summertime snacks

augsum15 · January 2015

Our ceremony is at 2pm, and our reception venue is at 5pm, 3 mins away from our ceremony venue (which is outdoors, with access to 2 small heritage buildings). We plan on having an "afternoon tea" available from 2:30-4:30, so snacks, cool beverages since our wedding is in August. That way people don't have to find something to do until going to the reception. And the park is a nice place people can hang out and chat at, possible we may have a couple fun games set up too. I'm wondering what type of snacks or hors d'oeuvres would work well being made a head of time and would stand up to the heat? Stuff that's light and will tie people over until dinner. My mom and my FMIL volunteered to make these a head of time (our actual reception dinner will be catered).

southernbelle0915 · January 2015

augsum15 said:
Our ceremony is at 2pm, and our reception venue is at 5pm, 3 mins away from our ceremony venue (which is outdoors, with access to 2 small heritage buildings). We plan on having an "afternoon tea" available from 2:30-4:30, so snacks, cool beverages since our wedding is in August. That way people don't have to find something to do until going to the reception. And the park is a nice place people can hang out and chat at, possible we may have a couple fun games set up too. I'm wondering what type of snacks or hors d'oeuvres would work well being made a head of time and would stand up to the heat? Stuff that's light and will tie people over until dinner. My mom and my FMIL volunteered to make these a head of time (our actual reception dinner will be catered).

A two and a half hour gap, even if you're providing snacks, is too long. There's a reason it's called cocktail HOUR. It should not be longer than an hour...90 minutes at the very max.

Are you planning to do this outside? In August? So your wedding guests will sit outside from 2-5pm in the August heat wearing their nice wedding clothes? Ouch!! What is your plan if it rains? Or if it's too hot and/or humid to be outside?

I think food and what to serve isn't the issue here. It's the schedule and your plan for your guests. These things are definitely fixable - move your ceremony to 3:30 and do a cocktail hour from 4-5 so you can take some pictures. I would host the cocktail hour inside. If people want to stay outside they will. But I'll bet you a million bucks most will head for the AC.

augsum15 · January 2015

It's not cocktail hour, it's afternoon tea, no alcohol until the reception venue. And I have a lot of very social friends and family, there's no issue with the gap, trust me I've been to family weddings where the ceremony was at 1130am and the reception was across town at 530pm, so there's not an issue with my time gaps here, he seems the option of outdoor games (nothing crazy, just bean toss, etc things like that). I giving people something to do and feeding people. I'm not leaving people stranded for 2.5 hours. My question hasn't been answered, people on this forum are ridiculous for this, I get you're going to give your opinion, and that's fine, but you didn't offer an ounce of help in your answer towards my ACTUAL question. Thanks.

southernbelle0915 · January 2015

augsum15 said:
It's not cocktail hour, it's afternoon tea, no alcohol until the reception venue. And I have a lot of very social friends and family, there's no issue with the gap, trust me I've been to family weddings where the ceremony was at 1130am and the reception was across town at 530pm, so there's not an issue with my time gaps here, he seems the option of outdoor games (nothing crazy, just bean toss, etc things like that). I giving people something to do and feeding people. I'm not leaving people stranded for 2.5 hours.

My question hasn't been answered, people on this forum are ridiculous for this, I get you're going to give your opinion, and that's fine, but you didn't offer an ounce of help in your answer towards my ACTUAL question. Thanks.

Then leave. Seriously. I put a lot of thought into my response in an effort to make your wedding better. Not some event where you're expecting guests to sit around in wedding clothes OUTSIDE in August for 3 hours (more if they arrive early). I really give no fucks if your wedding is awful and if people talk about it behind your back (they will) because I'm not invited. But YOU should care.

Here you go: lemonade, tea, fruit salad, and fucking scone. Bye.

climbingsingle · January 2015

This is a terrible and rude idea.

ETA I think you should put on wedding attire and then go sit in a park for two hours in August. And then please tell me how enjoyable it was.

JoanE2012 · February 2015

Yeah, no. I don't want to sit outside all dressed up for hours, no matter what the temperature, but especially not in August. And who in their right mind is going to want to play games in wedding attire outdoors in August?!?! The only thing I'm gonna want to do is head home and be in my air conditioned house.

Just because other people have had gaps does not make it right. It's rude and inconsiderate to your guests. Either start the reception earlier or have the ceremony later.

augsum15 · February 2015

Okay, so ignore my timeline then.

I realize august is warm, where I live we don't get extreme heat and it's actually nice to be outside, and it's not uncomfortable (I've hung out in the summer in a nice dress and heels before for weddings etc and never had a problem, nor would I expect anyone to show up in a black tux we aren't that formal). This is why I'm providing cool beverages for people, as well as food so people don't starve before dinner, there's a lot of shaded area and 2 buildings people can go inside if they *DO* get too hot.

I really am curious to know if anyone has had non-caterers do up snacks. Aside from the conventional cookie or cucumber sandwich (or seasonal fruit, our caterer is providing that for the actual dinner/reception), I'd like to know what other DIY fancy-ish make a head of time appies would work well when it's warm out. Call it cocktail hour if you must, it's basically part of the reception, and a chance for our family and relatives from out of town to enjoy the outside beauty we have!

lnixon8 · February 2015

Since it seems like you will be ignoring PPs, for the sake of your guests PLEASE make sure you at least have chairs for everyone to enjoy their 2 and half hours of outside beauty.

[Deleted User] · February 2015

Veggies
Fruit Kabobs
Finger sandwiches like cucumber sandwiches
Cookies
Pinwheels
Pizza squares (cut them up small enought to be 1 or 2 bites)
Take small clear plastic cups, slightly bigger then shot glasses, fill with ranch dip (or another dip but ranch but using ranch dressing makes it easy to do quickly) fill glasses slightly with dip & then put a few veggies in it like a bell peppers in a variety of colors

novella1186 · February 2015

I'm confused as to why you can't/won't push your ceremony back a bit. You obviously get to use the space for a few hours. Why put yourself and your family through the stress and trouble of trying to make your own snacks, set all that up, host a whole "afternoon tea" thing, and then move all the guests to the actual reception space later?

I'm sorry but no matter how beautiful the weather is, I would not enjoy sitting in a park for hours eating crackers and cheese in wedding attire. Nope.

Dreamergirl8812 · February 2015

augsum15 said:

Okay, so ignore my timeline then.

I realize august is warm, where I live we don't get extreme heat and it's actually nice to be outside, and it's not uncomfortable (I've hung out in the summer in a nice dress and heels before for weddings etc and never had a problem, nor would I expect anyone to show up in a black tux we aren't that formal). This is why I'm providing cool beverages for people, as well as food so people don't starve before dinner, there's a lot of shaded area and 2 buildings people can go inside if they *DO* get too hot.

I really am curious to know if anyone has had non-caterers do up snacks. Aside from the conventional cookie or cucumber sandwich (or seasonal fruit, our caterer is providing that for the actual dinner/reception), I'd like to know what other DIY fancy-ish make a head of time appies would work well when it's warm out. Call it cocktail hour if you must, it's basically part of the reception, and a chance for our family and relatives from out of town to enjoy the outside beauty we have!

Are you going to stick a table in the middle of a park, put some "appies" on it and call it an afternoon tea?

southernbelle0915 · February 2015

novella1186 said:

I'm confused as to why you can't/won't push your ceremony back a bit. You obviously get to use the space for a few hours. Why put yourself and your family through the stress and trouble of trying to make your own snacks, set all that up, host a whole "afternoon tea" thing, and then move all the guests to the actual reception space later?

I'm sorry but no matter how beautiful the weather is, I would not enjoy sitting in a park for hours eating crackers and cheese in wedding attire. Nope.

BECAUSE PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!

augsum15 · February 2015

novella1186 said:

I'm confused as to why you can't/won't push your ceremony back a bit. You obviously get to use the space for a few hours. Why put yourself and your family through the stress and trouble of trying to make your own snacks, set all that up, host a whole "afternoon tea" thing, and then move all the guests to the actual reception space later?

I'm sorry but no matter how beautiful the weather is, I would not enjoy sitting in a park for hours eating crackers and cheese in wedding attire. Nope.

Which is why I asked what a good alternative is. No one is getting stressed out; we do have a lot of people helping us out of the good of their hearts for this and if a single person thought this was silly, they'd tell us. The purpose is so people don't have to immediately leave, they can enjoy the outside, it's not like a playground park, it's small & shaded, cool, there are a couple buildings to go inside, etc. So while people are socializing, I figured giving them something to munch on would be considerate. I do appreciate all of your concerns with my time line, but I come from families that have 11am ceremonies and 5 pm receptions with nothing to do in between, so for us this isn't bad. And where we live it's never uncomfortable to be outside in August. Everyone's actually really excited about this. But thank you for your feedback.

Llikotdesserd · February 2015

Maybe some Bruschetta? Watermelon with feta and balsamic? Caprese kabobs? Definitely some lemonade and iced tea with plenty of ice

Side note - I'm one of the people that would probably enjoy the time outside. As long as there is some shade somewhere to escape to if I wanted, I say go for it. Definitely go for the yard games- Big scale jenga, cornhole, bocce, croquet? Also, maybe provide some sunblock and cute foldable fans for people to utilize.

Also - to all of you hating on being outside in August? There are plenty of places in the US that aren't a zillion degrees outside in August, so please check yourselves. If she told us she was in Arizona, I would probably feel differently, but in the original post she never mentioned her location.

augsum15 · February 2015

Llikotdesserd said:
Maybe some Bruschetta? Watermelon with feta and balsamic? Caprese kabobs? Definitely some lemonade and iced tea with plenty of ice

Side note - I'm one of the people that would probably enjoy the time outside. As long as there is some shade somewhere to escape to if I wanted, I say go for it. Definitely go for the yard games- Big scale jenga, cornhole, bocce, croquet? Also, maybe provide some sunblock and cute foldable fans for people to utilize.

Also - to all of you hating on being outside in August? There are plenty of places in the US that aren't a zillion degrees outside in August, so please check yourselves. If she told us she was in Arizona, I would probably feel differently, but in the original post she never mentioned her location.

Thanks I appreciate that, most people I know love spending time outdoors as well, so that part was a non-issue. I'm still hosting my guests, so it's not as if I'm just leaving them there to fend for themselves as I've read in other posts people doing with an hour or so in between with *nothing* planned.

Location wise, I live in Canada on Vancouver Island/BC. It's never a zillion degrees here! We're LUCKY if we hit 25 degrees C (erm...77 degrees F ...had to convert). So the heat is also a non-issue.

Thank you for your food ideas everyone who did give some. Definitely gave me some things to think about. Will discuss with my helpers! (who btw volunteered I'm not dictating anyone to do anything.. I feel like I have to point that out too.. sigh!)

JennyColada · March 2015

I'm sorry, but you couldn't Google "afternoon tea ideas" or "afternoon tea snacks" or "afternoon tea food" or even "afternoon tea"?

http://www.greatpartyrecipes.com/teasandwichrecipes.html

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-throw-afternoon-tea-party

augsum15 · March 2015

I could have, but it's nice to have real people's answers, not just google. Thanks though!

JoanE2012 · March 2015

Llikotdesserd said:
Maybe some Bruschetta? Watermelon with feta and balsamic? Caprese kabobs? Definitely some lemonade and iced tea with plenty of ice

Side note - I'm one of the people that would probably enjoy the time outside. As long as there is some shade somewhere to escape to if I wanted, I say go for it. Definitely go for the yard games- Big scale jenga, cornhole, bocce, croquet? Also, maybe provide some sunblock and cute foldable fans for people to utilize.

Also - to all of you hating on being outside in August? There are plenty of places in the US that aren't a zillion degrees outside in August, so please check yourselves. If she told us she was in Arizona, I would probably feel differently, but in the original post she never mentioned her location.

Sorry, but anything containing cheese I would not eat if it's been sitting outdoors. Even if it's only 75 degrees as the OP mentioned, that would just be nasty! Even watermelon sitting outside unchilled doesn't sound very refreshing.

OP - What, if anything, do you plan to do to keep food chilled?

augsum15 · March 2015

It would be kept refrigerated right up to just before it's out to serve. We'll have fans to keep the room chilled (as the food will be kept inside, not under the sun), and we'll have anything that needs to be kept chilled over ice. We've actually decided on all our snacks now though, however I appreciate all the input!

madamerwin · March 2015

augsum15 said:
It's not cocktail hour, it's afternoon tea, no alcohol until the reception venue. And I have a lot of very social friends and family, there's no issue with the gap, trust me I've been to family weddings where the ceremony was at 1130am and the reception was across town at 530pm, so there's not an issue with my time gaps here, he seems the option of outdoor games (nothing crazy, just bean toss, etc things like that). I giving people something to do and feeding people. I'm not leaving people stranded for 2.5 hours.

My question hasn't been answered, people on this forum are ridiculous for this, I get you're going to give your opinion, and that's fine, but you didn't offer an ounce of help in your answer towards my ACTUAL question. Thanks.

Food suggestions:

- Bruschetta

- Fruit kabobs

- Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus

- Caprese salad kabobs (grape tomatoes, mozzarella balls, drizzled with pesto and balsamic)

Drinks:

- Iced tea

- Lemonade

Games:

- Corn hole

- Ladders

THAT SAID, after an hour as a guest I would more than likely go find somewhere inside, preferably with some nice cold adult beverages, to pass the time. I think it's great you are providing food, beverages, and entertainment (and for the love of God, provide chairs for everyone), but people will get bored. No matter how social your friends and family are.

augsum15 · March 2015

Yeah I did mention in an above post there are buildings for people to go inside of, and of course there will be chairs, plenty. Our families are incredibly social, and being that so many people are coming from out of town, they'll wanna catch up and the time will fly, that's what I've found anyways with weddings I've been to.

Englishsarah27 · April 2015

Wow, there are some really horrendous posters on this forum, sorry that you got caught up in it. No need for people to be so catty.

I have a similar timeline as you, and also live in a place where August is warm but not very hot so that people would be uncomfortable. The easiest thing is to have snacks that don't require refrigeration. Maybe nice Italian breadsticks, crudités and hummus, cheeses, (if it's not hot), mini pies strawberries, etc

augsum15 · April 2015

We finally decided on our snacks... leek & mushroom pasties, cheese & chive scones, and cucumber sandwiches (being made the day of and there's refrigeration), and Strawberry Shortcake petit fours. Our mums are being amazing and helpful with all of this. We wanted stuff we could make months in advance and bake a couple days before that would last. The shortcakes will be made the week of, and the sandwiches that morning. So it's all figured out. Thank you for all your suggestions though!!

Knottie67282180 · June 2015

Hi,

Just another suggestion for you. Since you are having this gap between your ceremony and reception, I think you should put some lawn games out for your guests. Some cornhole, horseshoes, giant tic tac toe etc. Just as a little something extra to help pass the time

southernbelle0915 · June 2015

zombie thread - closing.

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