calculating food portion size

thundernlightnin

i am having my reception food served appetizer style as there are 4 different foods from each of our 4 heritages... then later dessert is the same manner

i am sure my caterer can figure this out but i am curious for myself just how to calculate how much for each person 

some is boxed some made "fresh"

how on earth do i figure out how much i need to purchase (alot is from out of country and i am sourcing that on my own and will not be brought in by the caterer)

JoanE2012

I think it depends on what is being served.  Are you saying there will be 16 apps total?

NOLAbridealmost

I am also confused by what you're serving.

You need about 16 pieces of hearty apps per person if you're doing it instead of a meal.  What are you serving?

NOLAbridealmost

Let me just add: my earlier post assumes an hors d'oeuvres sized portion. If you are doing basically a sit down dinner with 4 half-sized items instead of a typical salad and entree, then my answer would change.

thundernlightnin

Ok sorry for the confusion ladies

Let me try to clariy

No sit down "dinner" in the traditional sense

Dinner will consist of 

4 appetizers per person per heritage

4 heritages

16 total appetizer/tasting size servings per person

I have tried to find the 4 section style serving plates but find them hard to locate so i am looking at the approx 5 inch plates instead

Some things will need to be made from scratch and made mini size ie mini taco shells

Some things llike the Mac  and Cheese will be from the box

Drinks will be mostly bottled like Rootbeer etc ( i am thinking i would just count one botttle per person for each of these)

Booze will be basically non existent so there is no worry there

afeliz79

I don't think one bottled drink per person will be enough. Especially if you are having more than one flavor. If you had options and all the options except rootbeer were gone by the time I got to get my drink, I would be disappointed because I really dislike rootbeer. Also, you should throw in water too.

thundernlightnin

@NOLAbridealmost - 16  hearty appetizers per person ... good assumption on my part then lol...

it is not just rootbeer for drinks.... its more than that like pepsi etc  in bottles 

then there is the milk and water plus everything else like tea and coffee

thundernlightnin

There will be plenty to drink and eat that is not the issue

they will be fed sitdown style @ 4 appetizer size plated portions per heritage @ 4 intervals during the night 

 just want to figure out how to calculate how many boxes of mac n cheese for example i need to purchase to have enough for everyone to have a portion

JoanE2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_calculating-food-portion-size?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:f56f6e3e-b9ee-494c-be68-ed1ec050249dPost:d0e019c8-873e-41d8-a1e4-0cb6636324b8">Re: calculating food portion size</a>:
[QUOTE]There will be plenty to drink and eat that is not the issue they will be fed sitdown style @ 4 appetizer size plated portions per heritage @ 4 intervals during the night   just want to figure out how to calculate <strong>how many boxes of mac n cheese for example i need to purchase</strong> to have enough for everyone to have a portion
Posted by thundernlightnin[/QUOTE]

You should consider making it by hand!  It's really not that difficult and will taste much better than anything out of a box!   I know Kraft mac and cheese from growing up and I would find it strange if it were served at a wedding.

Sue-n-Kevin

Your last post sounds confusing but maybe it's me.

Four appetizer portions of each heritage food at 4 different intervals. How long is your meal period going to last? Does "during the night" mean an hour apart? 30 minutes apart? I'm not being critical, I'm trying to figure this out.

Also, I totally agree with the fact that while inexpensive, you simply cannot serve guests Kraft mac & cheese. While it's easy to prepare, and probably keeps pretty well, if served this at a wedding, I'd probably have some negative feelings about it.

It appears you have a caterer, as you mention one. It sounds as though you are bringing food into this country by ordering it from somewhere else, so your caterer can prepare it. There is nothing wrong with providing foods from your heritages........... but it should all be freshly made, or as fresh as possible.

I also agree on the drinks. I don't see a response to any questions about how long this reception is lasting. Personally, whether you have alcohol or not is a personal choice, and one I would never criticize. However, you probably need to plan on one bottle (assuming small bottles, not 2 litre sizes) of drinks per person per hour. Water, tea and coffee count as a bottle. If your reception is lasting 4 hrs, you need 4 botttles or comparable alternative like tea, coffee or water, per person. Having a selection does not mean your guests won't want 4 bottles of Diet Pepsi, or 4 bottles of root beer, or 4 bottles of ginger ale. Most people have a preference and stick with it. My recommendation is to over buy on all the liquids you are serving, and store the rest for your personal use in the future.

Viczaesar

Boxed mac & cheese?  Really?  What heritage is that supposed to represent?

MrsGandthebeag

I don't eat mac and cheese, but I'm sure it tells you on the box how many "servings" it is.  You can do the math.