[olson]

We are having a 6 PM church wedding with a reception to follow at 6:30 in the church courtyard - for approximately 250. Instead of a seated dinner or buffet, we were planning to have passed hors d’oeuvres (pecan chicken skewers, bruchetta, and (one other) and 3 stations - 1-sliders (mini hamburgers) with french fries (served in black burger baskets), 2 - carved turkey with rolls, marinated plum tomatoes and mozzarella ball skewers, crab cakes, and 3 - fruit and cheese tables with a cheese tort and assorted crackers. We will also be having wedding cake, groom's cake and a candy/cookie/brownie buffet with take home bags. We will be serving beer and wine, soft drinks, coffee and water. Is this enough food for an evening wedding? Will our guests be standing in line too long? Although we are having a formal church wedding, we have opted for a more informal reception, hoping our guests will mingle and visit more. Thank you for your advice.

This post has been edited by olson: 08 March 2026 - 02:35 PM

[Etiquette Now]

Dear Olson,

We always serve our guests the food and beverages they would expect at the time of our events. This is dinner time, so they will be expecting a meal. The food you describe seems filling enough as long as there is enough of it. But you have quite a large crowd to feed. It really wouldn't be polite to expect guests to stand in long lines for a sandwich or hors d'oeuvres. However, I'm not a planner. So, I don't know how this could work. Perhaps it could.

The focus should be on creating an experience that is comfortable for your guests. If you have planned this well, making sure that none of your guests have to stand for a long period of time and are well fed and watered [:)], then you have done your job well.

Best wishes,

This post has been edited by TWQadmin: 08 March 2026 - 04:26 PM