Do you think its ok not to have a buffet/ food at evening reception ?

minerva_windsong

hayleythedaisy wrote: »

I think as Nozzy says, so long as there is something to nibble it should be fine. From working in a hotel, evening buffets that followed a wedding breakfast normally about 80-90% of the food got binned and most of the other 20% would be found on the floor anyway!!

Either that, or the staff end up eating it... *was a hotel barmaid and used to regularly find herself in the kitchen at 2 AM eating vol au vents and stuffed potatoes*

I like the wedding cake idea, but agree with others that if you haven't eaten since 4.30 you might get hungry later on, especially children if there are any coming to the wedding. I would either get the bacon butties - but not for everyone - or see if the hotel would let people order bar snacks.

Sazbo

RainbowDrops wrote: »

I wonder if you could aks about bringing your own?
Maybe call on people to make snacks as favours (you could ask the evening guests to do this instead of them getting you a wedding gift?)

Not sure how it would go down though...

I wouldn't have any problem with this at all. I think it's a good idea, a bring and share type of thing.

S

Kittendreich

I would try and offer a small thing - even just to help soak up the drink!

I went to an evening do where we had been invited to attend for 7pm - with getting ready and travel I didn't have time to really eat anything before I went...so when there was no buffet I had to leave early to go and find a chippy!

However, if it messes up your finances I'd not bother but make sure you warn people to they leave time to eat before they come.

birduk

Do you mean that the wedding breakfast will start at 4.30? In which case it will be over for about 6pm? I wouldn't have thought anyone would want to eat much, but it would be nice to offer something. The crisps/chips is a great idea.

But personally I wouldn't spend £500 on it!

mrscoles2be

I think its fine not to feed evening guests. We're not, but we've made this clear on our invites, by putting drinks reception, so they will not be expecting food. However, we have arranged for bowls of crisps and nuts to be put out on the bar x

Horace

RainbowDrops wrote: »

I wonder if you could aks about bringing your own?
Maybe call on people to make snacks as favours (you could ask the evening guests to do this instead of them getting you a wedding gift?)

Not sure how it would go down though...

Hotels tend not to allow food to be consumed on the premises that hasnt been purchased from them...if you were having your reception in the village hall then by all means ask folks to bring snacks. There was a celebrity wedding on living the other day (Pete the tourettes chap from big brother) and he had people taking their own food and the whole event was bizarre to say the least - he also came last.

Ask the venue to provide bowls of savory snacks and arrange to serve your wedding cake.

cazian14

what about something like a couple of cheese board type things, as not all will be peckish, cake for the sweet toothed,cheese for the savory

Cat72

Hi

Thanks for the replys. Yes the meal is not starting to about 4.30 with the speeches, so probably wont start eating until about 5pm and it is meant to be quite a substanial 3 course meal .

Most of the evening guests live near- probably only a 20 minute journey and dont have to be there for 7.30 exactly.

I have only spoke to the wedding co-ordinator once and when I asked about the sandwiches/buffet he said not to bother ! But I never got time to talk further. The venue is great but they seem to be lacking for the evening buffet side of things- I am starting to suspect because they dont have much call for it. We are really lucky as they are allowing us the venue with such small day numbers.

I want to buy my close friends who are coming to the evening some wine when they arrive ,as a way of a thankyou for coming .

So I am definately swaying towards the cake for evening reception and seeing if they can offer crisps .

I remember my friend got married and it was a beautiful wedding breakfast meal but the evening reception was sandwiches and pakora. It didnt go down well and was left .

I would really hate for this to happen -also I suspect a lot of people from my OH work will say they are coming and not turn up.So it is going to be very hard to calculate the numbers for the evening.

frannyann

At my first wedding we couldn't afford a evening buffet, so didn't have one and no-one mentioned it as 'missing'. This time we have got an evening buffet but that is because its included in the price for the day guests and half price for addtional evening guests, so 30 were already catered for and it was 'only' £6 for each addtional evening guest and working on the theory that most will have eaten we are catering for 30 addtional guests but inviting 60!

vickyw

We are having a sit down meal for about 40 then 80 guests in the evening. We can't afford the £15 a head buffet so we've come up with a compromise of canapes for £10 a head. It's unbelievably expensive (I could buy my dress a few times over with canape costs alone!!!) but too late now oh well!
I like the idea of serving cake and cheese to people though