Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

Do I have enough food?!

So, I have my wedding in 2 WEEKS (ahhh!) and I need to finalize with my caterer. We are doing an all outdoors reception with BBQ, buffet style. I have a confirmed 75 guests - this does include about 10 children - but have told my caterer we want food for 55 people. We are also doing slider buns and corn bread instead of regular sized bun the helpfully prevent over filled plates. There is also multiple sides and of course cake! I have heard stories of people RSVPing yes to weddings but not showing, some people won't even eat etc. Because I am on a budget...I am wondering if I have enough or even too much food. Opinions??

Re: Do I have enough food?!

  • Why are you ordering only enough food for 55?? You have 75 confirmed guests, so you should order for 75 guests. You plan on everyone showing not just pick a number and go from there.
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  • jacques27jacques27 member
    First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited August 2015

    If you only had enough money to buy BBQ for 55, then you should have only invited 55 people or picked a cheaper option like having a cake and punch reception.  Lots of people have budgets, don't use that as an excuse. 

    You don't plan on people not eating (honestly, unless you served only food that I'm allergic to, if you're holding your reception over meal time you can bet I'm eating).  You don't plan on people no-showing.  Most people don't RSVP yes just to no-show - usually only in extreme circumstances like sudden illness or injury.  Food and having a comfortable place to sit are the two things most people will remember about your wedding.  Cut the money from things that won't affect your guests' enjoyment if you have to, like flowers, centerpieces, favors, décor, etc.

    So, yeah, you need to buy food for 75.  ETA:  Well, 75 if you are counting you and your FI and your vendors in that number.  If you're not then you need make that 75+2+vendors.

  • You need to order food for everyone at the wedding (vendors and yourself included), so you have way to little food. 
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  • Yeah, you need more food.  

    Don't forget that if you have people who are vegetarians/vegan you need an entree for them to eat and if you have people with gluten allergies they may not be able to eat anything with a BBQ sauce on it.
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  • i do not understand why someone someone would order over 25% LESS food than is needed? That is crazy.   I get not wanting to waste food, but running out is much worse then having too much.

    Yes, most events have some no show/last minute cancellations.  It happens.   Mine was around 8 people  and I had 154 yeses.  

    Using slider buns might back fire on you.  I will happily take one regular sized bun.  Yet, I will eat 2-3 slider buns.     Of course, I can't speak for others, but i know DH would be good for 4-5 sliders on his own.


    A few months ago I went to a wedding with a buffet.   We were the last ones through the line.   They had 2 proteins.  One was completely out.  The other one I took the last piece.  There were 4 people (including DH) behind me.  The salad was out also.  The starch and veggies were the bottom of the barrel.    Later found out it was poor planning on the hosts not the caterer.   






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • No, you do not have anywhere near enough food.  



  • MGPMGP member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited August 2015
    This is worse than the bride who wanted people disclose their age on the RSVP cards so she could order food portions based on how much she thought that demographic would eat (basically teens and adults got more and kids and seniors got less.

    OP - if you want to order 55 buffet portions for 75 people have at it. Just make sure you are one of the last 20 to go through the line and let us know how it turns out.
  • I cannot believe someone would actually do this. I always err on the side of too much food. Our baker and wedding planner said to order less cake than people. I said no way was I not going to have a piece of cake for each person available. If we have cake leftover, it will get eaten because we love cake! Don't under order food. Your guest will remember your wedding and not in a good way!
  • WTF?!  You have 75 confirmed, then you order food for 75 people, not fucking 55.  I've been to a wedding with a buffet that run out of food (before everyone had even gotten firsts).  It was awful.  It's what people remember and talk about.  So...you have that to look forward to.  


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  • OP, if you were having plated dinners would you only order 55? (Actually, don't answer that)

    You realize, though, that with buffets people will probably eat more food, right? With plated meals you get what's on your plate. That's it. With a buffet, people are able to take as much as they want and, sure, some people are cognizant of the fact that there are people behind them who still have to get food and will therefore not take too much, but there's also the presumption that the couple paid to make sure everyone would have enough and then some. So, in the case of a buffet, even if you have 75 confirmed guests you actually need to pay for MORE food than the bare minimum. 
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  • MGPMGP member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    But guys, she's on a budget! Its soooo worth it for her to bank on 20 no shows* to save a few bucks!!

    (on moblie so can't do sarcasm font)

    * and 20 is almost ONE THIRD of her CONFIRMED guest list. Can you imagine what is going to happen in that buffet line?
  • Um you ordered for for 55 people when 75 are confirmed coming.  I don't give two shits if 10 of the 75 are children.  You need to order enough food for ALL of your guests.  The reason why you are asking if you have enough food or not is because you know that you don't.

    Oh and the only people I ever hear about that don't eat are the bride and groom.  I have never gone to a wedding and not eaten.  In fact the food is the one of the things that I look forward to when I go to the wedding because hello, free meal.

    Also, did you take into account your vendors?  You need to feed any vendors that are working during your reception so they need to be added to your guest count.

  • Are we sure this is not a hairy little troll?
  • PP have covered it, you need more food... I'd so much rather have leftovers than people be hungry. This is no different than having people over at your house, you plan on everyone eating. Except at least if it's at your house and you run out of something you can quick run to a store or restaurant and get more where you're kind of SOL if this happens at your wedding. 

    Before we booked our food I thought buffet would be cheaper but as people have mentioned it's not because you need to plan on people taking more than they would get plated. And sliders is a terrible idea... for some reason when food is in smaller portions I consume way more of it. Finally don't assume that children will eat less. I honestly ate more as a child then I do now because now I work in a cube and sit for 8+ hrs a day where as a child I was very active and ran around a lot. 
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  • MGPMGP member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper


    lyndausvi said:



    Heffalump said:
     We are also doing slider buns and corn bread instead of regular sized bun the helpfully prevent over filled plates.
    Because there's nothing worse than guests getting enough to eat, amirite?
    Well there is an obesity issue, so this is a good way to control how much friends and family eat.
    Those people should have lost weight before the wedding.  Don't you know someone else's engagement period is the time to fix everything fundamentally wrong with yourself, inside and out?
  • This has to be a troll, right? OP, if you're serious, then I imagine that PPs have it covered as far as reinforcing the fact that you don't have enough food until you've ordered enough food. For everyone. Plus some.
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  • So, I have my wedding in 2 WEEKS (ahhh!) and I need to finalize with my caterer. We are doing an all outdoors reception with BBQ, buffet style. I have a confirmed 75 guests - this does include about 10 children - but have told my caterer we want food for 55 people. We are also doing slider buns and corn bread instead of regular sized bun the helpfully prevent over filled plates. There is also multiple sides and of course cake! I have heard stories of people RSVPing yes to weddings but not showing, some people won't even eat etc. Because I am on a budget...I am wondering if I have enough or even too much food. Opinions??
    A bit of common sense and basic math would go a long way, OP!  FTR, everyone that RSVP'd to our wedding showed up.  And I've never ever seen anyone not eat at a wedding.  Unless the food ran out, of course.
  • Nothing like a good ole fashioned Friday dogpile!
  • leahkate said:
    Nothing like a good ole fashioned Friday dogpile!
    First of all, this thread has been around a lot longer than today.  Secondly, if OP says she wants to jump off a bridge we're not going to chime in and tell her it's a super cute and speshul idea.  She's wrong.  Plain and simple.  No one is "dog piling."  She asked a question, and we responded with good advice.  If you can't see that, then the internet is not for you.  


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  • leahkate said:
    Nothing like a good ole fashioned Friday dogpile!
    You're the only one who posted on this thread on Friday.  I guess details aren't your strong suit?



  • Viczaesar said:


    leahkate said:

    Nothing like a good ole fashioned Friday dogpile!

    You're the only one who posted on this thread on Friday.  I guess details aren't your strong suit?







    I just think it's funny that the OP has not been back since posting this ahhhhh! question. Either she could not take practical and truthful advice, or she has been too busy writing the poems for her "kiss jars".
  • This was fun to read.  Thanks troll ;)
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