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Original poster

Are we feeding people enough?

267 replies

Yissie · 11/04/2022 09:41

1pm ceremony (hoping guests will think to have brunch before coming?)
2pm-4pm pancakes, waffles, ice creams, teas and coffee food trucks (2 servings of anything each)
6pm-10pm pizza food truck (1 9inch pizza per guest, lots of various toppings)
We will have a wedding cake in the evening
We can also bring crisps, little cakes and snacks like that and do a snack table?
I'm worried it's not enough but we are on a budget. I personally wouldn't need more than that but I don't want people to be hungry obviously so wanted a wider opinion?

OP posts:
maddy68 · 11/04/2022 10:46

I wouldn't do the ice-cream. I would do savoury. Quiches, sandwiches. Etc or have the pizza then or arrange a chip van ?

Caspianberg · 11/04/2022 10:48

Can a food truck really offer gluten free? As in that would have to be cooked in a pizza oven by itself otherwise will be contaminated by the non gluten free flour?

HeddaGarbled · 11/04/2022 10:49

Yes we're more than happy to bring sandwiches, salads, crisps for a snack table we just cannot stretch to any more paid catering

As long as that’s buffet lunch rather than snack quantity, I think that sounds good:

Home-catered buffet lunch
Waffle/pancake/ice-cream van
Evening pizza van

Sounds good to me.

ProseccoStorm · 11/04/2022 10:50

Personally I'd save some money by dropping the ice cream and waffle van, and put that onto some more substantial catering.

I know the kids are excited about it, so could you replicate with some ice lollies from the freezer? Or rope in a local teenager to scope icecream into cones?

Chippy and pizza van is better, but I'd still envisage long queue of hungry people. If you have a big table of other bits if might help.

I'd take ice cream money and get sandwiches, salads etc from local caterer for lunchtime, then your evening food works better.

I really wouldn't expect to be fed only one meal if a wedding was 1-midnight. The worst wedding I've been to was actually one of the fanciest but they completely messed up the food. Everyone was starving, grumpy, no one felt like dancing, and it's the only wedding I went home from early.

Original poster
Yissie · 11/04/2022 10:52

@Caspianberg

Can a food truck really offer gluten free? As in that would have to be cooked in a pizza oven by itself otherwise will be contaminated by the non gluten free flour?
My moh is GF by choice rather than celiac and is happy with the arrangement. All other guests have RSVP'd no major dietary requirements apart from 1 vegan and lots of veggies including myself. Hence why we aren't doing a hot roast, sit down meal feels too formal for the wedding, I'm scrambling to find the right option
Are we feeding people enough?
OP posts:
Comedycook · 11/04/2022 10:52

I know you think the sweet stuff will be good for the kids...I think a lot of parents won't be happy that all their kids are eating is sweet stuff until evening time.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 11/04/2022 10:53

The people management involved in this would stress me out. With a sit down meal, all your guests are occupied for 1-2 hours with minimal effort on your part. The staff ensure everyone is fed at the same time.

With what you suggest, no one is going to be eating the same time as others - there's four of us, so do we all queue for food? Does one of us queue (for ages) while the other entertains the kids? We will then sit with others who are either finished their food or waiting for the queue to go down.

What do people do when they are waiting for the queue to go down or after they've eaten their pancake (which us max 20mins)? Just Mill around?

Rosehugger · 11/04/2022 10:53

Sounds like loads of food to me.

Our wedding was at 3pm and some people didn't have lunch before - you can't allow for stupidity!

We did fizz and canapes after the ceremony then the reception with a three course meal at 6pm. Everyone came all day, we had no evening only guests.

Original poster
Yissie · 11/04/2022 10:54

Just thought that a formal sit down meal didn't really fit the day but I can scrap the food trucks and switch to fish and chips if it's better, just seemed an odd fit with the rest of the day. We won't leave everyone hungry and will do what will work

OP posts:
VodselForDinner · 11/04/2022 10:56

I think there’s a big spectrum between formal seated four-course, and a day of junk food, to be honest.

I couldn’t eat things like pancakes and waffles in the afternoon, it’s just too sweet and stodgy.

I think one 9” pizza isn’t enough per person. I’m not a big fan of pizza so would eat one slice and would then be really hungry. For a man with a big appetite, it’s nowhere near enough.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 11/04/2022 10:56

How many people are coming OP?

Nnique · 11/04/2022 10:57

I think it’s ok, but I’d definitely have a snacks/picnic/sandwich/buffet table at lunch time - you really don’t want all the children to just eat sugary foods and then go haywire for the rest of the day!

Original poster
Yissie · 11/04/2022 10:57

45-50 adults, around 17 kids.

OP posts:
PicklesAndPumpkins · 11/04/2022 10:58

A wedding I attended last summer sounds very similar, festival style, big tent outdoors, and even the same amount of guests! They had a few trays of canapés early afternoon after the ceremony, followed by an ice cream truck in the afternoon, and pizza van, and fish and chip van in the evening. Also once the cake was cut people wondered round handing out slices. It felt like loads of food! Am sure you’ll be fine either with more sandwiches etc or could check out local fish and chip vans, they can be quite reasonably priced! Hope you have a wonderful day am sure it will be amazing whatever you choose!

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 11/04/2022 10:58

1pm ceremony (hoping guests will think to have brunch before coming?)

I think the majority of people won't as they'll be expecting food.

Rosehugger · 11/04/2022 10:58

You could do both - I've been to weddings where one or two tables go up at a time to the buffet or fish and chips, so there are no massive queues. I think what people wouldn't like is balancing messy food on their knees or trying to eat something substantial while standing up.

toomuchlaundry · 11/04/2022 10:58

You can have a buffet instead of sit down three course meal, but your timings cover 2 meal times so would do buffet after ceremony and then pizza later in the evening. If informal then probably good to have some snacks out all the time as not formal meal time

caringcarer · 11/04/2022 10:59

The obvious answer is to ask a family member to do a BBQ for you. Burgers from Iceland are cheap, you can buy bags of 24 bread rolls in Morrisons for just a small amount. Hot dog sausages are very cheap and will fill guests up. Do you have a family member who would be willing to do a BBQ on the day for you? You don't have not hire anyone in. We go to a cricket match each summer with about 80 people. They have an average size BBQ. Two people run it. One cooks burgers and sausages. The other cuts rolls, takes orders and dishes it out. They could cook up a lot just before ceremony then put back on BBQ for a minute to heat back up before serving whist next batch are cooking. Just telling you OP because if people drinking they will need more food to soak up alcohol. Also my son went to a wedding with not much food and he offered to do a KFC run for a few friends and loads of other guests asked him to fetch them some too. He had to buy loads. His friends now refer to it as the KFC wedding.

FudgeSundae · 11/04/2022 11:00

Do you have plenty of seating? Just thinking when I was pregnant I sometimes struggled with all the standing around at weddings, and if you don’t have a sit down meal do you have the seats? I imagine elderly people may feel the same.
Food sounds fine although I’d appreciate some salads or a fruit bowl as otherwise I’d feel a bit carbed up! Cheap fruit juice lollies (the kind you make) may be popular too if it’s hot.

Buttons294749 · 11/04/2022 11:00

I think youre right to scrap food trucks and have something easier, as a guest being hungry or thirsty can make or break a wedding. You dont want your wedding to be the one people only remember for the lack of food.

Fish and chips sounds fine for lunch with maybe buffet and salad in the evening. I wouldnt want loads of stodge and would resent queueing. I would homestly prefer to pay for my meal and know i would get something proper!

mudgetastic · 11/04/2022 11:00

It would be enough especially if people know in advance

Is it cultural:class thing that's showing here ?

I grew up with - take what you are given and be grateful - mindful of other peoples circumstances and valuing being invited to party enough in itself

and being short of food for a short time wasn't considered a major emergency

Original poster
Yissie · 11/04/2022 11:01

So either look into

Chippy van same time as ice cream van
Pizza in the evening with buffet table

Or move ice cream van and pizza van to the same time in the afternoon then only do buffet in evening?

OP posts:
MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 11/04/2022 11:01

I actually think fish and chip and pizza van is a good idea and not too many people so it'll work especially as you've taken into consideration GF /Vegan etc.

I would aim for 5pm ish though so people who didn't have sweet stuff at lunch can have food earlyish.

The trouble with sandwiches etc is that you need to have fridge space,they take up a lot of room.

Beees · 11/04/2022 11:01

I see what you're trying to do in keeping it light and not formal but in doing so you've ended up with a day where you're just offering junk food. It would be much more sensible to have got in catering for everyone to have a picnic type meal alongside the ice cream van so they are all eating at the same time and then several food options in the evening such as pizzas, fish and chips etc to soak up the booze.

Rosehugger · 11/04/2022 11:02

A BBQ still needs to be a sit down meal at a wedding though. The main thing is people don't want to be standing for hours and dripping food down their smart clothes.