Advice on food and table set up

What exactly is served at each station?


Contrary to popular belief, you can get full with a variety of heavy appetizers. The equivalent of heavy appetizers that make up a plated meal at about 6-8 pieces per person. For a heavy appetizers reception, it is recommended to serve 20-25 pieces per person of heavy appetizers. Therefore anyone who goes home hungry from a heavy appetizers reception only has themselves to blame for taking enough. And it is not less food despite what people tell you. For example, in the NYC area it is expected that the cocktail hour will have 5-10 heavy appetizers stations and countless brides have mentioned both as guests and pay brides that there was so much food from that that the plated dinner following was not touched at all because guests were so stuffed. It sounds like that is what you are planning here. So I don’t see any issues.

However, you still need tables and chairs for all guests set up like you would for a buffet. Table cloths are a great idea. It doesn’t hurt to have escort cards as well so guests can have a home base for their jacket, purse, etc. Guests should not have to wait for food to be prepared as it is cooked ahead of time in most cases unless it is cook to order.

I have attended many cocktail receptions that were badly planned and guests left very shortly after arriving. Yours sounds like a blast and well planned.

Have tables and chairs set up and a spot for everyone. People will be able to relax and leave their stuff while they mingle and grab their food. Sounds great!