Mini-Pairings

COST: $
IDEAL SIZE: Medium-Sized
HEADACHE: Low
Spice up the conventional passed-hors d'oeuvre option by going mini and matching each fun bite with a sip of something exciting. Offer an assortment of flavors within a unifying theme. Try Pisco Sours with chorizo skewers; Patron with chipotle shrimp; mojitinos with seviche; and champagne with mini-croques monsieurs.

Childhood Regained

COST: $$$
IDEAL SIZE: Large Reception
HEADACHE: High
You don't have to be childhood sweethearts to indulge in nostalgia for your favorite kiddie foods, and there's no better way to ensure a relaxed and playful mood than by laying out a homey spread. Stack the first tables with savory crowd-pleasers like macaroni and cheese and mini-knackwurst; in lieu of a cake, have a decorate-your-own-cupcake station and a snow-cone stand with gourmet syrups like praline and pomegranate along with the mandatory Blu Raspberry.

Raw Bar

COST: $$$$
IDEAL SIZE: Small Reception
HEADACHE: High
For the urbane adults-only affair, a luxe raw bar is an ideal option- costly but not pretentious, indulgent but not coma-inducing. Imagine bathtub-size tureens filled with mounds of ice and topped with oysters and shrimp; seviche served from scooped-out ice blocks. Good pairings include lobster and frisée salad, corn on the cob, and heirloom-tomato salad-though you'll probably have won over your guests after you match their Malpeque with a Pierre Peters Brut Millésime Vintage 1998.