Hor D'Oeuvres

jessimarie2013

I am planning on serving hor d'oeuvres at our ceremony but I am having difficulty choosing what to serve. More than likely we will be having 80 guests and about 15 kids will be there. Do I count each child as an adult guest? What should I serve?

Maggie0829

Are you having an app and cocktail reception or are you having a full dinner reception and just wondering about the apps?  The answer to this question will help.

Magdala9

Yes you count the children.  You plan would be to serve 95 people.  For appetizers before your dinner, you need five pieces per person.    The pieces are generally the size of a table spoon.  

For a reception where the appetizers are in place of a dinner, you need 8-10 pieces per person and the pieces are heavier.   Some are larger in size while others are heavier in nature.

jessimarie2013

So when I tell the caterer they will know the difference between the two? We were thinking about a carving station also. I just have no clue about the foods I should serve there is so much to that part and I really don't want to blow my budget on the foods.

jessimarie2013

Hor d'oeuvres in place of a plated dinner unless its cheaper to do the plated meal I'm still working on all that.

Maggie0829

When you speak with your caterer they will ask what kind of wedding you are having, whether it be a sit down, buffett, station, or just heavy apps.  Also give them an idea of a budget you would like to stick with.  And as for blowing your budget, that is not something anyone wants you to do but I will suggest spending a good chunck of your overall budget on food and beverage.  Food makes people happy and having a lack of food choices or pieces will just make people want to leave your reception early to go grab a pizza or some fast food.

If you want just heavy apps you need to have atleast 15-18 pieces per person (including children).  You should also have a large variety to choose from.  Eating 15-18 pieces of only 3 different things gets rather boring.  You also need to most likely not have your wedding around a meal time so if you were thinking about getting married in the evening I would suggest to have your ceremony start at 8pm and then have a late reception.

Also know that sometimes having just apps can be just as expensive if not more then a traditional meal.  Apps are very time consuming to make thus costing more in labor.

MrsGandthebeag

Ask your caterer for ideas and prices.  Then you can narrow down what you want.

jessimarie2013

Thanks. I'm going to compare the two prices. I originally wanted a sit down plated meal but my other half wanted to invited aloy more people and I was scared I'd blow the budget out the roof with a plated meal. But I'm going to compare the two thanks guys.

Maggie0829

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_hor-doeuvres?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:f724d908-c8d9-451b-99c8-9a7b53440d7aPost:e35f14c5-728b-49a3-ae19-b621be99b927">Re:Hor D'Oeuvres</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks. I'm going to compare the two prices. I originally wanted a sit down plated meal but my other half wanted to invited aloy more people and I was scared I'd blow the budget out the roof with a plated meal. But I'm going to compare the two thanks guys.
Posted by jessimarie2013[/QUOTE]

Have you considered a buffet or stations?  This tends to be a happy medium between plated and heavy apps.  Buffets tend to be less expensive because you don't need as much wait staff as you would for a plated meal and sometimes even for an app reception if you are mainly doing passed apps.

jessimarie2013

I didn't even consider a buffet. There is so much to the food lol I'm kinda overwhelmed with this part I honestly don't know what to serve. I'm going to talk to my vendor and see what they suggest. Thanks.

jessimarie2013

After speaking w the caterer at The Stonewall Jackson we settled on a plated meal. Although its going to be a 3p wedding it will be 4p by the time everyone sits to eat. My fiance' wants to serve everyone New London broil Served w rosemary striped potatoes and seasonal vegetables A garden salad Warm rolls But what if we have guest that don't want steak. I was thinking giving them a choice.

vakey

Hey guys,

I am new to this site!  I am getting married in May of next year.  A woman who works with me also does catering on the side, and she offered to cater for just the price of food!!  Which is great!  I want to do heavy Hor D'Oeurves, but I really have no clue what kind of food to serve.  I know we are doing fruits and veggies-meatballs-and chicken salad in scooped chips.  Does anyone have some affordable ideas??

Maggie0829

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_hor-doeuvres?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:f724d908-c8d9-451b-99c8-9a7b53440d7aPost:acaa130c-aa95-495b-b781-fb97f850f481">Re:Hor D'Oeuvres</a>:
[QUOTE]After speaking w the caterer at The Stonewall Jackson we settled on a plated meal. Although its going to be a 3p wedding it will be 4p by the time everyone sits to eat. My fiance' wants to serve everyone New London broil Served w rosemary striped potatoes and seasonal vegetables A garden salad Warm rolls But what if we have guest that don't want steak. I was thinking giving them a choice.
Posted by jessimarie2013[/QUOTE]

I would offer your guests three choices, the one your FI likes, a chicken dish and a veggie or seafood dish.

Depending on your caterer, you can either have your guests pick their choice on the RSVP card or when they sit down at your reception.  I would also see if any of your guests have any special dietary needs such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten free etc so you can give your caterer a heads up.

GoodLuckBear14

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_hor-doeuvres?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:f724d908-c8d9-451b-99c8-9a7b53440d7aPost:3bffdbf2-0ac9-49b5-b8a9-c81d959d16c5">Re: Hor D'Oeuvres</a>:
[QUOTE]Hey guys, I am new to this site!  I am getting married in May of next year.  A woman who works with me also does catering on the side, and she offered to cater for just the price of food!!  Which is great!  I want to do heavy Hor D'Oeurves, but I really have no clue what kind of food to serve.  I know we are doing fruits and veggies-meatballs-and chicken salad in scooped chips.  Does anyone have some affordable ideas??
Posted by vakey[/QUOTE]

Vakey - please don't hijack threads.  If you have a question about your own wedding, then create a new one.