Wedding: How many courses is sufficient?

[mmm...butter]

Doing a little manu planning and would like some advice.

So far, i plan to have:
3 pieces of hor d'ourves
soup course
main entree
dessert
a late night table, probably of more sweets.

As the title says, how many courses for a wedding would you deem as sufficient and satisfying?

I am trying to figure out if i should add a fourth course.
Any opinions/suggestions on your own experiences would be great!

thanks! :-)

[kchurchill5]

Agree with most. For all the weddings I do if hours d'ouevres are served first which is the norm 4-5 I consider appropriate. But consider what type they are. And agree with kilted cook. The last wedding I did I did a small plate on each table of small cheese crackers, 1 spread with crackers and a few vegetables and 2 dips. It went over very well. It wasn't much but just enough. Then each person was served a small plate of 3 appetizers. There was a small card on each table that explained the cheese, dips and the three appetizers that would be served. The plate in the center also had some olives and artichoke hearts, a simple appetizer dish. It was well received.

The bar no charge

Soup I have found is not always well received by all. Salads usually are. A main course and desert sort of. I agree with the cake but I also suggest a simple desert table. A chocolate fountain or fondu goes over well for those who love chocolate but not sweets. Also that same fruit can be served with some fruit dip which goes over very well. Also some angel food cake or something similar is great for dipping.

And a late night table ... may I ask why. I have never been to a wedding with one and never would of wanted it. I can't see the reason. At my desert table I also offered desert coffees.

Just my thoughts. I cater about 30 weddings a year and trust me for all that I attend and work. Most people are way less impressed with food than you think. I believe it should be good, but honestly. People spend way too much and are too concerned about it. Unless you are part of the Rich and famous. I try to please most family and close friends and myself. The day remember is about you. Not feeding your friends. Quality but don't go overboard, enough to satisfy, enjoyable food that people will like just not something with a fancy name, but something everyone will enjoy. And then try to have fun.

[small h]

<Most people are way less impressed with food than you think.>

I strongly disagree. At nearly every wedding I've been to (over 200, as both a guest and a worker), the food was eagerly anticipated and thoroughly discussed. People often remember it, for good or - especially - ill, for years. Why would a caterer tell people not to be "too concerned" about food and not to "go overboard" with quality? That makes no sense to me at all.

As to the late night table, if your reception runs 'til 2 in the morning or so, you might want to do a breakfast buffet.

[kchurchill5]

Well I did 30 last year50 the year before and never heard of the late night table. But as I mentioned I think it may be related to where you have the wedding. I think that plays a big role. Also. Out of all the weddings I have done, food is secondary. Don't get me wrong you want good quality food. But don't over think food. My clients most people and I talked to many but it is important but I truly believe that the food has to be perfect and good but don't spend your entire savings on just making the food good. Society has put way too much pressure on that. And overboard I mean price and quality. You can do very top quality food with a reasonable budget. You don't have to got TOP TOP just to impress others.

I have tons of recommendations from people attending my events so apparently, still quality on a lighter budget has worked for me in the area and location I work. NY City or Chicago maybe not, ATL. But it is all demographics. Most of my clients are average working people who want a great wedding that won't break their bank account. So I try to instill you can seriously impress and still save some money. And they all thanked me at the end. So I stand by that.

[mmm...butter]

Thank you everyone for the advice!!

The place i've chosen for the reception has good reviews on the Toronto chowhound board, so i would say the quality of the food is definitely there.
To clarify, i was thinking of four different types of passed hor d'oeuvres. And was hoping for only three pieces per person for the cocktail hour that will last 1.5 hours long. they are about $3.50 each piece, so i'll have to see how many i would be able to bump up to.

Also, no plan to charge for the bar, definitely open bar all the way. and as for the late night table, here in Toronto (Canada) its actually quite common at weddings. most of the time the late night table is sweets, but i'll check for non-sweet options.

I'll definitely look to salad or large appetizer options instead of the soup, since that seems to be everyones suggestion.

As a last note, i do find that people remember the food at weddings. My family for one, remembers wedding food which is also why i don't want dinner to seem on the 'light' side.

[RosemaryHoney]

I'm with you on the late-night table. We had one and it was a HUGE hit. We had chicken wings, pizza, and subs, in addition to the sweets trays. We'd planned for feeding about 40 people, thinking that's all who'd sample from the table at 12am, but most people stayed up, dancing, talking, and drinking until about 3am and they sure did chow down!! Luckily our venue accomodated us, and kept the late-night table fully stocked. It was a great end to the evening.

I used to bartend weddings, and I agree with the other posters who suggest you go heavier on the hors d'oeuvres. If it's not possible to do both heavier apps and the soup/salad, then you might consider skipping the soup/salad course all together (if your wedding isn't TOO formal). The weddings where the guests were having to most fun tended to be those where mingling and socializing time was maximized and time spent sitting at tables is minimized.

[rockandroller1]

I think your courses are fine and would also swap salad for soup. To offer a dissenting opinion, I have NEVER been to a wedding with really good food. It ranges from mediocre or "just ok" to very, very bad. I don't go expecting good food, I just am there to enjoy the experience and celebration, so it's not that important to me what courses are offered.

[queencru]

I agree. The best food I've had at a wedding was definitely a "light meal" with only a few bite-sized hors d'oeuvres, a salad course, and a fish course, and the wedding cake. I think they had Krispy Kreme for guests leaving in case they were a little hungry. I am pretty sure every wedding I've attended in recent memory has been paid for entirely by the bride and groom, so most people are going to respect that the couple isn't going to want to put themselves deep into debt to provide an extravagant meal. They did what they could within their budgets to provide a nice experience at minimal expense.

[kchurchill5]

For most of cater, that is the most common opinion. Light is fine. Not that the food isn't important you want it to be quality, but also, realize that it is very expensive and they need to be within the budget. Right gueencru.

hors d'oeuvres is important, it gets people mingling and I always let them stay out. Some people like to continue during dinner. And in fact in some wedding I had one of the wait staff take a small plate selection of the appetizers to each table so they didn't have to get up. A desert bar always is a hit, along with cake some fruit or chocolate just for those who don't like cake. Many options available.

Every wedding is different and many different variables will determine which will work best for you.

[queencru]

Another benefit to light is that presumably you want people to be up and around- dancing, mingling, whatever. When you're stuffed, you get more lethargic and don't really want to move around that much. That's even more the case if you are a woman who is in a fitted dress. I've been to weddings with the appetizer pass around, but those didn't have the cocktail hour.

[kchurchill5]

Last wedding, I know the fitted dress well, I was in the wedding. I ate very light :)))

But yeah, good way for people to meet one another with the appetizers and drinks. Otherwise I would just like a nap, lol

[ThanksVille]

As a fan of weddings and fortunate to be invited to perhaps a couple dozen in the last decade I can tell you that the food matters as it is remembered by your guests for years; particularly when it is sad and sodden. One of the best events attended was a small reception on campus for a couple of new graduates who threw their own reception by prepping family favorites that were grilled and baked and served on a great lawn beneath a huge beech tree. Simply a premier cru champagne (small affordable bottling) and just enough food to get people chatting. No one minded that the food ran out because the celebration was genuine enough to last for hours past the cake.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the absolutely most hideous event was held at a great renaissance wedding center/catering retreat and they started serving cold scallops wrapped in limp bacon to people as they parked their cars. Huge array of appetizers that would have fed all of Bangladesh, yes with open bar and then followed by no less than five separate courses before the flaming cherries jubilee (house lights are dimmed) and the cake. Crabcake/lobster tail course followed by a terribly lukewarm soup. Pasta course that was greasy and really sodden followed by a large salad and then individual filets with potatoes and veggies. It was obscene because by the third or fourth course people were looking for the vomitorium and the amount of wasted beef certainly did not pay respect to the animals slaughtered for the meal. That was almost 12 years ago and the memory of an obscene display of excess still remains vivid.

Keep things balanced, moderation in mind and always go for quality over quantity.

[julesrules]

I think 3 pieces/person is pretty low for the passed apps, especially over 1.5 hours . At a minimum, I would want to try each kind! But, the venue can control the flow of apps coming out of the kitchen. And perhaps they have some cheaper, less fancy but crowd-pleasing options?

[Miss Needle]

Yes, totally agree. That's one hors d'oeuvre per half hour. And if the OP is having four choices, I would definitely want to try each one. I think 5-6 pieces for 1.5 hours is more feasible. You're going to have some light eaters, but you're definitely going to have some people who will eat 1 hors d'oeuvre every 10 minutes. Perhaps cutting the cocktail hour to 1 hour may be a better idea if you will have 3 pieces/person.

[Miss Needle]

I think what you have is plenty. However, as you asked us for advice, I'd say have more than a choice of three in hors d'oeuvres. Every wedding I've been to, people have attacked the hors d'oeuvres. And generally there's at least one vegetarian or guest with restrictive diets (fish only, no dairy, no wheat, etc.) So it may be nice to have a larger selection. If budget is a concern in terms of having more hors d'oeuvres, I would get rid of the late night table of sweets as most people are totally drunk and stuffed after the wedding.

Have fun planning your wedding!

[KiltedCook]

How many courses depends on many factors; primarily your budget. As a Personal Chef I see a lot of people opting for less quantity and more ... if not quality, then foods they really want not the usual catered dreck.

I'm working up two right now. One with half Chamorro/Guam food and half Texas/Southern BBQ (she's from Guam, he's Texan). The other is deciding between all comfort foods and a total appetizer spread (an older couple who want simple things).

Lots of weddings today skip the soup course (unless it's Italian Wedding Soup). An appetizer station is more common (but expensive) than a plate with 3 appetizers followed by the main course. Usually there is no "dessert course" per se - other than the wedding cake, which is not necessarily (or usually) part of the catering. I went to a wedding on Long Island about a year ago. The couple spent over $1000 per guest on this. that and the other thing. Massive appetizer setup before going into the reception hall. The meal itself was a simple entree/veg/starch, with a meat, fish or vegetarian option. Then a simple piece of cake.

If you're going to have a "late night" table I would not focus on sweets.

.

[rednails]

The number of hors d''oeuvres should depend on several factors:
(1) when are you serving them (at the table before the full meal or during a cocktail hour pre-dinner). If at the dinner table, you will need less.
(2) if during a cocktail hour, how long is that actually? The longer the reception, the more pieces per person you will need.
(3) are the HD butler-passed, on platters or in chaffing dishes? If passed, you will need less pieces per person.
(4) are they all different types or similar. By different types I mean, is one wrapped in filo, one skewered, and a crostini? Figure most guests will try at least one of each type.

Hope this helps your planning.

[queencru]

Most of the weddings I've been to had 3 courses, with only some having hors d'ouevres. I think your menu is just fine, but I'd probably switch out the soup for salad. I haven't really seen soup on wedding menus, while salads seem to be expected even on the basic menus. It's certainly not worth it to beef up the menu at the expense of quality and/or adding a charge for drinks.

[bayoucook]

Do you mean 3 different hors'd for people to help themselves to, or a plated 3 aps per person? I don't think you need any more courses than you've planned. But for a late night buffet, I'd add some non-sweets as well.

[viperlush]

One thing that I have learned from reading a variety of posts on Chowhound is quality over quantity. Don't cheap your courses in order to add more, don't have a fake wedding cake, and don't charge for alcohol.

The weddings that I have been to all have had a salad course and I agree w/MeMeMe bumping up the hor d'oeuvres wouldn't be a bad idea.

[MeMeMe]

A fourth course is not needed...it sounds like you'll have ample food for your guests. If anything, I would bump up the hors d'oevres to 5 a person. We had ordered tonnes at our wedding - and the same people attack the platters - so in order to get out to the rest of the reception, you need more hors d'oevres (i.e., some people take 8!).