Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

Anyone done an hors d'oeuvres only or cake & punch wedding?

We're trying to cut cost.  Big time.  And the best way I can think of is to cute food.  Has anyone done an hors d'oeuvers only or a "cake and punch" wedding?  Just wondering how it worked out.

Re: Anyone done an hors d'oeuvres only or cake & punch wedding?

  • If you do this, you have to make sure that your wedding is not near a mealtime.

    If your reception is near a mealtime, you have to have enough appetizers to replace a meal.  We did this and it worked out fine.  We also had caterers who kept making more of things as they were running out so nobody went hungry.

     
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  • Cake and punch receptions are usually shorter - maybe a couple of hours or so.  I've never been to a cake and punch reception that had dancing and a dj but maybe someone else here has.

    Agree with pp on the appetizers - if it is at meal time you need to serve subtantial appetizers that will equal a meal.  Sometimes that is more expensive than the meal.

    What time is your wedding?
  • I agree with kmmsg. This plan depends on the time of day of the wedding. 2 pm wedding or 8 pm wedding? Both are great ideas. Right at dinner time? You have to serve enough to constitute a meal whether in appetizer form or not.
  • Thats our plan :) food is expensive!Money mouth
  • We did a cake and punch. We had a large wedding cake, grooms cake and a glutten free cake for a couple of people who have celiacs. Also, we had plenty of cheese, crackers, veggies and fruit to eat. Beer and wine was provided. The bar tender surprised us with free margaritas.Theist who didn't or couldn't drink were able to choose from 3 kinds of soda/ pop both diet and regular, this was provided by the bar tending company, along with water and iced tea. A dj helped to get guests dancing. The reception lasted 3 hours max and was between meals. My aunt was kind enough to provide food for the wedding party for lunch while we got ready. The entire day went very well. Everyone had a good time and people are still talking about how enjoyable it was 5 months later. We chose this option because it was what we could afford. The invitation clearly stated that a cake and punch reception was to follow.
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  • We're planning on serving snacks, not dinner. It will be various types of pizza, veggie and fruit platters, and some sort of dessert. We are going to provide a full-bar and beverages. Our families were at first a little wary of not serving a meal, but when we explained our reasoning behind it (besides the excuse that catering is EXPENSIVE!), they came around.
  • I own a bakery and one of my brides I'm working with (getting married in 2 weeks) is doing a dessert reception. The ceremony is at 7:00pm, so it'll be late. She's only about 19, so there won't be tons of drinking, so why not? If you love dessets, go for it!
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  • Thats what we are planning to. Our ceremony is on site at 8pm with full bar and appetizers and snacks most of the night to keep people moving. We are serving comfort food like homestyle mac n cheese, fries in homemade cones, quesadillas, have 1 pasta bar, and at least 2 more appetizers, just haven't figuered it out yet. We are also having a full dessert bar with all kinds of treats.
  • We are doing this. Wedding cake and punch (read "virgin cocktails"). I've just begun searching out recipes in our wedding colors: yellow and pale blue. Our wedding is at 2pm and is expected to last no more than 3 hours. It will be lovely :-)
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