To ask if you’d expect more food at this wedding?

[Avelora]

We’re getting married next month and starting to have a panic that we aren’t providing enough food. Ceremony is at 2.30, so everyone will be arriving at the reception between 3.30-4 ish. We’re having a bbq starting at around 5pm

Bbq foods are as follows, and each person can have one of every item if they want to
Burgers
Hot dogs
Chicken skewers
Prawn skewers
Veggie/vegan options
Chips
Salad, coleslaw, potato salad etc

We've also got a cheese table with various choices, crackers, pork pies etc and a dessert table with cakes, brownies and donuts which are both coming out at about 8.30pm

Would you then expect another substantial food option with the cheese and snacks table, such as hot food or a buffet or something!? We're expecting the bbq to be done with by around 6.30, but they can keep going as long as we want them to, and the venue closes at 12pm.

*Edited by MNHQ for clarity.

I wouldn't worry. We catered our own wedding and went madly madly madly over. Looking back, it would have been a simpler better meal with half the options and quantity.

The kind of buffet bbq approach you're talking about should ensure there's enough.

Are you having just evening guests? They will expect food.

One of each other means you might run out of some items if they are popular like burgers etc. That's not great for those not first up.

Also depends on portion size

@ItsSnowJokes we’re not no, everyone who is coming to the reception is coming to the ceremony too

@KatherineJaneway sorry so I mean say for example there are 120 people, there are 120 burgers, 120 sausages etc. Every person can have all options not just once choice

If people aren't getting home until 12.30 / 1am and the last food was 6.30pm with presumably lots of alcohol in between then yes I think I'd expect at least something to snack on in between.

People may not want one of each of all of that in one sitting, but be peckish again come 11pm if they had a burger, chips and potato salad at 5.30pm.

That sounds fine! People will have had lunch before the ceremony and you’re providing a sizeable dinner, job done.

How will you limit people to one of each? It’s likely there’ll be people lifting a few hotdogs, or several skewers at a time. People are like wild animals at buffets.

I'd have the BBQ later... or put the cheese and desserts out at 8pm.

So if someone has two hotdogs you have at least one guest who can’t have a hotdog. How will it be policed so no one can take more than one of the same item?

Sounds fine - they'll have had lunch beforehand, this is dinner, that's enough meals for a day. You might want to take precautions to make sure that the veggies/vegans get enough - if everyone fancies their options you might need to make sure some are kept back.

You could perhaps put the desserty things out a bit later, to spread the meal a bit.

With that though you may get someone who wants 2 x burgers or hot dogs as they don't want chicken or prawns etc..... it is tricky!

I think between 6 and midnight is a long time to go with no food when that amount of alcohol is involved at weddings.

@Spohn it’s served by the caterers, they don’t just help themselves if that makes sense. Obviously I know they won’t remember everyone and people may go up again and ask for the same thing which is why we’ve ordered more than are actually attending

Yes sounds great!

I would add a snack at about 9.30/10 yeah, people get peckish.. it's a long day.
Doesn't have to be anything major. Some pizza slices went down really well at a recent wedding I attended. I think they were from a local Italian pizza restaurant

That's shit loads you'll be fine

Could you stagger what you are offering, so half the BBQ items are offered at 5pm, with more coming out later - say 8.30pm, @Avelora? I think it sounds as if you’ve got plenty of food, but just need to look at the timing.

How long will the bbq food be available for, all night?

There’s only so much I can eat in one sitting so, especially if I am drinking, if I ate at 5.30pm I’d be peckish around 10.30pm.

I think if people are drinking, they may get peckish are kind 10/11pm. I think the amount of food sounds good but I would save the cheese table/ pork pies until around 9pm.

I'd do the cheese table and wedding cake at 9pm

What happens if someone has 2 burgers or 2 sausages though? There wouldn’t be enough for the last people going up and they would be stuck with the bits no one wanted?

although I’d personally expect more food then that if I have been at your wedding from 2.30.

I should be fine provided the servers have been told very clearly that it's one item per person. What will they do if someone demands more ?

Yes or pizza at 10

I would have the dessert table at the BBQ then keep the cheese table for later in the evening when guests are likely to be ready for something else to pick at. It sounds lovely!

Also think about policing the veggie option. As a veggie I get fed up with there being nothing left for me because meat eaters have had the veggie option to see what it was like or because they like the look of it.