not enough food? input please!

LJC20

Hi Everyone!  I just wanted to see if anyone had a different take on what is happening to me!! 
I was recently asked about the food at my wedding, the venue will be catering in house and we are on a tight (very, very tight!) budget so I was thinking of just doing hors dourves and apps. for the meal plus the cake. Our wedding will be early afternoon.  We are having about 165 people.  Someone has said there is no way there could be enough people and that we NEED to have a plated meal or else no one will come or everyone will have a bad time!
I dont think so at all!! I just need any input please!

Magdala9

Discuss the pricing for a plated meal and the pricing for appetizers.  Sometimes the plated meal is less because of the time needed to put together the appetizers.  That way you can make an informed decision.

erollis

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_not-enough-food-input-please?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:343cfc0a-75bd-4ad0-9fc1-d3e3ca1c7a0aPost:a701551e-c558-45e7-ae31-ea97a8717c7f">Re: not enough food? input please!</a>:
[QUOTE]It depends on the exact time and what you're serving. If it does not take place during meal time light apps & cake is plenty. If it does go into dinner time you'd need to provide enough food to equal a meal.  As far as having to have a plated meal, I've heard the same thing from some people. I don't agree, just do light apps in the 1-5pm time range so you guests can eat their meal before/after or provide substantial hors d'oeuvres at meal time and it will work out fine.
Posted by Rose March[/QUOTE]

This.

I commented a few posts down about a cake & punch reception. I kept hearing from people that I needed a meal. Or I wish you would feed your guests more. Also read a lot of people saying you must feed your guests properly. We did our event between meal times and Everyone enjoyed themselves. But we did put at the bottom of our invitation "cake and punch reception to follow". Not a single person was surprised to see only cake and appetizers provided.

It will be alright. Trust me. This was also one of my biggest stresses leading up to the wedding.

erollis

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_not-enough-food-input-please?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:343cfc0a-75bd-4ad0-9fc1-d3e3ca1c7a0aPost:456170ce-b844-401d-b3c5-96289fae34f8">Re: not enough food? input please!</a>:
[QUOTE]Discuss the pricing for a plated meal and the pricing for appetizers.  Sometimes the plated meal is less because of the time needed to put together the appetizers.  That way you can make an informed decision.
Posted by Magdala9[/QUOTE]


For a lot of places this is true. Our apps and cake came with the venue rental. Any. Food would cost extra. With a meal( plated or buffet) we would also have to of hired servers. This would have made it a big expense.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_not-enough-food-input-please?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:343cfc0a-75bd-4ad0-9fc1-d3e3ca1c7a0aPost:456170ce-b844-401d-b3c5-96289fae34f8">Re: not enough food? input please!</a>:
[QUOTE]Discuss the pricing for a plated meal and the pricing for appetizers.  Sometimes the plated meal is less because of the time needed to put together the appetizers.  That way you can make an informed decision.
Posted by Magdala9[/QUOTE]

This is true if you do apps INSTEAD of a plated meal. I.e. you have a heavy hors d'oeuvres reception, and therefore need enough small pieces to constitute a meal. If you are doing something between meal times, light finger foods and probably a cake will be more than sufficient.

OP, I would suggest having your ceremony around 1:30 or 2pm, and then having a 2-3 hour reception. You can word it as "light refreshments to follow" or "cake and punch reception to follow" or "cocktail reception to follow" so people will eat brunch or lunch before they come.

I would suggest having a cake or cupcakes, as well as some cheese and crackers, maybe bruschetta, swedish meatballs, finger sandwiches, fruits and vegetables with dip, eggrolls, or other similar finger foods. However, you'll only need 5-8 "bites" of food per person. You could also go through a local catering place or Costco and get a few deli trays. If you have a theme we can help you with suggestions, too.

Sue-n-Kevin

People will come to the event you host.

If it is a non-meal time (early afternoon as you mentioned), this translates to food service between 1-3 pm, with cake after the appetizers. How long you plan to have your guests stay depends on what other events you have planned within your budget, ie dancing, or just mingling then leaving.

The discussions above are about plated meals and appetizers. No one mentioned a buffet. I understand "popular food service" varies from one geographic area to another, but this is often less than a plated meal (the food is in chafing dishes, so no individual plating), and often less than appetizers which require significant labor to assemble and place on trays.

LJC20

Thank you all so much for your comments, I really appreciate them!  I feel much better about this