Are we feeding people enough?

[Yissie]

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?

It's your wedding and I'mguessing the waffles etc is something you'd like to do. What about making it more of an afternoon tea and ordering trays of sandwiches from M&S food to order. They do gluten free / dairy free etc. To keep costs down you could reduce it to one food van / one portion for the waffles.

Yes we have swapped our reception venue from a marquee to the giant tipis as we couldn't sit everyone in the marquee so now can seat up to 100 in the tipi (couldn't find any middle ground, booking v last min for a Saturday in peak wedding season) so seating is no probs.

I do have to agree with pp that it’s highly unlikely people will have brunch beforehand - they’ll assume there’s a lunch.

But I think a big table full of a range of foods (including the proverbial MN massive salad) should help a lot. Rolls and several fillings, etc. Or the chippy van if you can reasonably stretch to it. Or both.

Don’t stress too much over it. It sounds like a great party!

(And you’ll be looking fabulous which is the most important thing! )

M&S don't seem to do it anymore from what I gather online

@Rosehugger

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.

Of course it doesn't, no more than pizza or fish and chips.

It’s a lot of junk food and nothing of substance, especially when your wedding covers two meal times. People wont have had time for lunch or a decent brunch as they will have been getting ready and travelling. If you're adding alcohol to the mix it could end up very messy. Children need more actual food, rather than junk, or they get hangry.

What you're asking your guests to do is provide their own food. Parents would need to pack sandwiches etc for their children.

Can you not, instead of more junk adding chips, price up a stew of sorts? My wedding evening meal was a one pot. Well, two one-pots. One veggy, one meat.

At one wedding I had to ask the kitchen for food in the evening as they had no options other than pig and the hotel was in the middle of nowhere. And the guests had travelled around 3 to 3 and a half hours to get there. No time at all to eat in the morning.

Why not just have a traditional buffet lunch? Keep the ice cream van but get rid of the waffle/pancake van and the chippy and use the money for a buffet- sandwiches, quiche, salads, bread, cheese etc. How much is the chippy and waffle option going to cost?

Oh yes a buffet in the evening would work well too!

I'd certainly want to sit down to eat fish and chips or pizza!! They are extremely messy to eat.

My concern wouldn’t be the volume- but the type you are going to end up with people having sugar crashes if there’s lots of sweet early on and then a carb option.
I’d get some cheeseboards out or something and swap the sweets out for later, reduce the allowance to one and a half portions- and increase the pizza allowance and ask them to serve it by the slice

Just a thought,y dd went to a wedding where there were picnic baskets for guests. A bit of a hippy do but they loved it. Lots of blankets spread about with hampers of food. It was mostly home made and not expensive like a French stick, pate, cheese, quiche, crisps and a bottle of wine. Fruit was placed on a separate table with apples, bananas, slices of melon and grapes. People just helped themselves. They could eat when they pleased and she said she wished she had done that for her wedding in retrospect as much cheaper and everyone had fun and enjoyed it. That might fit in with your games for children. You could still have whippy ice cream van but ditch waffles.

I looked at various food 'trucks' when we got married and a good quality buffet turned out to be a way cheaper and better option.
Our local deli did a massive spread, lots of pasta etc so everyone was full up and ready for heavy drinking!!

@caringcarer

Just a thought,y dd went to a wedding where there were picnic baskets for guests. A bit of a hippy do but they loved it. Lots of blankets spread about with hampers of food. It was mostly home made and not expensive like a French stick, pate, cheese, quiche, crisps and a bottle of wine. Fruit was placed on a separate table with apples, bananas, slices of melon and grapes. People just helped themselves. They could eat when they pleased and she said she wished she had done that for her wedding in retrospect as much cheaper and everyone had fun and enjoyed it. That might fit in with your games for children. You could still have whippy ice cream van but ditch waffles.

That's a lovely idea but again don't underestimate how much work that is putting together even if it looks simple plus refrigeration and transport to venue.

Could you just add a pile of sandwiches to the ice cream and waffles.

Adults drinking on an empty stomach, or rapidly emptying and children with a sugar rush may not be ideal.

Maybe a picnic in a box for people to have alongside the sweet things, it wouldn't cost much, a couple of sandwiches, some crisps and some fruit. If not for everyone then for the children

I think I would look to add a cold buffet type thing along with the sweet treats, it doesn't have to be anything major or expensive, but just not sweet.

And if your budget would stretch to an extra food truck in the evening (fish and chips is a good shout) then that would be a good idea. What you've planned sounds lovely but just not quite enough.

And also picnics only work with good weather. And where there are no guests who can't sit on the ground.

Worst wedding I have ever been to was one where we were dragged to the middle of nowhere onto a farm miles from pubs/shops etc to have travelled there, paid for accomodation, paid for wedding presents, paid for a nanny for DC as they were not allowed to go and then there was literally a couple of canapes and a hog roast that barely fed half the guests. No starter except a few olives and no dessert except for a small piece of wedding cake. Also no vegetarian option which was a smack in the face for their sister in law. No thought to guests at all.

I think you need proper food after the ceremony. Waffles: ice cream is just empty calories and a lot of adults aren’t going to enjoy it. Kids are going to be hyper. Anyone with dietary requirements is going to have an issue. How old are your guests? Can you do a buffet/ afternoon tea?

Morrisons are very good for trays of sandwiches if you have one near by

They have a food to order section on the website

@Rosehugger

And also picnics only work with good weather. And where there are no guests who can't sit on the ground.

The OP has said she has a huge marquee with seating to fit 100 people that's plenty of room for people to eat picnics in. Surely people will be sitting to eat on the ground or on the seating provided anyway. Sandwiches, fruit, crisps and other picnic food would be easier to eat in such a setting than fish and chips or a 9 inch pizza.

Fish and chips are quite expensive. We pay £11.40 for a portion from a fish and chip van. Also there is the long queuing. They can only cook so many at a time.

OP has tipee with seats in a picnic basket could be taken into there if some prefer.

I might sound old fashioned but......I'd move the pizza truck later so that can be an 'evening meal' and serve a more traditional buffet earlier in the day possibly with ice creams too.

I think pizza by slice is a far better idea otherwise people will be waiting ages to eat. It’s also much easier to eat if there aren’t tables (haven’t seen whether there are or not). Chippy van will have the same problem. So actually I’d say scratch the chippy van and put the money into a good picnic lunch-type spread.

I've found a local caterer who does cold buffets they are emailing me a quote now, would it be better to have alongside the afternoon or evening food truck?