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I think it works in instances when
a) your reception and wedding are at a certain time of day, say 1 pm to 5 pm.
and/or
b) you make sure to make a note of it on your invitation.
R's aunt and uncle did an hors d'oeuvres only wedding, but forgot to mention that. It really upset people, and it basically ruined their wedding.
I would say if you are going that route, make sure to have heavy appetizers that please a wide range of people.
I have been to plenty of weddings and heard of plenty of people doing this. I would love to do something like this but my FMIL kind of wants us to have a sit down dinner and since she is shelling out the dough for the reception we agreed. Like I said I love the idea, to me its a better mingling environment and you have a more one on one time with your guests.
We looked into having a cocktail reception with passed and plated hors d'oeuvres but ultimately found that it was more expensive than a traditional sit-down dinner. Due to cost considerations we decided to go with the sit-down dinner instead. I thought a cocktail reception sounded fun though!
Edit: The cost is more because it is labor intensive and because people will typically eat as much food as they would for a meal (we were told an estimate I believe of 15 - 20 servings per person for a 5 hour reception - and a serving isn't one piece - ex. if there were meatballs, 1 serving would be about 3 meatballs). My numbers might be slightly off, but hopefully you can get the idea.
you definitely can, but make sure you have enough seating for everyone. I was at a wedding with "heavy hors" that were delicious - but there were only enough seats for like 1/4 of the guests. Of course the elderly and bridal party got those, and everyone else was standing for 3 hours. My feet hurt and I had to try eating while balancing my drink (luckily FI held was there to hold my clutch and coat) - it sucked.
Absolutely most weddings I've been to had an horderve reception served buffet style. If you're DIYing it then it's usually less, if you're having a caterer do it- it's usually more. For the venue we want an horderve reception is $25 a person. That's compared to a 2entree salad, 2 side, tea, water, coffee reception at $19.50 per person. I was completely shocked when I read that it was more, and to be quite honest I have no idea why it's more.
It is perfectly acceptable to do this. However, the other posters are correct. A lot of times, but not always, it just depends on what you are serving, it can cost more than a seated dinner. The reason for this is because there is more prep time needed.
I had an hor devour reception. As long as you let people know it should be fine.
I've been to a nighttime wedding that had only hors d'oeuvres, actually! And it was totally fine! There weren't tables and chairs for all of the guests (but there were benches in the area). I agree with what some of the previous posters have said--having people pass hors d'oeuvres around the whole time can get pretty pricey, but if you just had various "stations" out that might be more cost-efficient. That is what my friends did and I believe that it came out to only about $12 per person and was filling enough to pass as a meal.
I think, though, that when a friend is having a hors d'oeuvres only reception (or anything other than a meal), I like to have it mentioned on the invitation i.e. "hors d'oeuvres to follow"--just so I know to snack a little bit ahead of time!
My daughter is having one too. Ours will be $70./person,so definitely not cheaper! I addition, we are also having a pasta station,turkey & roast pork station, and a mashed potato bar as well as a dessert bar with cake & assorted goodies. I can't imagine anyone going hungry with all the food we've chosen.
I think having a passed apps menu sounds awesome, since that's always my favorite part of the food at weddings anyways! I have heard it can actually be just as expensive, if not more, than a seated dinner but if cost isn't why you're considering it, then go for it!
Also, I think it's fine to do it at night too, not just during the day!
Yeah, I think I'm biased about time of day because the appetizers that get passed around are so rarely vegetarian! It'd be fine at night if you had heavy hors d'oeuvres for everyone... just, if you do have vegetarians, maybe give them a heads up as to what they can eat? Mushroom caps, etc, are sometimes made with meat, so I usually just pass appetizers as a rule at weddings. *Sadface*
Heavy hors d'oeuvres reception right here! However, we're having a TON of stuff... not so sure it's less expensive or anything. We're having: oysters, shrimp, scallops, cheese display, fruit display, veggie display, several dips, bruschetta, sliders, skewered teriyaki beef... gosh i don't even know if that's all the food.
So yeah, those kinds of things get expensive fast. Just keep that in mind.
Absolutely it is fine to have hors d'oeuvres instead of a sit down dinner. We did this for our reception after our 6:30 pm ceremony and everyone loved it. We had meatballs, chips, salsa and cheese dip, fruit, veggies, pinwheels etc. And a couple upcoming weddings that we are going to are doing the same thing!
we're doing this! we're working with a couple different people on it though - both my fiance know through his job, and one who is trying to build her resume/portfolio. so it'd definitely going to cost less than a full dinner and be less stress since we can't afford a caterer and would be cobbling together stuff. it's going to be all-vegetarian, with a bunch being vegan.
I think it works if it's not during dinner, you have enough seating, and you make it clear ahead of time. Food is the #1 priority for most guests, and many might not enjoy all the other elements of the day if they are walking around being hungry. Fruit, veggies, cheese, seafood snacks, dips, etc are great, but not filling!
@jwinnings - yay! I actually really love the idea, then. I've just been to one too many weddings where there wasn't a single veggie appetizer.
@LaborofLove - you're making me hungry... I loooove bruschetta. That sounds amazing.
I agree with most of the posters that it would be totally fine, but if there is a way to let people know ahead of time, I would do that just so people can eat a little more earlier in the day
It is very doable, and it is certainly doable during the dinner hour. However, there are certain things you must do to make it work. I am having one of these events, so I'm in the middle of planning one right now.
- Hire a caterer or location or wedding planner who has done it before. Having at least one person with experience is a good thing.
- Keep in mind that it will save you very little or no money.
- Think long and hard about seating. You need seating for over 50% of your guests, though something more like 70% is best. Try to integrate different kinds of seating, not all just 8 top tables, but 4 tops, lounge style, etc., along with tall tables for putting down drinks and good while mingling.
- Think beyond fruit, veggies, and cheese if you want a dinner reception. You are really more in the realm of small plates, so think more along the lines of bite-sized entrees.
- Make sure that you hire good waiters who can answer questions and will have a sense of who they are and are not visiting often.
- Last, let your guests know what to expect so that they will know to eat lots of appetizers.
We are having a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception. But we made sure to put that specifically on the invitation so people would know to eat before (ours begins at 7pm). And it is going to cost us as much as a seated dinner. But it was the feel we were going for.
I think it's a cute idea to do this at like a tea party themed wedding and have lemon squares, finger snadwhiches and the like.
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I've heard of the idea to have constant varieties of horderves being passed around the entire reception instead of having a sit down meal for a more casual daytime wedding. Has anyone heard of this or seen it? what do you think of it?