Hor d'oeuvres reception etiquette

I believe the rule is ~15pcs/person, which would be 3000 pieces. You definitely need more.

Well, the hot & cold trays alone are 700 pieces. Then each veggie, fruit & cheese tray are supposed to feed 75 ppl each & I have 6 of them. Do you think that would make up for it? Or do I need to just suck it up & add a couple more hot & cold trays? :-(

I would decrease the veggie/fruit/cheese trays (maybe 3 or 4) and add more hot and cold trays (will these be passed?) definitely. People will definitely eat more of what is passed than what they get themselves.

What time of the day is this? Are they being passed or plopped on tables? Do they know it's only hors d'oeuvres? All of this makes a difference.

You don't need that many fruit and cheese trays; no one will touch the veggies.

What you probably need is a couple of stations and definitely more passed things.

In no universe is 700 hors d'oeuvres enough for 200 guests.

I would get in touch with your caterer and explain that you will be having an hors d'oeuvres only reception for 200 guests and ask for their recommendation on how many you should have. I'm sure you're not the first bride and groom to do an hors d'oeuvres reception, so they should be able to give you a ballpark estimate of how many you should be looking at.

If you're only doing appetizers and your guests will miss a meal time, the calculators I found said 10-12 bites a person/ per hour. You're going to need more, definitely.

I'm planning for more than that for cocktail hour only (and in hot hors d'oeurves, not counting my cheese and crackers or veggies) and I'm serving a full meal afterwards. Your guests will leave if they're hungry. Or, if you're having an open bar, they will be drunk quickly.

ETF: Spelling

Our venue recommended 5 per guest just for cocktail hour, soooo for dinner I'd say at least 15+ per person. Also the hot ones will go a lot faster than the fillers like fruit/veggie/cheese.

No. It's not enough. I've been to several weddings that did amazing apps -- one was a cocktail hour that had so much to offer you could barely eat dinner three hours later, and the other was a later evening app. reception with lots of stations. You're looking at feeding two hundred guests with apps. If this is at 2:00 PM or 9:00 PM, it could work -- if you have enough food. If your guests are hungry, they will leave early. An appetizer reception, especially at mealtime, is really no less expensive than a buffet or plated meal, as many brides have discovered. You must put this on the invitation, especially if the reception is at mealtime. And yes, you need more. Quite a bit more. Apps have to be substantial if they are substituting for a meal, and if they're not, it has to feel like there are enough to grab for the length of the reception.

We only had 50 guests for an app. reception (in the afternoon) and we had enough of everything for everyone. We had a little bit left over, but we would've been short had we ordered any less. And people inhaled or salad, fruit and cheeses, so I wouldn't cut it close on any of it.

I agree with pretty much everyone. If it is only apps then 15 is right. Sam's or costco has the really cheap cold spirals and meatballs bags for only $11. 4 bags will give each guest 2 meatballs. 200 people is a crowd so ... are you doing the food yourself or have a caterer?

The food is being catered by the hall. Thanks, everyone for your help. I really appreciate it. As I said, I've never done this before so, I can use all the help I can get. :-)