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?

2pm is a late wedding so as long as people know they need to eat lunch before hand as they won't be eating "proper" food until 6pm!

Crepes won't appeal to everyone and canapes do not fill you at all... unless u have maybe 10!!

Definitely change the cheese ( I love cheese buts it's not substantial if people are Hungary after a few drinks at say 10pm. Chip cones would be better perhaps)

It's the cheapest evening option from the caterers, and I thought it would be the best time to cost cut as people wouldn't be too hungry and will be drunk grinOther options offered by the caterer are:- Mini cones of fish and chips- Cheese on toast- Mini doughnuts and hot chocolate Which ones would you prefer

9 o clock people and people who are drunk are definitely going to be happy with the mini cones of fish and chips in my opinion!
Went to this one wedding where no-one ate anything until 5pm, the food was all gourmet and lovely but practically non existent because it was so called posh
Come the evening, people were practically fainting from the hunger and fell on the little cones of chips as soon as they came out.
It was more than 10 years ago and we still refer to it as The One With No Food lol

Ohyes - I hope that's the issue and that our friends will be more forgiving . Will up the amount of food at the drinks reception though

We're going for timing of:

3pm ceremony so lunch before is easier
3.30-5 photos with mini pork pies, cheese straws mini savoury type foods
5-7ish food and speeches
8 cake
9 cheese board/Italian meats platter

I've been to three weddings with cheese boards, and they all went down really well. Bacon rolls etc do work too, but the only thing which goes entirely to waste is a sandwich/bhaji/spring roll type affair. They always seem to have huge amounts left.

Definitely try to be generous, but also don't forget that most people not only survive, they thrive on not eating every two hours.

To me it sounds like tons of food but I would be thinking people will eat a ton of crepes because they won't have had time for lunch, then not want dinner, so not each much, then starving later.

I think its a very long wedding, too. 3-6 hanging about with no focus. So the timings are more a problem than the food volume.

I'm bloody dying for a crepe now. :o

A savory crepe is no less substantial than sliders/fish and chip cones and much more filling than extra canapes.

What sort of fillings have they offered?

We have catered for all dietary requirements. Vegan and gluten free crepes, vegan and gluten free canapes, sorbet as well as ice cream, vegan and gluten free mains, gluten and dairy free cake.

Don't forget to ask ALL guests for allergy information "even if you think we already know" because three of your four dishes have the potential to kill me and I only have two allergies. Good thing I'm not invited. Are you giving guests options or just asking for dietary needs which is normal by the way and perfectly sufficient ?

I think afternoon tea is a better idea than canapes (or crepes) because people understand the quantities and it can be set out for buffet rather than having people waiting for servers (or chefs) and taking too many or running out.

Always have an indoor fallback to ensure it doesn't rain but you only need two hours clear skies!

Blimey it’s a wedding, not make every single guest happy day by meeting their every desire!!

They have been invited, they know times, they know food and drink will be available. That should be enough!

OP - Will your vegan and GF guests get crepes and canapes at 3? And something at 9 also?
That stood out to me too - are you catering for them too? I've got milk and egg allergies and if I was there and all you were offering me was cake, crepes and cheese, I''d be a bit knackered, wouldn't I?!

Can you do the sit down at 4pm instead of messing around with crepes?

• 2pm ceremony
• 3pm canapes and photos
• 4pm sit down meal

(- 6pm games on lawn / chill out / drink etc)

• 8 / 9 evening food + entertainment

?

Weebo - the options for crepes are: Hot smoked salmon and cream cheese, cheese and ham, mushroom cheese and spinach, lemon and sugar, nutella, maple syrup and pecan nuts, white chocolate and raspberry. All of which can be served gluten free, without cheese etc

MrsHathaway - we will give a choice between the veggie and meat option but ask for dietary requirements too. The whole day will be gluten and nut free as I'm gluten free and have a cousin allergic to nuts.

I’m the person who brings a cereal bar to weddings in my handbag.
I’d also be for filling the afternoon slot with something carb-y.

We have catered for all dietary requirements. Vegan and gluten free crepes, vegan and gluten free canapes, sorbet as well as ice cream, vegan and gluten free mains, gluten and dairy free cake

Ah sorry, just seen this! Sounds great then, but still think there should be something a bit more substantial for the late evening when you say everyone will be drinking.

The problem is with 2pm ceremony people don’t really get chance for lunch or they have to have it very early plus are boozing so it can be long wait until dinner. A savoury crepe would be lovely actually as basically lunch replacement. ice cream is slightly odd at that time. It isn’t really going to fill you up so is not a lunch replacement and you’re going to have dessert and cake later so quite dessert heavy. I went to wedding recently where they had this and I think they were so keen on the novelty and the idea of an ice cream van that they hadn’t thought about whether it worked? The bride said the (separate) caterers really tried to talk her out of it 😬. The van would be lovely instead of dessert later on once filled up? Canapés are one or two mouthfuls at most so remember that means literally 3/6 bites for guests and some will take more than that not so some even less. If I had to get dressed and leave around 12 to be at wedding for say 1.20 for 2pm ceremony then I’d maybe eat no later than 11. So 6pm dinner with a few mouthfuls and ice cream and booze...

Evening buffet or rolls always good.

All this dietary requirement demand stuff is a bit me me me.

What about BYO and get extra champagne for doing that for the hosts? If you can trust champagne that is.

If I was totally allergic/intolerant I doubt I would trust anyone to cater for me. Terrifying in case I didn't have an epipen on me at the time. I just would not do it. Personally if it was that life threatening I would bring my own food.

Just saying.

Daytime food sounds perfect, people will have brunch before going presumably, it's not your issue if people don't. I do agree with a few other the others re cheese and biscuits though as I would imagine a fair few people wouldn't like it, it's fairly limited. Fish and chips in the evening would be amazing!!!

Tbh, the 3 hour drinks reception is the problem imo. Just have tea and biscuits after the ceremony while you take your pictures and then have the dinner much earlier and the fish and chips option in the evening. As it is your reception is ending at an early hour. If you aren't having dinner until 6pm, realistically it will be 8pm by the time the band/dj is set up and only a few hours before it's all over.

That said most people in UK will I think be familiar with weddings with long gap with just a few canapés but I always appreciate it when there isn’t (and I try to stash some nuts etc in my bag). Made sure we had plenty at ours - you can spend money on loads of details but most people will remember what food situation was!

I’d try to bring the main food forward. People will need to be at the venue for 1.30/1.45 latest. So travelling and getting ready from say 11/12? To not eat until 6 is a long time. People will either fill up on crepes and the meal will be a waste. Or fill up on alcohol and the meal will be a waste!!!

Sounds divine.

Can I come? :o

Cracking! Honestly, that was the most stressful part of wedding planning for me as we had all sorts of allergies to juggle, and then found out that what we thought was completely standard food was exotic to some of our guests, like your crepe idea!

3pm ceremony
4pm sit down meal
6pm games on lawn / chill out / drink etc
8 / 9 evening food + entertainment

If you're going for high summer then this could be quite clever - it will be cooler later on and people will be drunker which would be more comfortable and relaxed. You could then skip the canape/crepe/afternoon tea bit altogether and bulk out the evening food. People would have eaten at 12, 4 and 8 which is well spread out even for the greedy.

Weebo - you're very welcome to come

For rolls my partner is veggie and normally gets offered roll with potato scone, veggie haggis or halloumi and is always happy with that 🙂

Veggie, vegan, allergy free options have all been considered.

Most will be more interested in where is the bar, having a nibble, celebrating your day with you and making it a day to remember for YOU! (I would hope!)

27 years ago we did:

3.30 ceremony (they could have lunch)
5.30-6.45 lashings of fizz, pimms and beer with a few canapes and a wonderful string quartet.

7pm: dinner - even then antipasti; fresh salmon, chicken, salad - in a pretty arrangement, asparagus, buttered new pots; strawberries and raspberries in a brandy snap basket, with creme patisserie and spun sugar - might have been some cream as well. Coffee, truffles and more fizz for speeches, then cake and more fizz. The cake was delish but totally superfluous.

The strings kept going. We left at 10.30 The drinking continued, the strings kept going. There was a charabanc back to London.

People still talk about it. No one was hungry.