...of food should you serve? We are haveing a Catholic wedding that is why there is such a big time gap between the ceremony start and reception start. We were trying to figure out what type of food whether an actual meal is served or just Hors D'oeuvres. The reception is going to go until about 5. I'm the first of my friends to get married and have only been to one wedding before now.

If you are keeping people away from home for 4-5 hours, then you have to serve "rough grub" and not just snacks. It doesn't have to be a table service or fancy food, but it must be a real meal. Even if people serve themselves from a buffet, they must be provided with table and chairs. Guests in their good clothes will not want to be eating from paper plates balanced on thier laps.

I would definitely serve a meal, because your guests will have been at the wedding since 11, and you want them there until about 5. If you serve appetizers, you need to make them very heavy ones, and have plenty of them. You can make a meal out of appetizers--you just need to have enough of them, and a large variety of them, have meat, cheeses, fruit, veggies, etc. Price out both options with your caterer, because it might be cheaper to simply have a few appetizers prior to the meal being served, and have a simpler meal, than a slew of appetizers.

1 is still considered lunch time so you need to serve a full meal. Especially if guests have been sitting in mass since 11 am and you expect them to stay through dinner.

In order for you to be able to only serve appetizers you would need to begin your service earlier so there is at least an hour for them to go get a meal elsewhere and end the reception by 3pm.

Just have a lovely buffet meal - roast beef, turkey or ham; baby roasted potatoes; hot mixed veggies; a variety of salads; cheeses, pickles, buns;variety of dainties.

im in the same boat you are
my wedding is at 11 and our reception will be around 1.....we're serving a buffet lunch ....two entrees so people can get what they want..

Think of it this way...

You have to go to business meeting. It starts at 11:00am so you'd have to eat a big breakfast being that you'll miss lunch. Actually, you wouldn't need that big of a breakfast because they will be passing out bottles of water and snacks insteads of giving you a lunch break, that is *if* a snack is all you'd need until you would get off work at 5:00.


This is how your guests will feel if you skip the meal! Some guests may skip the reception when they find out it's just Hors D'oeuvres or leave early to get something to eat.

Your choices are going to be limited by budget & availability. I don't think the time is a factor at all. But usually, after a wedding reception, people expect a full meal.

Although, once I was to a very small wedding that was held in the garden at a champagne bar. The reception afterward was inside & waiters passed around really good appetizers, but that's really all they were.

I would go with an actual meal. Then people will be seated, not all be just milling around, and it will be more orderly. Then people have a 'home base', their table

This way you get to 'make the rounds' at all the tables. I, myself, look forward to that time. I think more people like when the bride & groom come to their table than want to admit. It's nice to meet the new couple & see a quick close-up of the wedding dress.

Yep, definitely the meal. More formal, more memorable.

Good luck & have a great wedding !