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Just Said Yes May 2023

Cake and Punch Reception Menu

Victoria, on March 2, 2023 at 1:24 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 6

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Our wedding is taking place at 2PM at our church and the reception will be held in the church fellowship hall. I'm guessing the reception won't last much longer than 2 hours or so. We are expecting around 100-120 people (open invitation to the church + inviting all our friend's kids, etc.) The invitations state that it is a cake and punch reception so no one will be expecting a full meal.

Our budget is small (hence the cake and punch reception format) but our priority was being able to extend an invitation to anyone who wanted to be a part of our wedding day. Also I am trying to accommodate some guests who are GF/DF. We do not have any vegan/vegetarian guests.

Here is my current plan for food:

Cake (I won a cake I never could have afforded otherwise at a wedding expo so I'm very excited about this!!)

GF/DF Sheet Cake (being made by a friend)

Punch (I'm thinking 2-3 different kinds but also for simplicities sake one may be better - any thoughts?)

Water

Tea and Coffee

Meat + Cheese Platter

Pinwheel Sandwich Platter (from costco)

Crackers (including some GF crackers)

Maybe 1 or 2 types of dip? (one dairy free)

Veggie + Fruit Platters from Costco

For wedding favors we will have dishes filled with jordan almonds and non pareil mints at the guest book table that guests can put into little candy bags.

I know adding some bowls of mixed nuts is a common thing also but my fiancé has a very serious peanut allergy. Maybe cashews or something? I feel like another bowl of almonds would be weird.

I've run the numbers out and this fits our budget. Does this sound adequate to you all for my type of reception? Anything I should add? Is it too many different kinds of things? (Don't wanna verge into the territory of it being so much food that it is no longer enough food)

Thanks!!

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6 Comments

Latest activity by Michelle, on March 7, 2023 at 6:21 PM

Champion July 2019
Veronica · on March 2, 2023 at 1:34 PM
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In order to answer your question, it will in my opinion depend on the time the reception is scheduled to end. You mentioned the ceremony is at 2 PM and you expect the reception to be about 2 hours. But how long is the ceremony, will you be doing a receiving line and will there be a cocktail hour? These are important because I'm wondering what time you think the reception will end. Most ceremonies are 30ish minutes then I would plan for the receiving line to take about 5-10 minutes and if you have cocktail hour that would mean the reception probably wouldn't actually begin closer to 4 and if that's two hours you'd then be expecting the reception to end at 6 at which point I would say guests are going to be very hungry and expect a full meal.
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Just Said Yes May 2023
Victoria · on March 2, 2023 at 2:14 PM
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We are planning to do a receiving line but not a cocktail hour. I will have people helping to ensure that the food is set out immediately after the ceremony. We won't be doing any of our group photos while there are guests at the wedding in order to minimize the amount of time they are left standing around. Our wedding party is fairly small and mostly family and they don't mind the plan to take the remaining photos post-wedding.
In my head the order of events is ceremony -> receiving line (while friends set out the food) -> cut the cake -> mingle with guests for about an hour -> send off
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Champion July 2019
Veronica · on March 2, 2023 at 2:21 PM
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In that case I think you should be fine. Aren't your friends going to be attending the wedding because they would then be participating in the receiving line so I'm not sure how they would set out food at the same time.
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CM · on March 2, 2023 at 4:54 PM
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That's a lot more than just cake and punch, which would also be perfectly acceptable at that hour. I really admire that you are prioritizing the people you feel should be there above all and would enjoy a reception like the one you describe every bit as much as something more elaborate or formal.
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Super October 2023
Kelly · on March 2, 2023 at 8:40 PM
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That's a lot more than I would expect at a cake and punch reception. I do like the idea of more than one punch though. It sounds like it'll be a great event!
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Champion December 2022
Michelle · on March 7, 2023 at 6:21 PM
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Cake and punch only used to be the norm in many social circles so announcing “cake only” on the invitation was not expected and very rarely done for that reason. Full dinners were not the norm as they are today and were completely unheard of outside of the movies. Cake receptions still are common today in some circles and religious communities , with full meals being a novelty.

Traditionally, they are 2 hours minimum and 3 hours max. There is no cocktail hour and it starts immediately after guests are dismissed/greeted by the couple after the ceremony.
There are no non-cake offerings, such as sandwiches or veggie trays, because it becomes an appetizer reception at that point. Alcohol is not served because sugar makes alcohol enter the bloodstream much quicker , making people drunk immediately, and others don’t like the taste combination. Because cake receptions are more common in houses of worship, alcohol is frequently forbidden from the get go as a sin.
If fiancé has a peanut allergy, other nuts are not going to be safe. Skip the nuts completely. As for gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, ask if your main baker accommodates that. If they don’t, find a bakery that does for those cakes and go with the main bakery for the main cake.
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