Do people expect food after dinner at wedding?

YYY to the issues with the canapés.
The same issues can arise with a buffet meal.

I think for all day guests it will probably be okay, but if you have evening guests arriving after the dinner, the buffet is more for them. If you do t have any evening only guests then you'll prob be okay.

With the weddings I have been to all day, I personally have lnt touched any of the evening food as been too full, but have had some buffet when been an evening only guests.

The problem with a buffet is that unless it's a bottomless buffet, some people are not going to have a chance to eat much because others will raid it before they get their turn.

With a sit-down meal, at least everyone gets a plate of food and can eat it or leave it. People have a chance to chat and munch while sitting at their tables.

With a buffet, people have to get up and help themselves - conversations are interrupted, and the same goes for canapés - people have to interrupt a conversation to eat, people grab something they can easily eat while holding a glass in the other hand, and they'll choose strategically so they won't end up with a big chunk of food to chew while trying to chat. If people have to get their own canapés and you don't have servers, they'll have to leave conversation groups to load a plate. They'll take quite a few items because they won't want to have to return every ten minutes.

I guarantee many of your guests are not going to have enough to eat during the day - buffet, canapés, charcuterie, cheese, homemade cakes and crisps are not going to fuel your guests - and will be considering leaving for the nearest Maccys before 10 pm.

I’d have taken one of DH’s relatives for the taste test personally. We are mixed heritage too and DH has a similar heritage. He has plenty of brutally candid aunties who love/know their food and how to make people happy with food to choose from. 😆

Our fish and chips at night went down a storm too. We were gonna go for the cheese and crackers, charcuterie etc option for the late food thinking it’d be a bit more elegant and suitable for a nice wedding but so glad we didn’t. We were really surprised how guests raved about the fish and chips for ages afterwards. Amazing what some booze will do for the appetite I suppose! But then I love hot salty food when drunk too.

Because people are drinking & dancing and will be hungry again. On a normal evening few people would by hungry by 9pm but it’s entirely different if you’re away from home, drinking and dancing.

Weddings are by their nature fairly long and boring in parts for guests (even if held at a “world class attraction”) so it’s up to you if you want your guests to be at times both bored and hungry.

You do sound a tad weird about food. No one’s saying feed guests every hour, just give them pizza or bacon sandwiches at 9pm else you’ll get quite a few people leaving early - no one tolerates a mix of mild boredom and hunger unless they’re obligated to be there, and will rationalise that 9 hours is enough time as a guest & head home.

Not everyone eats cheese in the evening and homemade cakes are just sugar and not much help soaking up alcohol.

The last two weddings where I stayed to the bitter end had a little savory buffet plus a selection of cookies, and a few coffee urns set out, around 10:30.

The savory buffets had finger foods like mini sausage rolls, fruit and cheese skewers, crab rangoon, ham and cheese pinwheels (like cinnamon rolls but with ham and cheese), egg rolls, spring rolls, stuffed dates, gougeres.

It does sound piggy to expect more but by the same token you are sucking up at least 12 hours of your guests' time ( including getting ready, commuting etc.)

Why not just end the reception at 9?

99 percent of your guests would be relieved and those who want to continue can go out clubbing.

I'm with you OP! It's so much food and you are already feeding them 3 times!

Sounds perfect to me...I'm in London :)

The problem is that people can only eat a certain amount at once. If they have six substantial canopies at 3:30pm, how hungry will they be at 5:30? They won’t eat much and then will be hungry again a few hours later, especially when drinking. Cheese, charcuterie and cake is well and good but after a long day of drinking people will want something more substantial.

I think this is just the AIBU vipers - the same vipers who only eat one meal a day...

It’s not 90 minutes though, at least double that.

I think you may have planned for plenty of food but not quite at the right times. 3.30pm is late for canapés when dinner is at 5.30pm. Particularly as your guests (and yourself) will have had an early lunch (if any). If you are planning a snack table and cakes could you push it back a bit? It sounds as if that food will be sitting around for hours from early evening so bring it out at 9.30pm.

Come on OP that’s not what people are suggesting are they. Literally nobody has suggested food delivery on the hour every hour.

I suppose what some people are picking up on is that even though your sister taste tested your menu options which sound great, she suggested a pizza option for later on.

It sounds like you have some eating issues.. lots of comments on gluttony, Augustus Gloop etc. Not fair to put that on your guests, is it.

@Budka I really dislike your tone, that's a few times now you've said that eating more food than you deem necessary is 'gluttony'. First of all, it's a celebration so people will indulge more than on a normal day. Second, everyone has different appetites. Third, you're a host. Always better to provide too much than too little. Fourth (I could go on, tbh) some people dislike spicy food and might not eat much of the Jamaican fusion dinner, so a bacon roll or a burger at 9pm would be very welcome.

In the main people are just being helpful with their own experiences and how sometimes they’re still hungry later on. Plus the gap can actually be a bit tedious between ceremony and sit down.

I’m not actually sure why you posted as you don’t want anyone suggesting you limit the drinks bit and suggesting that a bit of food later would be a good idea.

But it’s your wedding and obviously you should do what you want.

Confession, I haven't been through every page but......did we find out what on earth a hydration station is?

Visualising an all inclusive hotel water dispenser?

After my main wedding meal (20+ years ago) the guests had cake, a few also ripped open the rather expensive handmade wedding favours and munched on the Tesco value mints within, I couldn't be arsed sourcing sugared almonds 🙄.

Sounds bloody amazing