Do people expect food after dinner at wedding?

I would too. Otherwise guests will be either pissed or bored rigid by the time they sit down to eat and no one will want to listen to speeches by that point. It could get messy. People generally like a gap after eating for them to mingle before the party bit starts.

Our timings were ceremony at 4pm, canapes etc while photos being done, then full sit down meal at 6.30pm. We did the cake at 9pm and by 10.15pm everyone who wasn't staying had left. With your timings I'd be looking for food at about 9 or 10pm again, especially if you've got evening entertainment.

I think you should put food on in the evening, especially if people are drinking and dancing. 5.30 is a very early dinner (in normal terms) and I guess people would also have had a very early lunch too, or no lunch at all.

Thinking of the weddings I've been too, there's always been food in the evening to see people though.

I'd do something carby and simple like pizza, samosas or topped fries etc.

Hmm I think you should probably err on the side of caution and have some food around 10pm. 5:30 is a bit of an inbetween time for the main meal. I’ve either been to weddings were the main meal has been more like 2-4pm, ie a buffet is definitely needed in the evening…or the sit down meal has been more like 7pm (usually after a late afternoon ceremony) and therefore food beyond cake isn’t required.

I'd be starving by 10-11pm after a sit down meal at 5:30pm. I usually eat my main meal around 8-9pm and get hungry then even if I've eaten earlier in the day.

Even just some snacky finger foods and crisps/nuts around would help people keep going.

At my mums wedding she had mini cones of chips with a fish goujon in it passed around about 9pm to help soak up some alcohol and keep people dancing until midnight. At my cousins wedding they did evening bacon butties

How far are your guests travelling? Are they likely to have had lunch?

Wait, nearly four hours just for pictures? Or am I misunderstanding because that would be insane. It does seem like a very long time either way but I much prefer short and sweet weddings myself.

Yes you need more food later

They’re giving it a really stupid name so they can charge you more for it. If they told you it was two jars of water and some glasses, they’d have to knock a zero off the bill.

I’d be really hungry by 10pm if drinking and dancing and not eaten since 5:30. In fact I might want to leave by 11 to get cheesy chips rather than staying until the end. I’ve never been to a wedding where they had no evening food, it’s expected. I’m in my 30s in the uk. Also wedding buffets - 50% did not have enough food, the good ones overcater. I’ve been to some where the buffet was half gone by the time I have queued up and could barely eat anything.

If you’re doing a buffet rather than 3 course meal you definitely need evening food.

How are canapés ‘very filling’? If I had dinner at 5.30 then I’d probably be hungry by 9 and want some snacks. I’m skinny before anyone thinks I’m being greedy.

Last wedding I was at had Indian snacks (samosas etc) at around 11pm and they were devoured. They didn't go overboard with a vast number of them or anything but they were all eaten.

What's the split between all day guests who will get the canapés and buffet, and evening guests who won't?

The thing is your dinner will be done by 7/7.30 and people will be drinking. I’m in Scotland where we’d usually feed people again around 10 while the band takes a break. Things like bacon rolls or pizza go down well - I wouldn’t provide people with food as they are leaving though, by that point everyone just wants to get home.

I’ve never seen canapés that are particularly filling tbh, they’re designed to be a mouthful of something while photos are taken rather than anything substantial.

I personally wouldn’t. I do feel people get weird at weddings re good where they almost expect to be fed and watered on the hour, every hour. But in everyday life you would probably be happy with eating far less (I do appreciate dancing, drinking causes hunger).

Since when is a wedding everyday life? It’s not, of course it’s not. So why do what you do in everyday life. Your wedding is surely one of the biggest thing you’ll ever host, host it well.

Also how do you know the canapés will be filling? Depends if your guests see them in order to eat them, you order enough, have had lunch beforehand, have small or large appetites, like what’s on offer. It’s not unusual for people to totally miss the canapés for whatever reason!

What precisely is a filling canapé - can you provide more detail? Hard to say without knowing what the canapés / meal consist of.
Broadly speaking 530pm is too early if carriages are at midnight.

I’d have a shorter gap between the service and the meal, skip the canapés and serve a small supper at about 9/10pm

Intrigued to know what constitutes a hydration station? Is it jugs of water?

If you’re eating a three course meal at 5pm with cake in the evening then no I probably wouldn't want to eat again, but I think it’s more for evening guests. If you have people coming just for the evening then you should have something for them to eat in my opinion.

I think most guests would expect something simply because it would be unusual not to. 5:30 is quite early to have dinner and I think people would probably start to get a bit peckish around 9ish. If it’s not in the budget, then it’s not in the budget. I can’t imagine that anyone would starve themselves at dinner simply to save room for a sausage roll later that evening.

Also, wtf is a hydration station? Do you mean a table with drinks on it?