Do We Need An Evening Buffet?

It would probably be a good idea, because a wedding is a very long day and they would no doubt be peckish. is it worth doing bacon rolls or something? i went to a wedding where they did hot beef rolls and it was just what you wanted!!

I would definitely be hungry in the evening, i definitely think evening food will need to be provided.

MAG2FMC - we are having the same problem! All our guests are coming for the whole day (no separate evening guests) and we are already feeding them twice (canapes and 3 course meal) so I am reluctant to pay to feed them a third time especially seeing as the cheapest option (cheese & grapes etc) is £6.95 a head! We were just planning on serving the cake later, with tea & coffee (so people have a break from alcohol) and we are also having an ice-cream cart. I'm hoping this will be sufficient.

I'm going to disagree with everyone else. I think if you are sitting down to eat at 1730 and having a 3 course meal, then guests shouldn't expect another feed later on. It would be different if the wedding breakfast was at an in-between time (say 3 or 4 o clock) as then people may get peckish by 11 but after a good meal at the time you're serving it, I think it'll be fine not to have more food laid on. Our main meal is only an hour later than yours (1830) and we're not having any other food later on.

However, if you decide to go with food later on, to avoid waste you could/should ask for the leftover food to be given to the bridal party (or the guests as above) to eat the following day. That's what we're doing (IF there's any food leftover!) - we're just providing the caterer with takeaway cartons/tupperware.

I would definitely be hungry, without a shred of doubt.

Personally, that is too late to eat for me, especially as you'd have had a big meal at nearly normal tea time. Maybe if you're worried about it, you could just have pickies (finger buffet stuff) from 9pm onwards.

I don't think I would expect to be fed again though as a guest.

When I eat a wedding breakfast at, say, 4ish, I'm normally peckish for something around 10 (normally after they've cleared away the evening food!). Maybe something small like cheese and crackers would be plenty?

No. Don't be forced into it. If you ate a 3 course meal at 5.30 (say it finishes at 7) then you would not eat again after that. You will just get people sitting and eating instead of dancing and mingling.

I had a sweet table and popcorn and toffee apples instead. All portable snacks just for a bit of fun.

We went to a similar wedding to yours, all guests there all day, had a 3 course meal at 4.30ish, cake at around 7pm then bacon sandwiches at 11pm. just enough to top us up

As you are eating at 5.30 and aren't having any extra guests, i don't think you do NEED evening food...i would maybe do something like a sweet buffet or cut the cake and offer it or maybe just pop some posh nibbles around the venue (nice crisps/olives/nuts etc) but if you think of a normal dinner time at home (well me anyway) i tend to eat around 6-6.30pm and then wouldn't have a second tea later on...

if you have the budget then maybe but i think it's unecessary personally x

I think you will need nibbles of some sort even if you have a three course meal at around half 5. Someone I know didn't have anything in the evening and most of her guests were starving! Just a simple Buffett would be ideal as people will want to pick at food as their drinking and dancing. 10 or 11 sounds to late, how about half 7 or 8? You don't have to have much, just finger food that guests can pick at.

We expect that the meal won't be done until 7'ish (if not 7:30 if we don't actually sit down until 6, and with the best expectations of a 5:30 sit down, 6 might be more realistic), so 7:30 or 8:00 for an evening buffet, even just finger food, sounds a bit early!

In any event, we decided against the evening buffet, even at 10 or 11. We've been to a couple weddings recently where this was done and 90% of the food went to waste. I'm not really into that much waste in terms of food or money. The dessert table will be out all through the night, so if folks are really peck'ish they can nibble on that.

Hi MAG2"FMC

Our timings are the same as yours- 3 course meal at 5.30pm an our evening reception will have the same guests as the daytime.

We having food served later in the evening 9.45-10pm (as we think it's a good idea to help soak up some of the previously consumed alcohol)

At the moment we are having -

bacon/sausage butties (1 per guest, but some wont want so the greedy ones can grab 2 lol)

Cheese boards (to the amount of approx 60% of guests as we know some people aren't cheese lovers so wont bother)

Chocolate fountain (with enough dips for 100% of guests)

but I am wondering if this is OTT if I'm honest.

There is no NEED to have evening food served so don't feel you HAVE to do it if it over-stretches your budget

HTH

L x

I think there should be something but maybe not a full buffet. Maybe a little portion of fish and chips or a bacon buttie.

I think it depends on people traveling as well. Weddings can be long days for people.

Saving is a good habit. In my opinion, the dinner can be on around 7:00 PM. If you want to save money and also you want to fine, may spend more effort to think about the whole thing.

We get married at 3pm, are having a full meal with dessert at 5.30.

It was our wedding coordinator at the venue that said we wouldnt need full evening food.

We are having our wedding cake. A cheese board (£75) and any left over fruit salad from the main meal.

She suggested that any more than that would be wasted.

I never eat the buffet at a wedding - espesh if I've been a day guest, I am always far too full from a three course meal. I was at a wedding on Saturday and we ate at about 3pm, and that kept me full all day, I am far too busy dancing by 9pm. I think I would choose something very, very light - maybe some bacon rolls, or a selection of cheeses and some crackers, as I would want to ensure that even if one person were to be hungry, that I had provided something for them. I understand your point about waste, and I know this sounds a bit do-gooder-ish, but I help to organise little events quite a lot, and we always arrange for the left over food to taken straight to the YMCA for the people there to snack on. As long as you contact the Y first so that they expect the food, then they will let their residents know not to have their tea and you can ensure that there will be no wastage.

We're only serving cake later on. After canapés and a 4 course meal it will be 7.30 at least by the time dinner is over and no additional guests in the evening to feed so I'm not worried about it to be honest.

My venue is in the centre of Edinburgh though so if my guests really do need something to soak up the alcohol they can get a kebab! I think most of our friends are pretty capable of pacing themselves though.

We're not having an evening buffet. We're getting marring abroad and having a party when we get back. The party starts 7:30pm which is after tea time and therefore we will not be serving a buffet. It saves us a fortune. xx

Our dinner finished just before 7, and it wasn't a small one! We had evening food around 9:30-10ish. Most of it was served canapé style (fish and chip cones, bacon baguette pieces, chicken kebabs). On the table, we had mini spinach and feta pies, a pile of cheese wheels/grapes/chutneys/breads, some sandwiches, crisps, wedges, a fruit bowl, can't remember what else. People picked through the rest of the evening and there wasn't a mouthful left by midnight.