Do people expect food after dinner at wedding?

[Budka]

Ceremony is at 1:45 pm. We are serving very filling canapés and cocktails at 3:30pm and dinner at 5:30pm. There will be the actual cake, a homemade cake table, hydration station and a snack table. The wedding ends at midnight. The meal itself is A LOT, we are doing a sit down buffet (think Las Vegas buffet).

I've seen trends where a pizza/burger van turns up as guests are leaving.

Would you as a guest expect more food after dinner?

I personally wouldn’t. I do feel people get weird at weddings re good where they almost expect to be fed and watered on the hour, every hour. But in everyday life you would probably be happy with eating far less (I do appreciate dancing, drinking causes hunger).

But would you expect to be given more food after dinner and cake?

My sister thinks we should order a load of pizza to send people away with.

i dunno i find the idea a bit ott. We are serving a lot of food. People are not those bottomless pits! But I obviously wouldn’t want people to actually be hungry.

I do actually agree. 2 hours really is quite a long time.

I know you mention a tour of the venue and lawn games but being perfectly realistic how many people are actually going to do this. Women in their finery and heels won’t.

On another note I would never eat a sandwich from a petrol station full stop! Let alone with makeup, lipstick and posh dress on. But that’s a completely different matter.

This.

Yes

I was at a wedding last week. We had a 3 course meal served from 4.30 to 6pm. It was very nice.
At about 9pm they laid out a buffet bacon rolls, cheese toastie and chips. I was still too full to eat anything but between the evening guests and some of the younger crowd (especially the groomsmen) there was nothing left but crumbs when the night was over.

Then don’t play any games, sit down, have a laugh with a mate and enjoy the scenery with a glass(es) of champagne.

Well English weddings do seem to be a marathon! If dinner is 5.30 and you expect guests to study til midnight then yes something else, but if you are having cakes and snacks out then that should suffice.

@Budka the average reception might last 2 hours, but you will find most guests wished it was shorter!

But drinks and canapés it’s usually straight after the ceremony.

Your guests are travelling over lunchtime across london to most likely arrive at church for 1-1.15pm for a 1.45pm ceremony, then not eat a bite until 3.30pm, but in reality it’ll be more like 4pm because the caterer will also build in contingency for ceremony over running/traffic and pouring drinks first.

@Budka you say - 'How much food is it even physically possible to eat?'

`For me, as a petite pensioner, the answer is not very much. For younger, bigger framed people especially sporty types as well as young men generally the answer is a an absolutely colossal amount.

I only had DDs. It was a revelation to me when they were teenagers and started bringing boy mates and eventually boyfriends home just how much food young men can eat. Ot greedy or fat, just need more calories.

We’ve gone with a Jamaican-English fusion caterer.

The brief I gave to the caterer was that I wanted a really indulgent, decadent (somewhat elevated) Las Vegas style buffet but with English and Jamaican influences. I am most looking forward to the jerk surf and turf!

I just couldn’t nail down a three course menu that I liked so I thought “fuck it, we’ll have the lot”.

So, chicken skewers, bhajis etc. then?

You don't need to instruct people to think of things you then go on to list. They will automatically think of them when reading the list. Impossible not to.

What’s a Las Vegas buffet?

I’d imagine your guests will be bored shitless by the time they sit down for dinner.

Maybe if you are a bore and can’t find a way to enjoy yourself for 90 minutes with friends and family on a Summer’s day.

Thanks for the input. I think the AIBU vipers are out and all of a sudden drinks receptions are a foreign concept.

Appreciate the helpful feedback

Sounds bloody amazing

Confession, I haven't been through every page but......did we find out what on earth a hydration station is?

Visualising an all inclusive hotel water dispenser?

After my main wedding meal (20+ years ago) the guests had cake, a few also ripped open the rather expensive handmade wedding favours and munched on the Tesco value mints within, I couldn't be arsed sourcing sugared almonds 🙄.

In the main people are just being helpful with their own experiences and how sometimes they’re still hungry later on. Plus the gap can actually be a bit tedious between ceremony and sit down.

I’m not actually sure why you posted as you don’t want anyone suggesting you limit the drinks bit and suggesting that a bit of food later would be a good idea.

But it’s your wedding and obviously you should do what you want.

@Budka I really dislike your tone, that's a few times now you've said that eating more food than you deem necessary is 'gluttony'. First of all, it's a celebration so people will indulge more than on a normal day. Second, everyone has different appetites. Third, you're a host. Always better to provide too much than too little. Fourth (I could go on, tbh) some people dislike spicy food and might not eat much of the Jamaican fusion dinner, so a bacon roll or a burger at 9pm would be very welcome.

I appreciate that. But also said that the schedule has been locked in. The venue is incredibly inflexible.

I have not been as resistant to feedback as some have suggested. I have looked into bulking out the snack table and looking into a late night food offering.

Thanks

It sounds like you have some eating issues.. lots of comments on gluttony, Augustus Gloop etc. Not fair to put that on your guests, is it.

I don’t think I have an issue with food. I am providing A LOT of food (generous sized canapés, mammoth buffet, cake, charcuterie/cheese/crisps AND homemade cakes). It’s half a day!

But posters saying I should provide a week’s worth of food on the hour, every hour is gluttony to me. It’s a wedding not a food eating competition.

I suppose what some people are picking up on is that even though your sister taste tested your menu options which sound great, she suggested a pizza option for later on.

Come on OP that’s not what people are suggesting are they. Literally nobody has suggested food delivery on the hour every hour.

I think you may have planned for plenty of food but not quite at the right times. 3.30pm is late for canapés when dinner is at 5.30pm. Particularly as your guests (and yourself) will have had an early lunch (if any). If you are planning a snack table and cakes could you push it back a bit? It sounds as if that food will be sitting around for hours from early evening so bring it out at 9.30pm.