Serving Food in the Cultural Hall during an LDS Reception

The cultural hall of the local ward or branch meetinghouse is the venue of choice for many LDS wedding receptions: it’s able to accommodate a crowd, comes attached to a kitchen for food preparation, and is completely free of charge to reserve and use.

If you’re planning on a Mormon cultural hall reception, here are some of the things you need to know about preparing and serving the food.

Never assume that the cultural hall and kitchen will be available on any given date. Various church events, from Relief Society meetings to Webelos den meetings, may be held in the cultural hall all throughout the week. Before planning anything for the reception, schedule the date with the building coordinator. If you don’t know who ask, the bishop can guide you to the right person.

When reserving the cultural hall, double-check the rules on using the kitchen. Ovens in LDS meetinghouse kitchens are to be used for warming food only, not for cooking. You will need to cook the foods at another location and keep them warm while transporting them to the meetinghouse.

You don’t want to get your guests sick because you weren’t…read more