Finger foods vs a meal

7 pm is meal time; you need to have enough food to constitute a meal (which is almost always more expensive to do as finger foods because of the labor costs).

Such a fun idea! I would suggest filling foods such as mini mac and cheese cups, mini sliders etc. we recently went to a wedding with this type of food service and even though all the foods were 'mini', everyone still felt full and enjoyed it. Hope this helps and best wishes

How long is the reception? I would be starving, esp if I'm drinking.

Definitely no to only desserts. It's not enough variety for a 7pm mealtime wedding. If you go the finger food route, be sure that there are plenty of options for your guests. Make sure there is not a set "pieces per person" quantity; they need to be replenished throughout the night if you aren't doing a full meal. Also, there needs to be a variety. Include options for your vegetarians, and incorporate different types of foods. Basically, there needs to be enough food that would be an adequate substitute for a full meal. This is usually not the cheaper option.

I'd go with a full meal...cocktail hour before might be fun

Agree that you'll need to serve enough food so that folks can sit down and have a meal. I went to an evening wedding that just had snacks and folks were starving and ready to leave.

As long as you have enough food to constitute a meal, people will be ok. If you choose to do desserts only at the reception, your waitstaff need to communicate to your guests that the apps are the meal. Normally people would have a few bites and save room for dinner.

This could be expensive as your guests will need more apps, and apps are costly because they are labor intensive.

Agreed with everyone else who said as long as there's enough food. If I'm drinking I would definetly need food.

Came here to say the same thing as @MrsWrs, if I were attending your 7 pm ceremony I'd likely have to skip dinner in order to get ready and travel (6:30-7 ish is my usual dinner time) or eat wayyyy early (for me). Either way, I'd be very hungry by the time I got to your "finger food" reception. I would probably peace out early to go eat real food, if I'm being honest.

ETA but not if there was a *LOT* of it and I was able to eat my fill. But as pp have covered, this will probably end up costing similar to a sit-down meal.

You can totally served them enough food in a 'cocktail' format, and it's really very fun. You include it on the invite so people know not to 'save themselves for dinner"... "Join us for a cocktails and an hors d'oeuvre extravaganza immediately following the ceremony."

When we did this, we had one cold station (fruit, cheese, crudites, breads, etc), at least four hot stations, and 20 pieces of hors per person, some heavy, some light, some exotic, some crowd pleasers.

It's totally fun, but it's rarely less expensive.....just a heads up.

My wedding was at 7pm, cocktail hour at 7:30, reception began at 8:30 and I believe guests ate at 9pm.

If you're going to do finger foods (not a fan at that time for a wedding), you're going to need to serve a lot of food.

Our wedding ceremony is starting at 7pm. So, wouldn't that mean guests would be eating around 8? Not sure on the timeline of things, so im just trying to get a feel for things.

Also no alcohol is allowed at the venue, except champagne for toasting.

The problem is that no one will be able to eat at a normal time because of getting ready, driving to the wedding and sitting through the ceremony. Everyone will be very hungry by cocktail hour.

Honestly? I would not do a cocktail party style party without cocktails. It doesn't make sense to me.

I eat dinner around 5:30. If the invite said drinks and hors o'deourves that would be fine to me. My friend is doing that, at 7, reception only from a DW she had in June.

Most of the weddings we've done this way have not split the evening up with an actual 'cocktail hour' part. It's just one long food/drink fest until dessert, and that is generally when toasts are given.

Thank you everyone!! I agree about the cocktail hour being weird without actual cocktails. As long as guests are entertained and eating while we are taking pictures, it shouldn't be a problem, right?

There is nothing normal about hosting a cocktail hour without cocktails. Don't mention the word "cocktail" (in any form) on your printed invitations -- it's just irritating once your guests arrive and realize that there are no hosted cocktails. So forget that and move right into your reception.

A Saturday, 7:00 PM wedding requires food -- whether it's in the form of apps and carving stations, a plated meal, or a buffet -- all of which are in the same price range. I trust you'll give them plenty to eat, but why you chose a venue that doesn't allow alcohol (beyond one champagne toast) is a mystery to me. In your case, I'd probably rent the venue for three hours because I truly believe after dinner you're going to lose at least a third of your guests.

Oof. Just saw your update. Honestly I would try to find a different venue, because at 7pm most adults want an adult beverage.