Small wedding ... small reception.... menu? ideas please....?!
Small wedding ... small reception.... menu? ideas please....?
Reception to be held at the church hall and the idea is to be "very nice" yet simple. Cake, punch, coffee? Finger sandwiches if so what kind? Music--c.d.'s. strings? I have no clue... can you help me please...
Additional Details10 months ago
Thanks everyone so much for your informative replies! I have gained something from each one of you! I chose the best answer from the thoroughness/effot of response!
Answers:
10 months ago
Thanks everyone so much for your informative replies! I have gained something from each one of you! I chose the best answer from the thoroughness/effot of response!
A lot depends upon the time of day. If your reception takes place duringa tradiditoanl meal hour (noon-ish, 6:00-ish), you need to provide more ample vittles. It the reception is at 3:30, you can get off even simpler.
Cake and punch is always great. And I personally love to have salted,mixed nuts on my plate w/ wedding cake for a sweet/salty thing. So dont' forget the nuts. Or butter mints.
I'd suggest avoiding any punch that contains sherbet. That foam on top of a punch bowl looks awful to me. There are a jillion great punch recipes otu there w/o sherbet, just pick one! :-)
You may consider some finger sandwiches: ham, turkey, chicken salad, tuna salad... Maybe the turkey on wheat, the ham on white... maybe have mini croissants split almonst in half to stuff chicken or tuna salad in.
Wedding cake... groom's cake.... I think that's enough sweets.
If you will need a bit of heartier food, consider the fried chicken fingers from Walmart. They arrange them on a big serving platter lined w/ greens, have some dip in the center, and they are great warm or room temp.
Oh, and if you're hte bride or the MOB, be sure to delegate food prep and serving and refilling to a couple of close friends; dont' do it yourself!
How about italian meatballs, cheese and crackers, fresh fruits, veggie trays, choc eclairs or cookies and a wedding cake. Finger sandwiches are ok too such as make up some tuna, ham/cheese, bologna, and turkey and cut them up with cookie cutters. Place on pretty trays. Have some fruit punch with sherbert floating in it. Nice spread eh?
My advice, spend as little as possible on this. Save your money for your married life, or at least your honeymoon. I was planning a big wedding, which turned out to be nothing more than a money pit. We had a small wedding and a fantastic honeymoon! It was fun fun fun! This is about you and your spouse, not about feeding other people. Tell them to eat prior to the wedding, you are not obiligated to fill their bellies!
HAVE FUN! That's the most important thing!
I say finger sandwiches. Ham and cheese and the other kind, turkey sandwiches. Music, Hip-hop any kind it's your wedding!
My wedding was a small one with about 25 friends and family.One friend made a beautiful classic lasagna and my mom made a pesto bechemal lasagna that was beautiful and great for those not eating meat.We also had brushetta,easy and a compliment to the lasagnas.
Salad from the bagged ones you get already to serve with some toasted walnuts and goat cheese,some sliced apples and pears,tossed with a light vinegrette.Elegant and easy.Ask your friends and family to do some of the cooking like I did.It makes it easy on you and they feel good helping out on your special day.
As for the music,my brother,Paul and I stayed up late the weekend before making a personlized CD of favorite songs for the wedding.We made CDs for the guests of the music to take home as momentos,with C D covers with my husband and my favorite pic of our selves on them.The back of the CD sleeve was a copy of our wedding invite.Have fun and congradulations.
I'd do several small theme tables laden with walk- around finger foods with small plates available. Beautifully done they serve as part of the decor and if the tables are are not too large, floral arrangements are unnecessary, instead single flowers can decorate platters. Several small round tables laden with food minimizes standing in line, gets people moving and socializing . Depending on the number of guests and your culinary tastes, consider one, two, or more of the following: (exotic is not necessary -- people love old favorites)
A Greek platter with pita and flat bread, humus, eggplant dip, yogurt with chives and garlic, cherry tomatoes, pitted kalmata olives, and sliced cucumbers.
An Aaram sandwich platter made with variety of ingredients. They are easy to serve, durable and attractive.
A Mexican platter with tiny soft tortillas and chips, guacamole, sour cream, several kinds of salsa, possibly grated cheese and shredded chicken.
Beautiful fruit and cheese trays heaped high with a gorgeous assortment of fruit and cheese and baguette slices (cheese should be pre-cut into cubes to avoid a mess).
Veggies and spinach dip.
Chinese platter piled high with specialties you like and dipping sauces from a local favorite restaurant (chicken wings, pot stickers, egg roll, won ton)
go to Sams, get 2 or 3 bags of cooked shrimp, some cocktail sauce. they also have many hourd'eves choices. My cousin did a chocolate fountain, with fruit & marshmellows, really nice.
you could also do a drink fountain, with punch, rather than champagne if you like.
Have someone make you a cd in MP3 format, so you can have HOURS of music without ever repeating anything.
Another tip from my cousins wedding was they showed home videos of the Bride & groom when they were growing up , then when they were dating & stuff. very neat.
Congrats-- & Best wishes
Again, it's going to depend on what time your wedding is. But, you could serve breakfast up to 1pm. - dollar pancakes, mini-waffles, fruit salad, sausage balls...
If it is in the afternoon or late evening, I would suggest going ALL dessert - fudge, tartlets, cookies, cupcakes, fruit...but make your cake the centerpiece.
Both of those save you money without looking "cheap".