...and in particular the timing of the so-called wedding 'breakfast' (a term which should in any event should only be used for a morning meal).
Wedding I recently went to:
- All guests staying in same hotel, breakfast (actual breakfast) at 8:30am
- Wedding starts 11am
- Canapes at 1pm EXCEPT we only got served 1 single canape. That was it. And we were on the lookout for them, and moved to stand near the kitchen when we saw they were being served but hadn't reached us. (Quite a lot of alcohol though but really not much fun drinking it because we're starting to get effing hungry.)
- Wedding 'breakfast' scheduled for 4pm, starters actually not served until 4:20ish, main course after 5pm by which point we're beyond hangry/fainting with hunger.
- 8pm cake, followed by evening buffet. Which only gets picked at because we ate lunch so late.
- We ate breakfast in hotel (actual breakfast) 8:30am
- Wedding was 11am for an 11:30 start, though didn't actually start until 12:20ish
- Canapes served about 2pm. On that occasion we got offered a total of 3 canapes. Seeing friends of bride and groom we've not seen for a while, conversation invariably goes (us) "Long time no see - how are you?" (other guests) "Pretty hungry actually!"
- "Breakfast" Lunch officially 4pm but everything seemingly running late, we were on the very last table to be served and got starter about 5pm and main just before 6pm. Dessert 7:30pm
- Pizza from 9pm, plus wedding cake. FFS we only finished dinner an hour and a half ago!!!!
At another wedding I remember something similar happening and people heading to the nearby pub to stock up on crisps to keep them going.
What is with this ridiculous tradition of serving a meal so late in the day with guests having effectively nothing to eat in the meantime?! These were relatively lavish weddings, I don't expect to be fed constantly/repeatedly/anything particularly fancy and would be quite happy with a decent meal at lunchtime and then just some cake (or a cheeseboard or pizza or an evening buffet if the wedding couple is so inclined). The weddings must have cost at fortune and yet at each of them it was clear people were just too hungry for most of the afternoon to really enjoy it.
How does anyone think this is a good idea?!
If you've organised a wedding with similar timing yourself, why?! Just why?!
Thank god we didn't have the kids with us, but in future if we do take them to a wedding I think I'm going to have to bring a picnic for them (and us).
(By way of background I am English myself, and had an evening wedding with a mountain of canapes followed by a full 4 course dinner straight after).