Food at weddings - should be served before dinner

amdublin

I am always STARVING by the time the meal starts. And have drank too much

When you think about it.
Church is on at 12/1. You might have got breakfast that morning - if you are lucky or male IMO most girls don't get a chance what with doing hair, makeup and dressing etc
And then the meal is generally not until 5 (earliest) or 6 that evening.

B&G's - please think of your guests and organise (substantial) food before the meal.
None of your fancy h'or deurves etc. Instead food more like the evening menu: sandwiches for soakage, cocktail sausages and chicken goujons.

What y'all think?

Ps. Also - speeches should always be AFTER the meal or else DURING the meal (e.g. the soup). No one wants to sit there starving listing to the silly speeches.

clint_silver

amdublin wrote: »

Ps. Also - speeches should always be AFTER the meal or else DURING the meal (e.g. the soup). No one wants to sit there starving listing to the silly speeches.

IMO speeches are not silly and are an important part of a day whether theyre boring or not. Most speeches are 15-25 minutes long.

The speeches can be before the meals so the speakers arent sweating for 2 hours and if you sit the guests 20 minutes early you get to eat at the exact same time and the speakers get to enjoy their meal which means post meal entertainment gets to start earlier and the party lasts longer.

flikflak

Either that or have a later ceremony, say 4/4.30pm then you give people a chance to have had some lunch.

Anything from 1 - 2.30pm weddings are a pain in my opinion as I am the same as the OP, always starving (and grumpy) if I dont have time for a decent lunch!!

amdublin

flikflak wrote: »

Either that or have a later ceremony, say 4/4.30pm then you give people a chance to have had some lunch.

Anything from 1 - 2.30pm weddings are a pain in my opinion as I am the same as the OP, always starving (and grumpy) if I dont have time for a decent lunch!!

OMG I was coming on to say that (on back of post from Clint).

If you are insistent on early church why not have earlier dinner?
i.e. church at 12/1, dinner at 2.30

OR if you are insistent on evening meal why not have a late church i.e. 3/4.

I hate all the waiting around at weddings.

amdublin

clint_silver wrote: »

IMO speeches are not silly and are an important part of a day whether theyre boring or not. Most speeches are 15-25 minutes long.

For 100 starving people 15-20 minutes feels like an eternity :mad:

I don't know why we can't have speeches at same time as starter/soup.

lazygal

I think food between ceremony and reception is a must. I hate, hate, hate driving from a church to a hotel an hour away and have nothing to eat on arrival. Spend less on flowers, dresses and decor and feed your guests. I can't help but think it's a bit scabby when the food and drink is skimpy at a wedding, especially if you expect people to sit through a long religious ceremony and travel between venues.


We had our short and sweet speeches during our drinks reception, during which we served lots of finger food.

Moonbeam

People always end up starving before the meal.Alot of people have to travel to the venue so that could be 2 hours,then there is the service then to the hotel and by then people need something to eat:)

April O Neill

amdublin wrote: »

B&G's - please think of your guests and organise (substantial) food before the meal.
None of your fancy h'or deurves etc. Instead food more like the evening menu: sandwiches for soakage, cocktail sausages and chicken goujons.

What y'all think?

IMO, this is too substantial of food. I would be way too full by the meal, even if I only had a few items. Kinda like how I don't like to ruin Xmas lunch by having a fry-up in the morning. I think the standard biccies are ideal.

Gatica

are people not gonna be stuffed after eating substantial snacks after a 2pm wedding with the dinner being served at 5.30?

amdublin

Gatica wrote: »

are people not gonna be stuffed after eating substantial snacks after a 2pm wedding with the dinner being served at 5.30?

I don't think so. Currently I have v quick breakfast, hair & makeup etc and head for the church.

Then on the way to the reception I ALWAYS stop in a pub for soup and sandwich.

2 - 5.30 is very long when you've only had breakfast. I'd never go that long on a normal day.

Gatica

I agree that you'd need need something to keep hunger at bay. I don't think though that I could eat a 4-5 course meal after filling up at 3-4pm.

amdublin

Gatica wrote: »

I agree that you'd need need something to keep hunger at bay. I don't think though that I could eat a 4-5 course meal after filling up at 3-4pm.

It's very rare to get 2pm weddings in Ireland.

I really don't know why. There is so much standing around at weddings before the meal it's crazy.

clint_silver

amdublin wrote: »

It's very rare to get 2pm weddings in Ireland.

I really don't know why. There is so much standing around at weddings before the meal it's crazy.

Logistics.

A lot of guests are only getting to hotels for first time and checking in and getting settled from what could have been a long day in the first place either at the hotel or even at a B&B nearby and have to organise to get to hotel for meal.
B&G go off for photos.
B&G get to mingle with guests.
Dinner would be finished at 5:30 entertainment wouldnt then start til 8 at the very very earliest as people would be tucking into pints post dinner after a heap of wine from 2:30.

So not so crazy.

Snacks, some light sandwiches, tea & coffee is enough to keep people ticking over from 2ish until 5ish.

amdublin

Sorry I meant 2pm church = less time standing around (starving) before meal.

Gatica

we had a 2pm ceremony. Mainly because we knew it was a bit of a drive for some guests, 1.30hr and upward depending on part of the country. Some closer than others of course. Personally for weddings I've to travel to I like to stay the night before. We didn't presume on that for our guests though.

I would've loved to have an "all day" wedding... Start at 12.00 and have the whole day to spend with friends and family. Realistically though we knew it wouldn't be practical. Anyone wanting to get hair done, get babies ready or dropped off, may need more time in addition to driving.
We provided finger food right after the ceremony as everything was at the hotel location. Ceremony was a bit delayed starting (mia colpa ) was about half hour long and between handshakes and all that it was after 3 before you know it.
The gap between that and the dinner at 5.30pm gave people a chance to check-in to their room if they hadn't before, or they just mingled. We went and got our photos done on the grounds, just over a half hour I'd say and then we were back in for meal. Probably the most timely evening!
Speeches after dessert, all dinner finished and first dance at 9.00pm sharp. Perfect for us as the band would finish at midnight irrespective of starting time, so we got bang for our buck!

cute_cow

We had our wedding, only last Wednesday, and it was at 2pm. I got up about 8.30am and had a hearty brekkie and hair and makeup arrived for 3 of us at 10.30 and everyone was ready (and looked fabulous) to head off about 1.15/1.30, to a hotel that was 10 minutes away! There will always be plenty of time for brekkie, please try not to skip it!

We had people coming from the midlands and locals. Civil ceremony was about 30 minutes, and we served sandwiches from 2.30 onwards for people. Dinner was at 6.30 and still everyone was starving (even after eating all the sambos) well before dinner time.

My experience anyway!