Evening food - Good idea or waste of money?

I think it's best to provide something as people may be hungry, plus if any guests only attend the evening they'll need something. I think after celebrating and dancing most people will need something. Although I guess depends what time your meal is being served during the day?

It depends on timing and how long your wedding is lasting - if you're packing up just a couple of hours after the meal finishes, then you can probably get away without, but if you are planning on 4-5 hours of post-meal celebration, then you really do need to provide something.

This assumes all your guests are invited for the whole thing, but it's even more important to provide food if you are having some evening-only guests. Plus, of course, unless your guest list is strictly limited to party animals, not everyone will be focussing on getting drunk - and you may have some guests who don't drink at all for a variety of reasons.

Lets start with a typical 2pm wedding at a venue with a sit down meal.

2.30 out with drinks, 4 pm call in for food 3 courses with speeches / coffee brings us to 6.30. Then typically the evening food will be served at 9pm - so that's 2.5 hours after main food was eaten ( ok coffee drank).

So that's 1.5 hours mingling drinks and photos after ceremony and allowing 2.5 hours food service and 3 speeches - remember a call in for food at 4pm - means that by the time everyone has had a last fag or gone to the loo - gone to the bar - sauntered in and got seated - - couple announced in then it can easily be 4.30 before you have your first course in front of you.

But yes have some sort of snacks out for people in the evening but unless you have extra evening guests you do not need much unless you have a very early wedding and sit down.

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Thats actually really helpful for a timeline point of view too. We have a 1:30pm ceremony, cocktail hour after and then sit down about 4pm. Everyone is coming to the whole day/evening hence why I wasn't sure if it the main meal would be enough but I think I will have a little something in the evening with this in mind. Thank you for your help

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Yes so your day is just 1/2 behind my timeline. The service time and getting people in to eat ect also depends on how many people you have. Also people always go literally from the times stated but do not allow for people to actually move around, its not their fault - why would they know but after many years and over 1,000 weddings I have a developed a "real world" timeline.

Can you provide some but not for all guests? We’re catering for about 3/4 in the evening, but if you have something like a buffet or cheese it could be for less. I think with drinking and dancing, it could get a bit messy without some food available later on. Equally, it costs a lot and it’s your wedding!!