Hors d'oeuvres?

Apps are nice..but honestly if youre going to expect an evening timeframe, and theyre out of town (not even just that) but I really would expect a full meal. You should look into a full meal.

We were going to do heavy hors d'oeuvres but decided to do sit down dinner. Worked out to be way cheaper!

Great...you have no venue contract, which means you have no wedding date, which means you can fix this.

You can't ask guests to use their personal time/vacation time/frequent flier miles/dollars to attend a budget friendly apps only reception -- unless you intend to do those apps up royally, and royally means a cocktail hour of multiple stations, no limit, delicious food, and nobody putting trays in front of their faces twice, and only twice. Pigs in a blanket are tasty, but nobody is going to enjoy three of them. And, if you don't have that type of serious app wedding with an open bar, keep it to local guests. Nobody wants to travel for budget, unless they're your parents, siblings, or grandparents.

This is a question for caterer...not us.

Thank you all for your input. You've been very helpful.

Thanks for asking this! I'm considering this too to add some variety and give people a reason to walk around. But I'm thinking the same thing—they have to be heavy hors d'oeuvres with lots of meat options. We'll see.

Honestly, if everyone leaves full and happy, it doesn't matter how food is served. Make sure you get plenty of food!

Why don't you consider a buffet?

@Callie Sue

For a stylistic choice I am choosing an extended hors d'doeurvres menu. I want guests to mingle, chat, dance, and sample my bourbon tasting bar. This is not a way to cut costs.

Let your FI know that to provide enough for a full meal this is costing me over double the price for a standard buffet. If it ends up costing less for you, then you are not properly hosting and leaving your guests hungry.

I'm doing all apps but my reception's at 2, not 5. And we were referred to our caterer from a past wedding we attended so they're giving us a deal.

I would say no, unless you're very heavy on the hor d'oeurvres. If I was flying from out of town, I'd be upset if I didn't get a fu meal.

That can work but you need tons of options and seating still. I would be annoyed if I flew in and couldn't sit somewhere to eat

It's KNOW YOUR CROWD thing. So long as it's a full meal to make sure no one goes hungry, plenty of options and seating and drinks it can work.

But know your guests, some guests don't see it as a full meal while others may love it. It's not traditional but it's something you can do.