To think I'm not starving my wedding guests.

[MBlaze]

Helpful Mumsnetters, please let me know if this is enough food for a wedding. I think it's more than enough, but DP thinks we need to add more food!

Timings are approximate...

2pm - Ceremony
3pm-5pm - Crepe or ice cream van, canapes (3 each) and drinks
6pm - 3 Course dinner (Vegan and Gluten-free options so nobody should go hungry.)
7ish? - Cake after dinner
9pm - Cheese board with bread, crackers, grapes, figs etc

Surely that's enough food considering the ceremony is at 2 and people can have breakfast beforehand?

DP thinks we should provide more than a cheeseboard after dinner and should hire a fish and chip/burrito van or ask the caterers for something more substantial. We aren't having any evening only guests, so I really don't think people will need another meal 3 hours after a 3 course meal.

What do you think?

I found at my wedding and at others I've been to where there are no new evening guests, that food served after the wedding breakfast generally gets wasted as people want booze not food. But as others have said, people get hungry waiting for the meal. I would definitely add more canapés. Also not everyone will want a crepe, so you need alternatives to ensure people will be able to find something they like to fill up on. Think more savoury options.

Thanks for all the well wishes!

Shed and Delatron - I hope my guests will think like you and be forgiving if they don't like what we're doing

Having looked at wedding threads on here before, I knew that all matters is the food, drink and entertainment. I honestly thought having crepes between lunch (or even breakfast) and dinner would suffice and I tend to eat more than my friends!

I went to a wedding with a crepe caravan last year - it looked lovely but the novelty wore off when everyone was stuck in a queue for much of the drinks reception bit, and then struggled to eat them standing up without getting messy. People couldn’t face queuing up a second time so most were ravenous by the time the meal was served.

I know people keep saying we need more savoury options for the drinks reception - the crepes will be both sweet and savoury.

Will probably change it to afternoon tea as crepes seem to be quite unliked

A lot of people don’t like cheese? (Weirdos!)

And tbh if I’d been on the booze since dinner I’d prob want something a bit more substantial........ actually I’m not sure if substantial is the right word, but I don’t think a cheese board would do it, sorry. (And I love cheese!)

'A lot of people don’t like cheese? (Weirdos!)'

A lot of people can't eat it.

This thread is seriously crazy! It's like trying to entertain a gang of mother in laws!! OP your friends are young and fun and will care more about chatting and drinking than their dietary requirements and need to be entertained. You know your friends better than us. Do ye all go for crepes at music festivals? Do you personally like crepes? It's you and your partners big day. It's the perfect age to get married. We all get boring and demanding as we get older! Your friends will absolutely love the day as you have planned it.

OP it’s YOUR wedding, it’s YOUR special day! Not what is or isn’t provided! You have made a real effort to try and ensure guests have a nice time! Your guests are family and friends, if they are nit picky and don’t, their problem!!

Relax, enjoy yourself and where is mine and Delatron’s invite!!

Fish and chip cones. Definitely need some evening food more than cheese and crackers.

Remember the three course food bit isn't usually very large, it's one bit of chicken couple of potatoes, some veg, not like we load it up at home.

Even if it is too much I would rather that than people be hungry.

Is your wedding ceremony going to be completed by 2:30?

I think it's the bit between 2:30 and 6 that's the issue, if people haven't had lunch. I'm inclined to agree with other PP though that the best think to do is to send out a running order so that people are forewarned, and can perhaps sort out lunch / brunch for themselves.

The crepes sound brilliant IMO as there are options there for everyone and they really aren't that messy for goodness sake. Much more exciting than fish and chips which stink.

Honestly, why do people expect to eat so much during one day? Would you really eat more than that at home?

There is more than enough food and the timings are perfect - unless people expect to be stuffing their faces at all times.

Hmm... I think you need to make your 6pm meal earlier. If your wedding is at 2 then people will likely skip lunch getting ready so will be starved by 3pm x

One of the best weddings I was at (with a two.five hiatus) had canapes, sausage rolls and cocktail sausages ad infinitum to keep us going. I cannot comment on all the intolerances/vegan issues as I didn't care, sorry, I was so hungry I just stuffed my face. And it was great and so necessary after a three hour drive!

But I am sure vegans/veggies/ intolerants/ non glutens were catered for, wasn't my wedding so not my problem on the day IYSWIM.

Still remember the grub in the hiatus period a being brilliant. We all needed it!

Best wishes OP.

2pm - Ceremony 3pm-5pm - Crepe or ice cream van, canapes (3 each) and drinks 6pm - 3 Course dinner (Vegan and Gluten-free options so nobody should go hungry.) 7ish? - Cake after dinner 9pm - Cheese board with bread, crackers, grapes, figs etc

It all sounds delicious, but nothing substantial from having your breakfast/lunch before setting off until 6pm?!
I'm presuming you'll have alcohol like wine/champagne or whatever served all afternoon.
If people are going to be drinking, they're going to need more than a crepe and some ice cream otherwise they'll be pissed and sliding under the table!
Not much for your evening either - the dinner at 6 sounds lovely but I think you should have something a bit more than cheese and crackers. Maybe little cones of chips for example? They'll always get hoovered up and great for soaking up wine!

People are being very weird any this. Who eats between lunch and 6pm? Maybe school kids. So canapes etc will be an extra. And who expects a big meal mid afternoon?
And cheese is difficult to eat when you're dancing? I think most people could navigate their way off the dance for when they are hungry.
You could as a ham or two to the cheese selection, but it sounds good to me.
The trouble with asking on here means that people look for problems.

Slane - I hope so! We are providing all alcohol, so everyone will probably be drunk whether we provide a lot of food or not . I don't know any of my friends that dislike them, me and DP both like them, they can be gluten free, vegan, nut free, veggie etc so we thought they were the perfect thing to cater for all

Thanks Shed, will try to remember to relax and not think about how everyone might possibly hate everything

OP has said there will be unlimited crepes both sweet and savory plus ice cream, sorbet, canapes, and drinks between 3 and 6.

That is mountains of food to eat in such a small amount of time before a three-course meal.

At my wedding we did sandwiches instead of canapés because we had a few elderly guests and a lot of farmers who had been up since dawn milking!!

I’m actually lolling at this thread, bet it’s helped you loads OP

We ( as in my daughter but we're paying for the catering ! ) are having a similar time scale, though eating at 5.30. We are having canapés with fizz after the ceremony to give everyone a chance to meet as well as photos etc. Our caterer was at pains to point out that our choice of 4 canapés was not an allocation of just 4 items per person but 4 varieties, that they would keep replenishing and circling with. . I should think so too, for the price :o Are you sure, OP, it is only 3 items per person ? They are tiny mouthfuls.

I'd move the main meal to after the ceremony. Thst makes more sense to me.

Its not good re timing, people travelling and alcohol. If people hangimg around they be hungry sorry. Only three canapes too. I couldnt eat sweet stuff that early so be downing the canapes if they savoury

Is it possible to add in a few more canapés even if at a cost of the ice cream van/crepes? I think they’re a great idea, but 3 canapés seems a little stingy- we allowed for 8 per person, but they went in a few minutes flat! They’d be quite nice if you have a 2 hour space where there’s no activity or entertainment... maybe get the caterer to space them out a bit?

I’d also prefer the mini fish and chips- but we did have that and mini beef sliders as our late night evening food- though no one touched it, they were stuffed and it was far too hot! (Hottest day in 10 years!)

The problem is that with a 2pm ceremony people need to be there a bit earlier, so no time for lunch. It is bad timing.

And no wedding is that special except to the happy couple. Everyone else needs to be kept comfortable, entertained and fed as you do for guests.

Just make life easy, plan a mealtime and then arrange a ceremony before it. The two hour fart about is a killer.

Mari - there should actually be 6 canapes per person but as they were expensive (£10 per person and we have 100 guests) we decided to do canapes for 50 and supplement the canapes with crepes, which I thought were filling... obviously not according to this thread though