What would you replace this with?

peaches85 · October 2010

Our venue offers a plated dessert in addition to the wedding cake. However, we got a viennese table/hour/whatever it's called thrown in for free, so having a plated dessert in addition to that and the wedding cake is a bit of dessert overload.

We're going to the venue in the next week or two to drop off our next check and we'll be meeting with one of the banquet managers and we want to find out if we can replace the plated dessert with something at some point during the cocktail hour or reception.

Originally we were thinking of having an intermezzo as the replacement (if you recall my post from last week), but we just want to stick to four courses. So, does anyone have any other suggestions for specific things we could ask about possibly replacing the plated dessert with?

Edit: This is our entire CH menu, so you can see what's already included. I feel like they already give us so much and I have no idea what else we could include, but since the plated-dessert is already technically included in the pp price in some way, I want to make sure we get our money's worth and replace it somehow (yes, I'm totally being greedy, haha)...

http://www.themanorrestaurant.com/assets/templates/manor/pdf/Manor_CocktailHhourWeddingMenu_Fall2010.pdf

mbcdefg · October 2010

How about something extra during cocktail hour? A passed hors d'oeuvre, a station, a stationary platter (such as sushi)?

kasabby · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_would-replace-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:566be8f3-8087-42d2-a094-848f4c8261cfPost:d427684d-066a-4e80-9df9-6a1779f586b5">Re: What would you replace this with?</a>:
[QUOTE]How about something extra during cocktail hour? A passed hors d'oeuvre, a station, a stationary platter (such as sushi)?
Posted by mbcdefg[/QUOTE]

DItto this--maybe a martini station or some kind of other neat station at the cocktail hour.

peaches85 · October 2010

Thanks, MB (edit: and Kasabby). Sushi and martinis are already included... part of the problem is that the CH menu that they already have seems super-intense to me, so I can't figure out what's "missing" or what else we could include.

I'm going to include a link to our venue's CH in my OP just to give you an idea of what's already offered, so maybe you all can give me other ideas.

mbcdefg · October 2010

Mmmm, that made me hungry

Maybe you could ask if they can bring hot towels around to everyone before dinner starts? We went to a fancy banquet that did that. There was a little slice of lemon on top of each towel.

Another idea might be if they can do a coffee station at the end of the night, and people can take coffee in to-go cups for the car ride home. Maybe even with cookies or a brownie.

Or how about a passed dessert option? Trays of cookies, and shot glasses with milk or milkshakes.

NikkiPSU · October 2010

I went to a wedding that had a pasta bar during the cocktail hour, I loved that!

I also like PP ideas of the hot towels or an international coffee bar!

peaches85 · October 2010

Hot towels could be good, although they might be too fancy for our group, haha.

And the viennese table/hour already offers "international coffees flamed to order" (whatever that means). Plus, they have coffee, tea, espresso, and cappuccino available when they serve the wedding cake.

A variety of pastas are already offered as part of the selection for hot buffet stations during the CH and I just feel like there are so many desserts already that having a passed dessert (even milkshakes which I LOVE) would defeat the purpose of replacing the plated-dessert.

I'm being really difficult... I'm sorry.

NikkiPSU · October 2010

The only thing I think you would have left to add is the Intermezzo, which I know you decided against but IMHO, I think it is an amazing touch at weddings!

NikkiPSU · October 2010

How much is the desert worth? Could you add the Lobster to the Raw Bar?

peaches85 · October 2010

Nikki - Thank you so much for all of your suggestions! :-)

I totally agree with you about the intermezzo, but because of our CH I feel like our reception is all about food-overload. Granted, I'm grateful we have so many options and so much food, but I want our reception to be more about dancing and partying than gorging ourselves on every food known to man (in the hyperbolic sense).

And I can't do lobster. (Warning: I'm about to sound like a total freak.) When I was younger my dad would eat them all the time and I used to hate hearing them claw at the sides of the pot of boiling water and I would make myself believe I could hear them screaming. Needless to say, I'm scarred for life as a result, haha.

NikkiPSU · October 2010

I totally hear you on the food overload... we have more food than we could ever imagine! It's the curse of the "New Jersey Cocktail Hour"

peaches85 · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_would-replace-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:566be8f3-8087-42d2-a094-848f4c8261cfPost:eb1515b6-7c90-45c3-8cae-07353220af80">Re: What would you replace this with?</a>:
[QUOTE]I totally hear you on the food overload... we have more food than we could ever imagine! It's the curse of the "New Jersey Cocktail Hour"
Posted by NikkiPSU[/QUOTE]
Yes! Totally!

sgdc2011 · October 2010

Are you sure by adding in the vienese hour they didn't ALREADY take out the dessert plate? Usually they just replace them and then this point would be moot. However if they didn't already take it out, what about a specialty drink throughout the night? or maybe Decorations that they could provide? candles? etc?

cutiepie12702 · October 2010

What about doing a to-go station, when guests are leaving there can be a table on the side with coffee and cookies and so forth. Or maybe you're already having that? I think most people would grab a cookie on their way out the door...

We also got the viennese table, and our package already included plated desserts with assorted cookies and pastries and chocolate covered strawberries....I think some people, especially older folks, may appreciate not having to get up and walk around to get the desserts....or after people have gone up and taken different things, they get back to their seat and have extra choices to choose from/take more. My family is big on desserts, so if I was you I would probably just leave it as is and have the extra assortment.

K&J64 · October 2010

Ok I may have missed this on your menu, sorry if I did, but how about asking them to include a custom ice sculpture for the cocktail hour either for your raw bar or for the martini station? It's a nice touch I think.

hollyberry88 · October 2010

My sister in law had something similar to this. What she choose to do was to have the cake wrapped up and sent home with her guests as the favor (she had boxes made up with her name and the date), and served the plated desert as the desert.

ev4149 · October 2010

I like the "to go" idea. My venue does a take home bag with bottled water, a sandwich, and coffee. It's the kind of thing that people can eat for lunch the next day, so it doesn't have the food overload effect.

tracey0916 · October 2010

I'm getting married at the Manor as well (in 24 days - YAY!!). We went to finalize our menu last week. Our viennese was also thrown in for free and I want to say that it negated the plated dessert. But without having my paperwork in front of me and my brain being on total overload at the moment - I might totally be making that up.

peaches85 · October 2010

Tracey - Good to know! My paperwork doesn't say anything about not having the plated dessert, so I just assumed it was in addition to the viennese table. Definitely something I have to check on now.

What would you replace this with?

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