Afternoon tea instead of wedding breakfast?

We have been toying with this idea.... I think it would be awesome.. espec as I'm a huge cake fan! We were also thinking of the BBQ, I think its a nice in between, you can have a nibble on some beautiful cakes an sarnies then later soak up the alcohol with BBQ ?

Go for it!

Maybe but not quite -- if your wedding is at 2 then people will be getting there at 1.30 --to get there at 1.30 if they are reasonably local they will be leaving at 1.00 --to leave at 1.00 they will be getting ready from 11-12?? so I don't think that they will be having a big lunch before they come, maybe a good breakfast. Wedding at 2 would usually mean sitting down for a 4-4.30 wedding breakfast with speeches finished for 6.30-7.00. Serve the BBQ at 9pm after your first dance.

I think it sounds like a lovely idea and it is your wedding, so if it is what you want then go for it. Don't worry about what everyone else thinks.

Afternoon tea sounds great particularly if you are having a BBQ in the evening I think you are right that most people wouldn't eat 2 big meals in the few hours between day and evening receptions.

I think you definitely need to serve something in addition to canapés as it can be a long day, I doubt I would eat lunch before attending a 2:00pm Wedding particularly if I had a long way to travel to get to the wedding.

I would love to do this, my two favourite things are tea and cake, however h2b's only requirement for the wedding is a proper sit down meal, he's pretty much said I can do anything else I want as long as I don't interfere with the food! I mentioned it to the wedding planner when we were staking out the venue, something along the lines of how flexible are you with the menus, can I opt for champagne afternoon tea instead of canapés, and she very honestly told me not to bother with that or canapés, she said by the time you've had your afternoon ceremony and then the photos you will be sitting down for dinner so don't waste your money on canapés although I will gladly take it off you, so now I'm wondering if I can jig that idea into the evening buffet instead...

Well we don't have many guests with too far to travel and generally most day guests are family so i'm pretty sure they will be easily pleased, just don't want to leave people really hungry. I've had tea at the venue we like and we didnt have it untill 4pm that day and were so full we didnt need an evening meal so I know it is pretty filling, I'm thinking about having the ice cream cart with the canapes for day guests instead of the evening guests but didn't want o pile loads of food on them in a short space of time. It's so confusing!

I was hoping for wedding at 2 or 2:30 then welcome drinks 3/3:30

Tea at 5 and then bbq at 8:30-9ish

I know a few brides that have not quite stuck to tradition and served more savoury items alongside the sandwiches to make it a bit more filling, think mini tartlets and pies. Wraps and finger rolls might be a nice touch alongside the traditional triangle sarnies too. Then on to the scones!

We are doing this too.

Ceremony at 2pm.

Afternoon Tea at 3.30pm - Finger sandwiches, Homemade scones with clotted cream and homemade jam, Homemade cupcakes and a homemade tea loaf with tea and coffee (we can't afford any fizz!)

BBQ at 6.30pm - sausages, burgers, chicken, coleslaw, potato salad and green salad

Sweet Corner for pud - wedding cake, vegan chocolate cake, brownies, doughnuts, scrabble cookies, homemade truffles, lollipops and jars upon jars of sweeties!

Cheese, chutney and biscuits at 9.30pm.

Everyone I've spoken to has said this will be more than enough food!

They all sound fantastic but how do they fit with this thread https://www.hitched.co.uk/chat/forums/t/379356.aspx what kind of venues did or are you having your afternoon tea's at

Well the venue have just emailed me confirming they can do this for £12 per head and £15 per head for the BBQ

We have been thinking exactly the same.

From what all my friends who have already got married have told me, firstly as soon as the food arrives they can't face food, bit of a waste huh.

Also as a guest I have found that I am stuffed and then don't want to dance/ eat the buffet in the eve, another waste.

We are wanting to get married around 2pm and I don't see why people wouldn't eat before then. Otherwise, they will still be waiting until 4pm ish for food, silly!

I am therefore putting on the invite that it will be High Tea and saying a selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes will be provided, that way they know to eat lunch before hand.

Best of all, tea is a lot cheaper than 3 courses and more easy to suit everyone's tastes.

Do let us know how it goes.

Good Luck

Good prices, where are you from? The best price I got per head so far for Afternoon Tea is £60!!

We are doing a BBQ! But as our wedding breakfast, our ceremony is at 1pm, then BBQ at 3.30 so we are having canapés and Pimms while photographs are being done, we have an ice cream van coming at 5ish so desert will be that or our chocolate wedding cake, additional we are then having a buffet in the evening (I hate buffets too). I just feel most people will be drunk at that point and at most weddings the evening food hardly gets touched. If I was having hot food in the evening I'd have to opt for a hog roast! Per head it's much cheaper than a BBQ......

Hi,

My wedding sounds very similar. Ceremony is at 2pm, were having afternoon tea as our wedding breakfast, followed by hog roast in the evening ?

I really wanted a hog roast, but my partner's insisting her family are too Jewish to be okay with it. Not so Jewish that they've been anywhere near a synagogue in decades, but y'know. Jewish enough to ruin my whole-pig-on-a-stick fantasies. Whatever.

I also wanted a 10am wedding with an afternoon tea/brunch to follow; hot filled rolls, sandwiches, fruit and yoghurt, pastries, cakes, champagne and mimosas. She also put the kibosh on that, as she's allergic to dairy and gluten, and would like to eat something on the day. Spoilsport.

So we're stuck with a traditional meal. Boo. Enjoy it- I love the idea!

Oh wow, that's more than the Ritz!! ?

My ears are just pricking up at the Jewish bit - my hubby was sad at not having any piggy bits at our wedding as they are french and love their ham, sausages etc. I describe myself as atheist, and haven' been near a synagogue since forced as a kid, but there was just no way I could have piggy food at our wedding! It's just one of those things!

Wow £60! Those cakes had better have good leaf on them! I know the afternoon tea is lovely at our venue as I took my mum or Mother's Day and it was so nice and very filling. I'm in Lincoln so I guess things aren't too expensive here. The hotel is fairly modern, I'm not going for shabby chic more modern and simple but figured who doesn't love sandwiches cake tea and champagne! So please others agree its a great idea I also cannot wait to have a BBQ its more relaxed but good everyone will enjoy and the high tea is formal enough to have the speeches an the traditional bits we do like about weddings

We considered the afternoon tea and then the bbq at night but have now gone with a full bbq being served for day guests at 5.30pm (wedding is at 3pm) and a scaled down version (just sausages, burgers and buns) at night. We're having desserts with the main meal and then a belgian waffle machine at night.

We have gone with afternoon tea for our wedding and hired all the old crockery and cake stands etc. we are getting married at 1pm and having canapés and pimms whilst photos are being taken and then the afternoon tea around 3.30ish and then having the evening food around 8pm and going with curry and hot beef sarnies. I'm putting on the invites that it's afternnoon tea so hopefully people will have a good breakfast before they come!

"Afternoon tea" can cover a whole range of things though - from a scone and a slice of cake to an elaborate stack of gourmet sandwiches, possibly with extra savouries like sausage rolls, followed by scones and multiple different cakes and petit fours.

We had the latter as our main meal at the wedding and it was very substantial - I was as full after that as I have been after some 3 course meals! It also cost considerably closer to your £60 than to the OP's £12.

Oh, and for the record, I wouldn't necessarily eat before a 2pm wedding, especially if there was any kind of distance to travel.

I've only ever managed breakfast and a sandwich if the traffic deigns to co-operate before a 2pm wedding as well. Impossible to eat a sandwich while driving and risky while dressed for the wedding!

I had afternoon tea and my guests loved it. Some of them still mention it now. We had the traditional afternoon tea mixed in with tartlets, pastries and other delicious things. Do it!

We are having catered afternoon tea at about 4.00pm (after a 1.30pm ceremony) and then a Fish & Chip supper at about 9.00pm. Everyone says they are really looking forward to both. So often I have seen people play with the food at weddings and be fussy whereas everyone (certainly everyone we are inviting) will enjoy good old British fayre!

We had afternoon tea instead of a wedding breakfast and then a BBQ in the evening. It was fantastic! We got married at 1pm and had canapes served at 2.30 after the ceremony. Afternoon Tea was at 4pm and then the evening do started at 7, with the BBQ served at 9pm. Everyone loved it.

Sounds ideal. Weddings are a bit crazy food-wise - surely they're the only time when we eat our main meal at something silly like 4pm and then stuff our faces with a buffet at 10pm.

Afternoon tea and then evening BBQ sounds much more civilised.

We're in the afternoon tea club too! Although having ours abit earlier than some - 2.30pm (ceremony is at 1pm, but we are not having many photo's taken). Then we'll have a sit down meal at 8pm. Everyone is staying at the venue too and having breakfast around 9am, so by 2.30 they'll all be hungry!

Love afternoon tea and I can't think of anyone who does not like it, go for it!