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.

Your caterers will have done a lot of these events and know what people tend to pick and how the split goes. Ignore the loons here

@WeAreBob those figures were an example to show the minimum amount that we’ve ordered, not the actual amount. We hadn’t ordered 120 and invited 120 and expected everyone to not want more than one of the same item

Two words: CRISP WALL

Honestly, it all sounds lovely and people really don't need double dinner. Bring the cake out later and have a crisp wall for the greedy peckish.

I hate long opening posts but I’m wishing I’d made mine a bit clearer with more info

You only get a buffet cleared out of something early if you way under cater and don't offer much nice stuff

To be fair suppose you can't get a burger , unlikely , there's still lots of other good things there / get a burger next time you go shopping if it matters that much

@Trying20 I was starting to wonder if I need to ask them to cater for 500 more people just in case it has surprised me a bit, most food threads on here suggest that people would eat half a burger and nothing else. Now apparently everyone needs 5 plate fulls otherwise they’ll be getting takeaway on the way home

Hmm I'd say a light snack at least a bit later, assuming people eat within an hour or 2 of it being served that a good 5 to 6 hours before the venue closes- and people will probably be drinking. That said it doesn't sound like anyone is going to starve, albeit I bet some will go without at the bbq if they only like certain things. We had a kebab van at around 10pm, wasn't as expensive as I thought and it went down very very well- most people had at least chips. Also had a table of pick and mix which was popular, and a doughnut wall :D our lunch wasn't too heavy really though, we had a set menu but it wasn't all posh as i like quite basic food.

I went to a wedding that served cheap bacon sarnies in the evening and they went down a treat

The crisp wall sounds a fab idea actually or a big bowl of them or something. Hits the spot when peckish and drunk! I don't think it's that people will have platefuls of bbq food, but that if someone likes burgers and nothing else for example they might have 2 of them- if enough people do that there'll be spare of others things but low on burgers. The ones I've been to at weddings people have been asked beforehand and then given a card thing with what they wanted that they hand in. I always hate the smell of smoke over my hair and clothes though!

I’d suggest a snack later on. I had a 3 course meal but by 9/10pm people were hungry because they’d been drinking and dancing. We also had a pick and mix table as well as cake etc so had sandwiches and sausage rolls put out. Nothing went to waste other than the sweets but we encouraged propel to take bags home with them.

What you’re doing is perfect. A proper meal plus more to graze on later. People really don’t need more than that. Sounds like you’ve really thought about it and are catering well. I hope you have a lovely day.

I would split and as someone said put cheese, crackers, deserts etc out at 8.30

Rest of food sounds good- however as others have said might be good to have servers etc or some pig will take 5 prawn skewers on the basis they don't like burgers etc!!

This thread is making me hungry 😂. Op it sounds fab and like you have plenty to cater for everyone. have a great wedding!

From general BBQ (non-wedding) experience, some of those options are way more popular than others. Everyone goes for burgers and sausages at a BBQ, anything like hot dogs, skewers etc. is much less popular. I would get one skewer per person, but 1.5 or even 2 burgers, and proper sausages instead of hot dogs.

I would also put out a few thing with the cheese so there's more options in the evening.

How far are people travelling to the venue? Will they have had time for lunch before the ceremony?

I think you’ve been perfectly clear OP!!

I like hot dogs but not burgers, DH would eat those!!

I think you’ll get a perfect mix of people and there’s enough food with the cheese table etc …. Some people are just really greedy!

Unless they'r tiny between a canape and a normal size burger, who'd go to a restaurant and have burger AND hot dog AND two types of skewer (with chips and salad) - it sounds fine. Some people will have two of one thing & others not, should balance out.
Ask the caterers to hint at any CFs that attempt to load their plate with two of everything that they might like to take less & return later if they're still hungry.

I was at a wedding recently with food around 6 pm. They ended up ordering several pizzas at 12-1am and it was brilliant. Just go with it.

I certainly wouldn't expect another meal after that but maybe some "nibbles" (crisps etc) would be a good idea.

We had same ceremony time, had canapes after ceremony, then reception food at 5.30ish, then had pies at 9.30pm and most people had one. No one came just for the evening same as you.

We once went to a very posh wedding, it was drinks, canapes then go back to the hotel at about 7.30. Because they were doing a wedding the restaurant were closed and it was on the A1, no other eating places. The waiters suddenly appeared about 9pm with a big tray of bbq food, left over from the hotel's wedding!

I went to the exact thing on Thursday. It was fine. You could take 3 items and then help yourself to the sides.
No idea what the evening offering was as I wasn't hungry for the rest of the night. I think we ate around 6pm.

The cheese board and desserts at 9pm is a good idea. I'd ask the caterers to add some sandwiches or wraps though.

Thanks everyone! Think we will go with getting them to do the bbq a bit earlier so that people can have food just after arriving, and will add more food to the cheese table. So far we’ve got cheese, crackers, chutneys & pickles, pork pies, scotch eggs, sausage rolls, veg platter, pickled onions, salad and crisps, but will look at adding in sandwiches and rolls too. And might look at bringing that out a bit earlier than we originally planned

Plenty of food in my opinion. Went to a wedding with a similar set up a while ago, lovely bbq, tons available (I didn’t have one of everything but had plenty), desserts a little while later but not too late. I think they did bacon butties later in the evening but I didn’t have one because I was still quite full and I don’t usually eat late into evening, and from what I understand there was tons left after anyway. I wouldn’t worry shout another hot option if people have things to much/nibble on.