Do we need Canapes?

[TheGoodBanana]

We have our wedding ceremony at 3.30pm, the venue is approximately 40 of travel for most of our guests. The ceremony and wedding breakfast is in the same venue and wedding breakfast will be served between 5.30-5.45

The bridesmaids will be provided with sandwiches and fruit platters and crisps during the getting ready period, we are getting ready at the venue.

We haven't arranged canapes on the basis that people will be able to have lunch at the normal time and then dinner relatively early but I am worried that people will be hungry?

I would have had a substantial lunch and have snacks somewhere just in case

But then again I find the idea that people will spend so much time getting ready that they won't eat properly odd

Get the venue to bring out the canapés tray by tray but also reserve a good few trays for the evening guests to have if they arrive early and the wedding meal isn’t finished . They will appreciate them.

To reassure you, our wedding breakfast ran to time and our photos took as long as the photographer said. If you choose your suppliers carefully and they match with your priorities you'll be fine.

Absolute yes to canapes - apart from anything else, would you ever host people for drinks and not provide even basic nibbles (crisps and dip)? I wouldn't, so why host the biggest party of your life and not provide snacks? I know they're getting a meal but it is a long time from lunch to dinner (agree with PP that nobody is going to be eating lunch just before they leave, it's usually a late breakfast then shower, hair, make-up. And that's just the guests). Also I had no appetite on my wedding day, I ate a muffin about 10am and that was me till dinner. Didn't even eat the flipping canapes! But the guests did.

Oddly I’ve been having this conversation with my fiancé today. We were Planing having crisps, pretzels, popcorn etc as snacks while people are having a drink. But we aren’t having long between ceremony and wedding breakfast.

and I’ve massively over catered for the wedding breakfast and evening Buffet

We had canapes, our timings were 4pm ceremony and 6pm moving into reception room ready for the speeches starting. We worked out with the venue that we'd have first course coming out at 6.30pm, so without canapes we would have all been fainting from hunger!
It felt like a long time between ceremony and going in to eat when we were working out timings with the hotel, but it meant doing the photos was relaxed and we had time to chat to everyone properly. We also - importantly - had time to go to the loo!