Wedding Reception Snack Ideas

[Fontevrault]

For 40-50 people a run to Sams Club or Costco might actually do the trick.  They have some pretty cheap little pinwheel sandwiches and miniquiches.  Add a salad (dirt cheap) and then do some mini cheesecakes or some such for dessert.  I used to do a mother-daughter tea at my school like that.  We served around 60 for $300.  I think we even included cheese and crackers, some bread, and oh yah . . .   the berry medley with whipped cream on top in that price.  Oh and a punch.  It wasn't a bad spread at all. 

[WhollyRoaminCatholic]

Cheese cubes and summer sausage.

Always a crowd pleaser and it goes with all types of beer and wine.

[Marc]

Jello shots and vienna sausage.

...or follow WRC's suggestion and be all fancy.



^ "libby's" 

[Lydia Grace]

Is this option dead now that you have the other food post?

[kayla_veronica]

Is this option dead now that you have the other food post?

Paloma (and others not on the forum) suggested that we should have real food since we have to have the reception to close to dinner time....and I agree....but who knows there are so many options! 

 

[LuminousPax]

Thanks! Well I think the priest said they always have wedding masses @ 3pm so it’ll probably be around 5.

I'm a party planner (mostly parties, no weddings except my own and a friend's) so you're making the wheels in my head turn.  The problem with a 5 pm reception is that it is close enough to dinner time and your guests will assume a meal, or at least something close, will be served.  42 (with 1/3 being kids) is pretty easy, actually.  Putting together snacks and trays adds up pretty quick.  You could easily get it restaurant-catered and set it up yourself buffet style for between $200-300 easily and you won't have to worry about buying ingredients or making anything. 

Also, I will add, I'm totally against cheese platters because they go from nice to disgusting looking in about 30 minutes unless it is the type of cheese that is supposed to sit out at room temperature.

Yeah we don’t have a choice on the time of Mass. $200-300, really? That would be awesome, I just assumed we couldn’t afford any catering because the venue catering is over $500 for 40 ppl. Do you have any suggestions? I know you wouldn’t know anything locally but are there chains that do this?

My running group gets our spaghetti dinner catered every year.  We usually call local Italian restaurants and negotiate pricing.  You CAN negotiate.

We usually get the spaghetti, meat sauce, a white chicken linguini sauce, salad and bread for about $6 pp.

[catholicschoolmom]

I would agree with the local pizza/italian place.... things like penne in vodka sauce,  chicken parm, sausage & peppers are great crowd feeders, inexpensive, and go a long way...  also, if you have a Chick Fil A restaurant near you, they do great platters 'to go'.... their chicken tidbits (nuggets) are really yummy, come with 3 different dipping sauces, and who doesn't like chicken nuggets!   Sams/Costco appetizer aisle is always a winner too.   

We also have used the local high school vo-tech as a resource for catering... they have a restaurant program that actually does out-party catering... basic stuff, but very reasonable, they even had a pastry class make us fancy cupcakes and desserts for a viennese hour.

[DesperatelySeeking]

This sounds completely gross, but believe me, I have had it, and you won't believe how good it tastes.  You need a crock pot.

1 bottle Heinz Chili sauce
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 lb. kielbasa

Mix up the chili & cranberry sauce
Slice up the kielbasa and let it simmer for a few hours

The sweet and sour combines into a really tangy sauce - the only reason this might be inconvenient for a reception is because you need little plates and toothpicks to eat it.

I had this several times before I finally asked how to make it - really, it is good stuff.

Here's a variation:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kielbasa-made-easy/detail.aspx

[ggreg]

I second the mini quiches. Very easy to make, and quick to. You can make a whole variety in a short amount of time. Kabobs are another idea as well. They don't have to be super big, you can also make a nice dipping sauce to go with it.

You might want to check out some catering menus and use their ideas. I do that often when planning parties.

Also, for the fruit, I did this and it was a hit. Buy a pineapple and core it. Attach the top back on using tooth picks. Make fruit kabobs and stick them through.

That's very Russian

[ggreg]

What will you be doing at the reception? Typically there would be dancing, the bouquet toss, a toast, etc., but maybe some of that typical wedding stuff would be a bit much for a guest list of 42, a significant proportion of whom are kids. I'm just curious, because event planning sounds like fun. My priorities would be the Mass then the cake.

I've always like the idea of a wedding reception in a house. It was ancient Greek tradition that after the wedding, the new spouses and the wedding party would go to what would become the couple's new home, and there a woman (the mother of the bride?) would light the hearth.

Goodness I am not that far yet . We’re not having music (unless they let us put on a burnt CD), so I don’t see a lot of dancing going on. I just thought he stand around and talk and have some drinks.  I’m sure we’ll think of more things later on. We may have it in a home, although it would end up being the same price if not more than the venue we found because we’d have to rent tents and chairs and stuff.

Do party games.  They can be really fun at weddings and there is loads of free and good advice as to how to run them and what to do for the crowd size.