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.

Give vegans/vegetarians tickets so only those with a ticket get a vegan/veggie option first time round (or some similar set up).

It isn't possible to have a bottomless supply of food, the caterers can only bring so much/the kitchen only has so much space.

Typically what happens is the meat eaters scoff loads of veggie/vegan stuff and then the veggie/vegans get nothing or no choices - your menu looks good but when you actually refine it down, the vegan options are chips, lentil and bean burger and vegan sausage. Even the veggie skewers you could offer those with or without halloumi...

How far are people travelling to/from venue? This affects how hungry they may be and what chance they've had to eat before setting off.

Are you REALLY sure the ceremony will take just an hour/hour and a half including photos?

I'd put a buffet of snacks/sandwiches later on - you can get a LOT of 'accidentally vegan' stuff there (just google 'accidentally vegan crisps/snacks), so I'd do that and then add a selection of sandwiches (and here if you label the vegan cheese and ham ones as such most non vegans won't touch those so no need to ticket people)

Label foods on the buffet well - there is nothing LESS fun than being half pissed, a bit knackered and peering at buffet food trying to work out what the fuck it is and is it veggie/vegan or not!

Nothing worse than a mean food budget at a wedding. I've been to italian weddings ( Inc my own ) way too much to eat. .and british ones where they've obviously gone budget.. offer some hot pizzas around 9pm. You'll be fine. You don't want to be remembered for being tight

I did the same. BBQ food then cheese etc in the eve. It worked well. Lots of food

@Signoramarella I certainly wouldn’t have thought anyone could say we are being mean or tight! We’ve spent more on food than we have on anything else, but we don’t have an unlimited budget unfortunately

Based on your first postthats enough food and perfect timing. I think some people are being useless if they can't understand you. It's fine. Anymore and you're going to be chucking food away.

Ignore it!

i can’t believe the greed on this thread

Seconded, Sarah 😂What a drama, especially the poster who was fuming over going hungry and remembered that about a wedding. Yes it happens, we all live. It's frustrating at the time but if that's the main thing you remember about the wedding of someone you (presumably) cared about, it's a shame.

Is this to bring out later?
id say people get hollow legs after booze laughter and dancing and always want a late night pick.
And that cheese table sounds great for then.could you add a few of those flatbread garlic breads,think they do a cheese and tomato one too.just sliced up.
at this point we also had huge platters of choc dipped fruit to freshen palate and be all smooches with!

The bride or groom not turning up? Family fall out? Health issues? 'Way too much to eat'. It's a wedding not dinner with Henry VIII. If people want to cast aspersions on others because of how much food they do/don't lay on at a wedding, I'm not sure I'd be too concerned about their opinion of me. The OP has clearly put thought into this, there's plenty of food but the expectations of some people here are enough to make a happy couple elope 😫

If people are offered a substantial amount of food at dinner time, I don't see why they then need to eat again about two hours later. We gave everyone a full meal at 6pm then nothing else. How can people need a barbecue for their tea then cheese and pie at 8.30pm?

I’ve never seen leftovers. But if you do just tell everyone to take what they want.no one doesn’t want a doggy bag.just please tell catering not to chuck it.as a rule they always do and makes me cringe!

120 pork pies and 120 scotch eggs? What if someone has nine pork pies and the last person up is left only with a pickled onion? Who will police the pork pies!

I'd suggest you offer lots of vegetarian/fish options. It's a common complaint here that vegetarian food runs out, but many meat eaters don't want to just eat meat only

I’d provide bread, butter, cheese and pickle later on, say 9 ish. Nothing fancy needed. Maybe some grapes to go with it. That’s what we did for dd’s wedding - it went down very well.

All sounds fab to me, can I come? 😉😂

Oh for the days when guests were expected to leave about 1.5 hours after the main event!

It's plenty of food. I'd question whether anyone would want just one of everything and if some choices were more popular thank others.

I'd think about laying on a few baps about 30 mins before carriages. But I might offer slightly less for the main event.

DS is getting married soon. I am quite surprised at the number of veggie meals being ordered. It's a sit down three course meal. I think it needs to be factored in. The meat eaters will grab the burgers, sausages, etc. The veggies will want the halloumi, possibly the cheese. It's a tricky one because you can't really restrict the bits people have. and I'm always gobsmacked at how much meat the veggies eat at these sorts of do's

@stuntbubbles I shall be policing the pork pies. 100 for me and everyone can fight over the remaining 20. Fuck them

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER bread and butter sounds like a great idea! Love a bit of that after drinking. Even better if we could get a toaster!

Consider ending the party at 10? Eight hours is plenty for guests to be hanging around.

Delay the BBQ a bit and have the cheese with drinks at 4.

Love cheese & pickle!

Don't you fancy a bite to eat in the evening when you've been drinking?

sounds amazing OP, I think it's well thought out and generous. I would trust the caterers and if they are happy with it and not trying to sell more, that says a lot.

We paid a ton for an evening buffet at our wedding and so much was wasted - it was such a shame. Important for evenings guests, but for our day guests who'd eaten a 3 course meal and cake at 3ish, they weren't in need of a full buffet by 8.

If you can't eat 100 pork pies on your wedding day when can you! Plus you paid for them so they're all yours anyway

I wish other weddings had been catered this well - I went to the evening part of one and they had bacon rolls only. No veggie option and they were ready made up so I couldn't even have a plain roll. By the time the cake came out I was hammered and had three pieces.

OP i think the confusion came about because you gave an example in an early post but missed out that there was at least one each, it made it sound like there was 120 maximum for example, rather than minimum. Either way it’s plenty, no one is going to have 4/5 of each, even if pissed.

Anyway, to get to the point of your post I would do food at 5, followed by dessert. Then the snack table with cheese etc at half 8 (maybe add in a some cake on that as well, or the crisp wall as someone has suggested). Otherwise it’s a lot of food in one go and then none when people start getting tipsy and peckish.