do we need canapes/buffet?

Are you providing your own food or is it the venue? depends on how much you can spare budget wise I guess but you could have an afternoon tea type thing with little mini cucumber sandwiches, little cakes, scones etc. some nice light things to go with the drinks.

Hey! our ceremony is at 4, and we're having some canapes circulating after photos. dinner will be served at 730 and cake cutting around 930 followed by dancing. we have to leave our venue by midnight. SO we figured there is no point serving more food in the form of a buffet/nibbles later in the evening. it would have to be at least 1.5 to 2 hours after dinner finishes, and that's quite late.

however, if you really want something to give the evening guests crisps and dips sounds ok. you could have a few bowls put around and people can help themselves. most people probably won't. what time are ur evening guests coming?

x

We're getting married at 4.00pm and dinner is scheduled for 6.00pm. There's no extra evening guests and we're not providing any sort of food in the evening as dinner will only have finished by around 8.00pm ish. Alos, as the ceremony is at 4.00pm and guests should start arriving by about 3.30pm then people will have had breakfast and/or lunch so shouldn't need feeding.

How about putting crisps & nuts, etc on the tables where people will sit and along the bar? What about bits of cheese and biscuits?

The venue is providing the food (they have recently opened their own fish and chip takeaway downstairs!)

I like your arrangements aliaisp - but if you're eating at 7.30pm does that mean you're not having extra evening guests? We haven't decided properly on timings, but i would imagine the evening guests will arrive at 8pm. We were thinking about using the cupcakes we're having instead of a wedding cake as a dessert, but maybe we could have ice-cream or something for dessert (goes with fish and chips doesn't it?!) and make everyone wait until 9pm for a cupcake...

I'm liking the scone idea... mmm mini scones split in half with a dollop of cream and jam! Depending on if the venue can do them of course.

we're having 80 'day' guests to the ceremony, but then all 200 evening guests to the drinks reception at 6 followed by evening meal. i know i know, absolutely NUTS but we've both got massive families and he is an only child so it's turning out to be a much bigger production than i would like

scones sounds lovely! bit messy maybe? got to think about serving these things etc... good luck!

x

I've seen in a magazine that someone had made biscuits and iced their initials on them. If you've got someone that's handy in the kitchen, you could ask them to make some for you. Ooh, they could be fish and chip shaped biscuits (will stop now, before ideas get too crazy!).

I will just share my expereince. Had about 70 to ceremony and meal. We served canapes with drinks after wedding (about 3.30 / 4pm ish), ended up eating 3 course sit down meal at about 6pm. Had 6 extra evening guests (my Mum's friends) and she insisted that we had to serve something up so had a full buffet and wedding cake served about 9 ish. I expected to be taking most of the buffet home but to my utter surprise it ALL went!!

To be honest even though you are only having 10 guests to the evening, they will probably expect to be given something. Do the venue not have a range of options that you can choose from? Doesn't have to all be stodge and doesn't have to all be expensive either.

Good luck - hope you work it out.