There are two questions a savvy bride should keep in mind while wedding planning. The first: “Where am I from?” The second: “What place do I love most?”

In those queries resides the magic that is a wedding. It is a day to celebrate your history, your family and your heritage. In the same breath, it’s an occasion where a place you adore can become part of the fabric of your future. To create commonality through cuisine, consider giving guests food that celebrates where you’re from and where you’re going.

Seattle, WA

Like all good Seattle chefs, Peter Levine of Waterfront Seafood Grill (waterfrontpier70.com) patiently awaits the return of the salmon every year, adding the perfect pink on a plate beside wild asparagus and locally foraged morel mushrooms.

“We are blessed here,” he says of the culinary scene he’s known for 17 years. “The big items iconic to the Pacific Northwest would be Dungeness crab, halibut and, of course, our Copper River salmon.” 

Seattle’s water-based cuisine adds a fabulous touch to an outdoor wedding, particularly the aroma of cedar plank-prepared salmon.

“For a wedding outside, I’d say be sure you’re agreeable to serving room temperature food,” he adds. “I like to prepare wild Baja prawns stuffed with Dungeness crab, and for dessert we’ve been getting great results with huckleberry tarts.”

Best seasons | August and September are ideal for good weather, fresh fish and local forest delicacies like lobster mushrooms and blackberries.

Dallas, TX

Thanks to the local tendency to borrow a dash of spice from Mexican cuisine, good food means heat in Texas. Doug Brown, co-owner of Dish Restaurant (dish-dallas.com) and Beyond the Box Catering (foodbeyondthebox.com), offers brides Tex-Mex when they call for classic Dallas food.

“What is served as ‘Mexican’ in this country is actually Tex-Mex,” he explains. “When it comes to weddings, I’m always thinking small plates because our food culture here is so rich and heavy: things like fajitas, chipotle tortilla baskets filled with salad, and maybe avocado and ceviche served in martini glasses.” Barbecued beef brisket and mini pork sliders also make his menu, which Brown says is fairly open.

“When throwing something you want to call a ‘Texas’ wedding,” he says, “I don’t think there’s anything you can’t include. One variation I’ve even seen is food influenced by the Texas State Fair. An example would be frying up corn dogs, funnel cakes and beignets. To make it more elegant, we might exchange ordinary corn dogs for lobster-filled versions.”

Best seasons | Spring and fall

New York, NY

If Manhattan were to get married, her something “borrowed” would be cuisine. The city is a melting pot of ethnicities that has made determining a signature food—beyond street-side slices of pizza—difficult.

“The idea that we can bring things in from everywhere else in the world isn’t the benchmark here anymore,” explains Chef Marc Meyer. Meyer creates the heavily sustainable dishes at Cookshop (cookshopny.com), Hundred Acres (hundredacresnyc.com) and Five Points (fivepointsrestaurant.com), and he advises brides to look beyond the boroughs and take advantage of what upstate has to offer.

“Take an approach of integrity and avoid clichés,” he says. “You have all different types of people coming together at a wedding, so you want food to be fun, not formal. The farmland starts 50 miles out of the city, which means fresh lamb, rabbits, duck and pork. But be creative. Instead of lamb chop on the menu, maybe do a spit-roasted leg of lamb or a lamb sausage.”

Best seasons | For produce, New York’s farms offer an abundance of options, particularly August through October. Think peaches, tomatoes, fennel, baby lettuce, eggplants, peppers and squash at once.

Chicago, IL

The nationally recognized Harry Caray’s (harrycarays.com) restaurant—named for the legendary baseball announcer—has a catering division that stays busy planning Chicago-themed weddings.

“About 20 percent of our brides and grooms want Chicago-styled events,” says off-premise catering sales manager Gabi Dorsch. “Within that, I would say the big trend is small portions. We do Chicken Vesuvio in small bites, for example.”

Garrett Gourmet Popcorn is another beloved Chicago food, as are Midwest classics like hot dogs, hamburgers and the infamous deep-dish pizza. While somewhat cliché, many couples love them because they keep the atmosphere whimsical.

“We had a wedding recently where the groom loved this local hot dog stand as a kid,” says Dorsch. “He came back from California to get married, and we set up the hot dog stand at the reception.” 

Finishing touches by Harry Caray’s include baseball wedding cakes with green coconut flakes to represent the grass, and locally brewed beers from Goose Island Beer Company.

Best seasons | Summer to early fall