Full menu or Dessert Bar?

ebaer88

One of the things I've always wanted at my wedding is a dessert bar, but now as we're actually in the planning stages I could use some advice!  We're having an evening wedding in September '13.. planning to be married with just enough time to squeeze in some pictures before the sun goes down and party till dawn, or at least for a while  Our wedding will be laid back in the country, we make our own beer and wine and will probably have a small selection of liquor&mixers available.   

With the wedding being so late in the day we're thinking people will most likely have eaten already, and are debating on only doing a dessert bar as it would save quite a bit in catering expenses.  My thoughts are that I would like some 'dinner' type food available to help counteract all of the drinking, even if it's just bread rolls, crackers&cheese, veggies etc. If I have some foods available do I need to have a full dinner?  Would only having appetizers/finger foods be adequate with the dessert bar? 

Any suggestions?

jessicabessica

What time of day are you thinking?  Realistically, even if you are starting at at 8:30 or 9 pm, if you expect people to stay and party all night, you will need to provide substantial food.  

And we had a dessert bar (put out after our buffet lunch), excellent choice!  

lyndausvi

The sunsets is scheduled to set at 7:56pm on Sept 13 in Grand Rapids next year.

In order to get some shots before that you will have to start earlier.  To me that means dinner time.

Sue-n-Kevin

There are a couple of options you could do to fit into what you state you want

- Have you considered a "First Look"? This is what we did, so we could party with our guests immediately after the ceremony. I met my soon-to-be husband with the photographer only, we had a few moments of pictures, then did all our family and wedding party photos BEFORE the ceremony. It made the ceremony less tense and stressful for both of us. That way you are not fighting with sunset to get your pictures in.

- A wedding reception anytime between 5 pm and 9 pm often means "dinner time" to most people. The amount of time it takes families/couples to get ready and travel to a ceremony, followed by a reception, means they are often missing a dinner meal.

- When you invite people to your wedding, you are inviting them to share in a celebration, and you thank them by giving them (and yourselves) a great event. If you are on a budget, you can save money in other areas, but you have to provide enough food to absorb the alcohol you are providing into the wee hours. Cheese, crackers & dinner rolls will not be enough with a dessert bar.

- If you insist on simply providing a dessert bar with a few savory (non-dessert) options, then your invitations need to be clear. You invite people to your ceremony, and state "Dessert reception to follow". That way they know to eat their meal before arriving.

- Check into gourmet stores in your area, or if you have Gordon Food Service, look there for options for hot or cold foods and desserts that will fill your guests while they drink your alcoholic options. Regardless whether you have hot or cold options, make sure you have the appropriate serving ware (chafing dishes for hots, refrigeration for cold foods). 

 We had our wedding dinner meal catered by a local gourmet grocery store. Many gourmet food stores do catering, and because they are not only making their profits on catering, like a catering company, we found they were willing to work with us and our budget.

- Depending on where you are having this, I'd recommend looking into a liquor liability insurance policy endorsement for the host's home owners policy. If you are not going to have licensed bartenders who carry liquor liability, you are putting yourself (or the hosts if parents) in a situation where there is no oversight of people drinking out in the country. I'm not saying your guests are lushes...........I'm saying if this is truly a laid back reception in the country with home made brews and other alcohol, you want to protect yourself and others. You may already have this with your brewing/wine making activities, but wanted to mention it.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

If you do photos before your ceremony and start at 8pm, I think that's perfectly fine. If you tell people "dessert reception to follow" they will know to have dinner before hand. Especially if it's a Saturday and most won't be rushing home from work.

I'm personally not a huge fan of sweets and would rather eat savory food. But as long as you have a veggie platter and a cheese platter to go along with dessert, and maybe a few not-so-sweet options (fruit? fruit tarts?) I think that's good.