The grand question: How do you marry (no pun intended) two highly distinct cuisines in a single wedding, and from a single food vendor? 

Why a food truck? 

As offspring from a very, very long lineage in our respective states -- Ryan a fourth-generation Arizonan, Jess an umpteenth-generation North Carolinian -- we are very opinionated about good food. If it doesn't involve a spice factor that will make you cry, Ryan's not interested. And if flavorful meat and cured pork isn't involved, I'm done. In Arizona, "flavor" means "spice;" in the South, spice is nonexistent and readily replaced with vinegar.

When we set out to plan the food for this wedding, we could easily agree on one thing: We wanted a food truck. Full plates were far too expensive, and many vendors in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area start at around $90/plate. (We love our family and friends to the moon and back, but that's a lot of money for two grad students.) Even catering, typically around $45/person, ends up costing more than expected when you add in the prices for dishes, silverware, and cleaning.

But a food truck would solve both the per-head price and our fear of commitment (that is, to place settings).