Hors d'oevres dinner
This is a thread that was started in our old BlissWeddings.com forums by sioga coill on 02/07/2005.
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posted by sioga coill
Hi everyone.
I'm hoping you could give some advice.
My fiance and I are not having a sitdown dinner at our reception. Both due to cost and time restraints, this seemed the most practical solution to myself and my parents. Now his parents are upset.
"People will complain that the food is no good" "It won't be as classy as a sitdown dinner" "Will it really be that much more to have a real dinner?"
His parents are not paying for the dinner. Also, we have a select list of caterers provided by the hall that we can choose from.
Has anyone else done an hors d'oevres reception before? Are there any ways we can make it a little classier?
I appreciate any input you can offer, as I'm tired of feeling like I'm letting people down by doing what I want to do.
Thanks!
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posted by syringa
An hors d' oeuvres buffet is the most common type of reception in my area. Many people prefer it to a sit-down dinner. Guests mingle and interact more, plus they can have seconds if they prefer. Your caterer will make it classy by the food that is served and the way that it is presented. Be sure to specify the types of serving trays/dishes that you want. You should also rent plates and forks/spoons. You shouldn't need knives with hors d' oeuvres.
One thing to remember is that most of your guests only attend one or two weddings a year. They won't be there to criticize what you do (unless you do something outrageous). Rather, they are there to have a good time. They will enjoy it whether it is a sit-down affair or a more casual one.
If you don't want to do the reception quite like a buffet, you might choose to have 3 or 4 food stations at locations around the room. That works very well and shortens the wait in line.
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posted by bebe0315
I have been to what was called a 'Cocktail" reception before, and it was great fun. It was all hors d'ouvres and a martini bar - very hip. The food was really great, and there was a wide variety. I remember reading somewhere that if you plan just to have hors d' ouvres and not a main course, you should plan for 8-10 pieces per guest. You do however need to let people know it is a cocktail reception so they won't come expecting dinner though! And generally cocktail receptions are a bit later in the evening I would say 7 or later so they aren't around dinner time. I am sure if you do a web search for 'cocktail wedding reception' you will have lots of results to browse and come up with ideas!
If you FIL's aren't contributing to tht dinner - it's not their decision!
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posted by HeatherR
I would rather go to this type of reception, though I had a sit-down dinner myself (hors d'oevres were served first). I picked the menu & was allowed to have things cooked "my" way, hee hee, so I was okay with everything.
I hate when Prime Rib is served - I like my meat cooked! Chicken is always dry, mashed potatos always have a hard crust on top, salmon is always... well - fish, the veggies are always soggy. This is unfortunately the experience I've had with most sit-down dinners except for mine. (Of course! lol)
The owners were caterers for 20 years before they opened the reception hall so their food was spectacular.
I would go to an hors d'oevres only reception any day.
Heather
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posted by Sereniti71
The last wedding reception I went to was this type. The appetizers were delicious and people did get a chance to mingle more. My only complaint was that the reception was right around dinner time and we had to wait until afterwards to get something more substantial to eat. We spent at least 1 hour in rush hour traffic before the wedding trying to get there on time, so we did not have time to grab dinner before hand. (Wedding was a Friday night.)So my advice would be to pay attention to the timing of the reception if you will not serve a sit down dinner. This is your wedding, so have it your way and try not to worry too much about the in-laws.
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posted by TheaterDiva1
First of all, if the future IL's aren't even contributing the difference to have a sit-down dinner, they have no right to complain.
Second, there's nothing wrong with an hors d'oevres reception as long as it's not during typical mealtime hours. Mid-afternoon is fine, and a dessert reception after 8 is fine too. Just don't have it at, say, noon or 6-7pm when people would be expecting a full lunch/dinner.
-Maggie
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posted by feb-bride
As long as you're not having the reception during traditional meal times, you're fine. Make sure that you're giving people time to eat dinner (or lunch for an earlier reception) before your wedding. Otherwise, they'll leave the reception when they get hungry.
For an evening reception, you should make sure that your wedding doesn't start until at least 7:00 p.m. This way, they can eat before coming to your wedding. Also, make sure the invitations indicate "Hors d'oevres" reception so that guests know they're not being served a full-on meal.
BTW - Your fiance's parents aren't paying, so they have NO say!
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