let there be pulled pork

last month, when we went to eugene and kind of finalized our wedding plans, we realized that despite our extremely modest approach, we still had a lot of money going out. there weren't many places to trim up, and by far the biggest one was the catering. we'd found these wonderful caterers - they use all local, organic, seasonal ingredients. we'd sampled their lunch at the farmer's market and it was delicious. they gave us a very reasonable price, but in the end even a reasonable price times 40 - 50 people is still a lot of money. so we bit the bullet and decided that since we're doing everything else ourselves, why not the food, too?when r's brother had his wedding celebration last year, the other brother D did an amazing job with pulled pork. that was the one and only thing we'd sort of known from the start that we really wanted. so he agreed to pull out the stops again. and now with the wedding only 3 1/2 weeks away, we really need to figure out wtf we're doing for the rest of it! i've been trying to think of things that can be made ahead of time and are easily transportable, can be made in a variety of flavors to appeal to the masses, and are appropriate for a mix'n'mingle buffet. crostini, anyone?

i'm thinking lots of lovely little toasts with tomatoes, like this one, and white bean dip, and hummus, and olive tapenade... oh yes, lots of tapenade.

we'll also have slaws and salads, of course. and i think i'd like to do caprese sandwiches for our vegetarian friends. and a really nice charcuterie plate for those not so in love with pulled pork as the rest of us. r plans to make bread (yikes! ambitious! - not because of the actual bread-making, he's got that down to a crusty, delicious science. just because of the time and all...) and i think that would go quite nicely with some yummy meat'n'cheese.

we're not having a wedding cake, instead we're doing a big dessert spread from our local patisserie - reigning champions of all things sweet and chocolate. so. ideas?