Cocktail reception guest preferences (long)

kmfishel28

Hello,
I have been lurking for a while and a few things I have learned are: use complete sentences, return to your post with follow up information to receive the best advice, and keep an open mind.

My fiance and I are planning our reception at a local Italian restaurant that we have rented out for the evening. There will be more seats than guests, food will be served when the first guest arrives and continuously throughout the evening with stations and passed apps so all food is served at the appropriate temperature, and there will be enough food for each person to have a meal as the reception is currently scheduled from 6-9pm. We are planning for 6-8 pieces per person per hour, is this correct?

My second question is in regards to our options (listed below). We have 44 things to choose from, so as a guest, would you prefer a selection of 20 items or so and less pieces of each thing, or narrow down the list and have a larger quantity of less choices? We will also be having trays of pasta choices. I would love suggestions for more vegetarian/gluten free choices as I fear we have too many carbs/proteins. There will also be a dessert buffet with tirimisu, cannolis, lemon bars, fresh fruit and cookies. Thanks so much!

Veggie platter

Antipasto platter

Assorted cheese platter

Cheese & crackers

Fruit Skewers

Meatballs Marsala

Meatballs Marinara

Meatballs Barbecue

Spinach artichoke dip

Chicken skewers Cajun

Chicken skewers lemon pepper

Chicken Skewers barbecue

Chicken skewers teriyaki pineapple

Crab stuffed mushrooms

Garlic cheese bread

Mini bacon & cheddar potato skins

Chicken wings lemon pepper

Chicken wings hot

Chicken wings mild

Chicken wings Cajun

Chicken wings barbecue

Chicken wings teriyaki pineapple

Toasted ravioli

Quiche spinach & feta

Quiche bacon & cheddar

Quiche vegetable

Sausage Rolls

Spanish pork empanadas

Black bean burgers

Ribeye steak sandwiches

Bruschetta

Shrimp cocktail

Finger sandwiches grilled chicken pesto

Finger sandwiches balsamic Italian sub

Finger sandwiches roast beef & horseradish

Smoked salmon crostini

Tuna spread w/crackers

Raspberry pasta salad

Avocado salad w/chips & salsa

Prosciutto wrapped melon balls

Olive tapenade w/toast points

Caprese crostini

Hummus w/pita chips

kaos16

I am of the opinion that fewer choices will go further.  If I am at an event that has 4 choices and they all look appealing to me I will want to try them all.  I will likely be able to finish them all.  If I am at a similar type event that has 20 choices, I will likely still try to taste them all, but not be able to finish them.  This creates waste.  With fewer choices, you stretch your food further, IMO

JennaMichelle88

I would also prefer a larger quantity of fewer options.

kmfishel28

Thanks. We will narrow it down to a few stations and passed appetizers and have more of them.

ootmother3

Choose 12, half cold and half warm.  Cold can be cheeses and veggies on a table, hot & more elaborate should be passes.

jessicabessica

I also think you have too many options.  You don't need 3 different kinds of quiche, 3 different kinds of meatballs, and 3 different kinds of chicken skeweres.  

I am vegetarian, and would love to see more veg options.  Could you have the stuffed mushrooms and the potato skins be vegetarian?  You could have half the skins with the bacon, half without, if you wanted some with bacon.

OliveOilsMom

I would try to pick as big a range as possible.  We were married on a Friday of Lent, so we wanted to provide our Catholic guests with a full meatless meal, if they chose.  So we made sure we had some apps for the meat eaters, the seafood eaters, and the vegetarian options too.  So don't pick all meat apps for example.  But also, make sure you guys have your favorite apps!  For our tasting, the venue gave us the best cheese steak bread, it was not a listed appetizer on their menu, so we asked to make sure we would have it. 

Jessica, I believe the OP provided all of the options that her venue offers.  She isn't having 3 different kinds of meatballs, quiches, or chicken.

jessicabessica

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_cocktail-reception-guest-preferences-long?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:3e89f301-e6b8-47bb-84f7-b70a2ca88462Post:9021ea91-b878-4825-9c23-a7fd461f0542">Re: Cocktail reception guest preferences (long)</a>:
[QUOTE]I would try to pick as big a range as possible.  We were married on a Friday of Lent, so we wanted to provide our Catholic guests with a full meatless meal, if they chose.  So we made sure we had some apps for the meat eaters, the seafood eaters, and the vegetarian options too.  So don't pick all meat apps for example.  But also, make sure you guys have your favorite apps!  For our tasting, the venue gave us the best cheese steak bread, it was not a listed appetizer on their menu, so we asked to make sure we would have it. <strong> Jessica, I believe the OP provided all of the options that her venue offers.  </strong>She isn't having 3 different kinds of meatballs, quiches, or chicken.
Posted by OliveOilsMom[/QUOTE]

<div>That makes much more sense!  I totally skimmed that part.</div>

kipnus

As a vegetarian, the options that look really yummy to me are the spinach artichoke dip, toasted ravioli, spinach & feta quiche, bruschetta, black bean burgers, and avocado salad with chips/salsa. It's always good to have a veggie platter and cheese & crackers. For meat, you could probably just pick one type of meatballs, one type of wings, and one type of chicken skewers, and maybe the crab-stuffed mushrooms. I wouldn't have any more than 12 options.

kmfishel28

Good morning,
Yes, this is the entire list. Thanks for your help, we have narrowed it down to a pasta buffet with a lettuce salad, finger sandwiches and avocado salad at another buffet type table, then a table of toasted ravioli, spinach and artichoke dip, cheese & crackers, and veggies. The passed appetizers will be meatballs, bruscetta, stuffed mushrooms and empanadas.
Our one vegetarian guest has approved