on this episode.

The challenge was to prepare a full wedding meal -- from hors d'oeuvres to wedding cake, for 125 guests -- taking into account the specific tastes of either bride or groom. Cooking to the expectations of any couple's wedding day is a challenge for any caterer in any circumstance. Doing it all in less than 24 hours borders on the absurd. I already pity the exceptionally talented and enormously capable chef catering my wedding. And I have several months to plan!