To feed or not to feed...

seeinstars47

So since we've moved our wedding to 11 in the morning, the reception will fall right around lunch time.  Originally we were just planning on having cheese and fruit and cake, but my mom feels the need to feed everyone a plated lunch now.  I think that having cheese, fruit, hors d'oeuvres, and cake should be enough--that we don't have to have a plated lunch. What do y'all think?Also, if we do hors d'oeuvres, how many are you supposed to plan on for each person?tia!

justinandcrystal

I would do what you suggested and maybe some finger sandwhiches, chicken or tuna salad, something like that.

juliebug1997

When it comes to planning on the number of pieces per person, I would ask the caterer you pick.  They usually have a pretty good idea.  I was always too worried that there would be stuff that someone wouldn't eat.  What about like pasta and salad?  That can be catered in and is pretty easy.

BanannaP

I don't think you have to have a full lunch. But if it was me, I would do heavier hor d'oeuvres, like finger sandwiches, meatballs, mini quiches, things of that nature. That way people feel like they've had lunch even if they don't have a full sit-down meal.I have no idea how to estimate how much, though.

Catwoman708

If mom wants to pay for a plated lunch, then let her. Guests never turn down a free meal, lol. But for lunch time, the finger foods, fruit and cheese, and cake will be plenty. If I went to a wedding that time of day, I wouldn't expect a big meal, just finger foods, a light luncheon, or brunch type foods.

Mariah&Steven

I think that you should definitely at least offer heavy hors d'oeuvres and whatever else...I would be starving if I went to a wedding at 11 and then only had little finger foods to choose from.  Like Catwoman said, if your mom is willing to pay for the sit down meal, let her!  I think that's really nice to offer your guests a real meal instead of calorie filled hors d'oeuvres that never really leave people satisfied.  But that's just my opinion.If you go the hors d'oeuvres route I would think 6-7 hors d'oeuvres per person.  Especially around lunch time.

SarahandAlex2010

I just went to a wedding about a month ago and they just had apetizers. And although it was pleasant, not very many people stayed because they were hungry. All they had was veggies, cheese, fruit and cake. I barely ate myself. They had alot of food left since nobody really ate. Thats my 2 cents!

maykious

I went to an evening wedding that served heavy hors d'oeuvres and managed to fill up, but I wouldn't have stayed long if it were only cheese and fruit.  Like the others, I vote for finger sandwiches or heavy hors d'oeuvres unless your mom is willing to pay for a full meal. One thing to watch out for is that occasionally serving only hors d'oeuvres can end up being more expensive than a buffet meal.  It doesn't happen all the time, but make sure you do as much research as you can before signing anything.  Check with your caterer.

maykious

Also, the evening wedding that only served hors d'oeuvres had them out all night and kept the tables full.  I filled up because I snacked most of the evening and am pretty sure everyone else did, too.  If you're going to do appetizers only, keep them out and well stocked.

mandasue178

You'll definitely need heavier foods like everyone said. Do some pricing out. That kind of hors d'oeuvres can be really expensive. Especially because there's no portion control. People take however much that want. With a plated lunch, you have a little more control. You'll also have better odds of getting to each yourself if people have to be seated to get served food. It's not foolproof, but it helps!

llc_lauren & chris

You could get away with the cheese, fruit, hors d'oeuvres & cake.  I will admit I left early from the one wedding that I have been to that did cheese, fruit, hors d'oeuvres & cake.  It was a later wedding, and I figured that there wouldn't be a meal, so we left and went to dinner.

emimayor

I'm a firm believer in always FEED!

seeinstars47

Thanks ladies.  We are thinking about having it at the Hilton, so by the time you add up all of the hors d'oeuvres per person, it ends up being the same amount as just a plated lunch.  That's the problem.  I wanted to keep it a little bit more casual than having everybody stay to eat.  I guess this is good incentive for me to cut down the guest list for people I don't want to pay $28 a plate for...:S

acarlson2

We are doing heavy hors d'oeuvres for our wedding reception. We'll have two butler-passed items such as crostini/mini-quiches and then a fettucine alfredo with chicken pasta dish, pecan crusted chicken skewers, crab dip, an antipasta tray, fruit and cheese (with cake, beer and wine). We felt this was a reasonable option for our budget ($13/person) and also the caterer we selected will continue to re-fill the buffet all night. This just seemed a better option in our case as we thought our guests would enjoy being able to drink, dance and eat 'till their hearts content! Good luck!

wagnerj3

I would definitely do more than just fruit, cheese and cake around lunch. I agree that a lot of people will leave because they will be hungry.

Terriniski

Our wedding was at noon.  We did a few tray-passed hors d'ouvres and then had stations set up that did small grilled sandwiches, sliders, and tempura.  I think it worked out pretty well - everyone could pick what they wanted and eat as much of each item as they wanted.  Food was one of DH's important items, so we splurged on that.  The alternative would have been to do a pasta station and similar stations that were less to-order but still provide plenty of food.

Jay&Marissa

So, we just got a quote from Sissy's Catering--a full buffet meal (and the food was good--according to my mom. She went to the tasting and she is pretty picky about that stuff) at $12 a person--including plates, everything. You might check into her. I think the total quote was $3500 for everything--we have 250 guests!