Not serving food to guests..ideas?

You really need some type of hor's deuvres at least, not just dessert.

Your best time frame, is going to be a pastry buffet and a morning ceremony(between 9a and noon)or a late evening ceremony(7p to 9p) with desserts. I'm on a $3k budget as well, and am still able to do plated catering. Of course I only have 35 people.

Trim your guest list and look for alternative venues if possible. Our venue is now my MOHs home. She's got a near half acre just in backyard.

Depends. For a totally dessert wedding, you need to let people know ahead of time and have it either in the early afternoon or late night. But either way, they need to know what 's in store.

For me? I'd have less people with more food.

No I would not be offended- just be sure to make a note about the "light hor d'oeuvres will be served following the reception" or whatever you choose to do, so that your guests can plan ahead.

@cheetah2B I have a BIG immediate family (aunt/uncles/cousins) we can't really trim because its a close family...

@michele thats a good idea to do appetizers sort of thing, I just really am at a loss for what to do and serve... and it not be tacky

I am afraid even if I put on the invite about eating first before coming people will not be happy and be offended... my love and I were talking and were trying to keep it at low costs and we cant think of food that is low cost... yes there is make it yourself food and we were going to do like the mini food ideas but we would need to assemble it the day of our wedding...

One of my friends had a taco/burrito bar that was awesome and not expensive.

Rule of thumb goes that if you are hosting the ceremony and reception during a typical meal time (lunch or dinner time) if is expected to serve a meal. OR you must put on the invite "cake and punch reception to follow"

i think if guests are told about it ahead of time it isn't that big of a deal. also, have your family spread the word that it is a small dessert only reception. cover all your bases.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry. A cake and punch reception is more traditional than a full meal being served, after all.

If you are worries about it, maybe get some appetizers as well? See if local restaurants do catering, it's often much cheaper than standard catering. We're going that route and not only are we going to be able to feed 65-70 people for about $750, but they also include plates and forks and the like.

Cake and punch is considered traditional? lol I had no idea, I figured it was this new thing. I also like the cake and punch idea because most ppl perfer dessert, its cheaper and there more time for dancing and having fun then just eating!

Okay so late morning or early afternoon... so what about a 1pm wedding? (Or should I go earlier?) Technically that is after lunch and if people start to leave by 7ish that will be fine, that is 6 hours and then its dinner time. Now what do I do with the people who stay later? Wouldn't they expect dinner?

I think that's too late. If they need to be there for a 1oclock ceremony they need to leave earlier to get there on time so a lot of people won't eat lunch before. Then staying Til 7 is late to not have dinner as typical dinner time is 5-6pm

I was a bridesmaid at a wedding where they only had a Hor d'oeuvres style buffet. It was an afternoon wedding. If ur doing it early then this would be a great idea but I wouldn't recommend it for an evening wedding.

For cake and punch i would expect something like a 1:30-2pm ceremony and 2-6pm reception. i know that's only 4 hours though, and you seem to be looking for longer.

that said - you know when your family and friends eat. if they are late eaters (like my FH's Indian family) then they wouldn't mind the reception going until 7 so that they could eat around 8. i know in some cultures 5-6pm is common dinner time, as stated, but it's definitely not for me!

You could do appetizers and desserts super cheap. Go to Costco and buy a bunch of frozen appetizers. You can pop em in the oven and have them set out during the reception. I would also buy fruit/veggie/cheese/cold cut trays from a grocery store. You really do need more than desserts though.

If you are only serving cake and punch or a dessert buffet, your wedding + reception should not be 6 hours long. That is way too long for people to go without substantial food. I think a 1pm wedding is fine, but then the cake & punch reception should just be a couple hours, such as 1:30-3:30.

Double post. Sorry

I wouldn't be offended, but you should probably let your guests know ahead of time that there will only be desserts.

Have you thought about maybe spending only about 1/3 of the budget you have to buy the desserts and ONLY buy desserts and then using the other 2/3 of the budget for appetizers?Like other people mentioned, places like Costco and Sam's Club have great prices on sandwich and veggie platters. Please take into consideration people who are diabetic (if any in your family) and who will NEED to eat some sort of food and cannot have a lot of sweets.

I have a lot of friends that are part of the LDS religion and almost all of the ones I know have done a reception without full meals. They also invite people by facebook so I'm not saying all the things they do are what I'd be happy with, but I thought that no meal was alright. My friend had cupcakes and a big cheese and veggie display. I think hor d'oeuvres that people can kind of munch on throughout the reception might be nice and some desserts too. You wouldn't need a really long reception though if that's the case because people will munch and dance, it won't be a full hour or hour and a half taken away for sitting down to eat. I agree with previous posters about the timing.

If you're doing dessert only you have to compromise a bit and give up some of the dancing/traditions simply because people need to eat.

If you do a 1 pm ceremony, you need to be done by about 5 or 5:30 as that starts dinner time (it's way early for me, but that's when I'd start wanting a snack). Especially if you have any alcohol - people will be drunk without food and unable to get home safely and transport surely isn't in your budget! But that is your best bet. If you did like 9 am you'll hit lunch quick (and have to get up at like 2 am for hair/makeup etc if you're doing a traditional look)

If you want a longer reception, you need to do someone thing heavy appetizers. What is your venue? Places like Costco have bulk packs of frozen appetizers, so if you have access to some large ovens where someone could keep them coming you could extend your time a bit, I think. If you don't have access to appliances, Costco has prepared sandwhich, veggie, shrimp, etc appetizers.