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?

Sounds like a hungry day to me

I think that you will need food that will keep a short while rather than chips that need to be eaten as soon as they are ready.
If your photographer takes longer than you have planned for- and they usually do- you might end up with cold chips.

(One of the worst receptions I ever went to literally just had cheese and crackers served around 9pm. As someone who eats a GF diet and doesn't eat cheese in the evening due to heartburn I was very very hungry).

@Yissie

I mean it's not a tiny budget we have £8k to play with, but a sit down meal felt too formal and we preferred the thought of food trucks but they were surprisingly expensive so we can't hire more food trucks alongside them. So far we are spending £2k on catering and bar and it doesn't seem enough food still..

My own wedding cost similar in total and that included an afternoon sit down meal for 70 adults and an evening buffet.

I think the best thing to do at this point is work out your timings, decide if it would be possible for any DIY additional options, and get quotes for different catering options that best suit the guests and timings.

Food trucks look fun in photos, but if I'm honest I don't think I would enjoy a wedding that required so much waiting and queuing for food. Sorry if that sounds a bit mean.

@Yissie

I mean it's not a tiny budget we have £8k to play with, but a sit down meal felt too formal and we preferred the thought of food trucks but they were surprisingly expensive so we can't hire more food trucks alongside them. So far we are spending £2k on catering and bar and it doesn't seem enough food still..

I posted a bit before saying what we are doing I think we are going for a similar style wedding, ours is in a barn.

We have loads of veggies and kids too which is why afternoon tea and a pizza van really works. Didn't fancy paying tons for a sit down meal mainly consisting of risotto or a bland tart which is all veggies seem to get at weddings.

If you fancy a chat feel free to pm me. My wedding is 7 weeks away. We have 75 people and have spent £1200 on afternoon tea, £750 pizza van and then £250 on pastries and fruit in the morning and a snack trolley. So £2200 total which isn't miles away from your budget.

We are doing a free bar though so that's separate and costing us around 1500 for drinks and staff for the evening.

I really don’t think that is enough food.
I would add a hog roast with veggie option 2-4pm
followed by waffles/pancakes4-5pm
Them I would have pizza 8-10pm
I’m not sure you are serving enough drinks either.

In all fairness @hellosunshineagainx your plan doesn’t sound like you are catering a full meal either and your wedding starts even earlier than OPs, unless your afternoon tea is more like lunch buffet

What is formal about a sit down meal? It's just a normal way to eat and means everyone can eat at once. Food trucks are not designed to feed 70+ people at once.

@toomuchlaundry

In all fairness *@hellosunshineagainx* your plan doesn’t sound like you are catering a full meal either and your wedding starts even earlier than OPs, unless your afternoon tea is more like lunch buffet

So my friend had afternoon tea a few years ago and I had similar reservations but everyone was stuffed and there was tons leftover so much so barely any of the evening buffet got eaten. I don't see how having the below is less food than a risotto and a bowl of soup? I think its just an old fashioned mentality to food and weddings. Im getting married in a barn its laid back and relaxed and the food matches. Im definitely providing more food than I have ever got at a wedding before. Im catering for 75.

Pastries and fruit on arrival
12:30 ceremony
2:15 afternoon tea (3 full sandwiches each, a sausage roll, quiche, victoria sponge, meringue, brownies, crackers)
Snack cart (spent £100 on snacks so tons of stuff)
100 12 inch pizzas, bistro side salads and pasta side salads

Most weddings I have been to ceremony is at 12, 12:30 or 1. Then sit down meal of soup and risotto or meat and veg for meat eaters around 4pm. Never had a canape or anything at a wedding before. Then a bland selection of evening buffet food at 7pm that hardly anyone eats

@hellosunshineagainx Is that a pizza truck? I've contacted 3 and they all only do 9 inch. 12 inch would be so much better!

Thank you, your wedding sounds lovely and similar sort of style so that's very helpful thank you!

I think it’s loads of food!

You’ll get people on here who now about 15 sit down courses of hot meals on here but it’s plenty of food.

You could just switch around the timings for the pizzas and pancakes/waffles to a more traditional savoury/sweet order if you wanted to.

[quote Yissie]@hellosunshineagainx Is that a pizza truck? I've contacted 3 and they all only do 9 inch. 12 inch would be so much better!

Thank you, your wedding sounds lovely and similar sort of style so that's very helpful thank you! [/quote]
It is yeah, he is cutting them up and people help themselves to slices so that no one is waiting around hut then making certain ones for the vegans and gluten free people we have. I asked for him to overcater so we can keep leftover for the end of the night for the most drunk people 🤣

Id also like to say me and my partner are obese so if we think it's enough food then surely it is 😂😂xx

Have you got plans for wasps, flies, bad or hot weather and drinking water? I’d cancel the whole tipi festival vibe and hire a village hall or pub function room. Keep the venue dresser and pizza van and hire a traditional caterer for a buffet in the afternoon and sides to the pizza van in the evening.

I do think pizza food trucks isn’t q great idea. I went to a wedding that had pizza evening food but served buffet style. So they would have a selection of pizzas out and you would go up and take a few slices. Some of us went up multiple times as it was delicious.

@Britneysy

Have you got plans for wasps, flies, bad or hot weather and drinking water? I’d cancel the whole tipi festival vibe and hire a village hall or pub function room. Keep the venue dresser and pizza van and hire a traditional caterer for a buffet in the afternoon and sides to the pizza van in the evening.

No thank you for swapping to a village hall

It's not just the volume of food @LuckySantangelo35 it was the original order and type of food.

I get a bit shaky if I eat too much sugar and carbs without protein, so for me lunchtime wedding and no lunch + sugary afternoon waffles + fighting my way to pizza later in the evening = recipe for disaster, whereas some afternoon sandwiches + something else in the evening = fine.

For all weddings I now stow protein bars and nuts in my handbag as sometimes there are long stretches with no food but lots of alcohol and I find it better to be prepared.

OP - I love that you are giving plenty of thought to your guests' needs. Your wedding sounds similar to ours (hired a country house), and we had a lunch buffet followed by a catered BBQ in the evening. We did struggle with refrigeration for the lunch, but the onsite staff were kind enough to make room in their fridges. I think you came to the conclusion it might be too difficult and that nearly was the case for us.

If I did it again, I'd look into hiring a small refrigerated van for the day, plus go for more items like cheese twists that don't need chilling. Freezer space was fine, so we bought loads of individual ice creams, and had family children as ice cream runners with trays of varied offerings after lunch.

The evening BBQ caterer had choices for dietary/medical needs, and the queue management was great. Plenty of people had seconds. We put out cupcakes for the wedding cakes that night.

Wishing you a very happy day. 😊

I've been to lots of weddings which have desert bars/homemade cakes/ice cream straight afterwards and then nothing until dinner. It wouldn't bother me but I would always eat before a 1pm wedding. If people haven't eaten lunch I could see them getting hungry. I agree with a few extra salads/pasta etc to offer with the pizza in case some don't like it/have intolerances. Love the food truck idea though, sounds a fun wedding

Ok think I've sorted it, found a caterer who can do a cold buffet sandwiches, cold finger food and salads to be served after the ceremony, same time as waffles/pancakes for £386 we can stretch to that

Then pizza in evening

We've got a donut wall and wedding cake too

Will also bring lots of crisps and non chilled snacks and fruit and have available that throughout day.

Is that enough?!

Sounds great.

That sounds good. Buffet food at the same time as the pancakes will help those who can’t / won’t eat the sweet stuff. If you can do some salads alongside the pizza I think that would be perfect.

Sounds good!

If it is mainly outdoors are there toilets? We are going to an outdoors wedding reception and the bride and groom needed to be reminded that toilets might be a good idea!

That sounds amazing to me op. What a gorgeous day it sounds. Have a fantastic time.

@RipleysVest

Gosh people are so expectant.

I would just be happy to be invited and to get what is offered.

If I had specific catering needs I would bring a packed lunch myself.

Sounds lovely OP.

OP will need to be VERY clear about what is or is not included then, because the vast majority will expect some sort of lunch if the event begins at 1. I would never think of eating brunch before wedding just in case the only food available at lunchtime was ice cream.

"Not everyone eats lunch"

What about those who do... which is most people

@DockOTheBay they have printed the menu etc on the invitation , can't get much clearer than that