With the ever-rising popularity of canapés at weddings and similar events, it’s not surprising there are many questions surrounding these delicious little masterpieces. In today’s blog, we answer the question of what and how many canapés should you serve at a wedding?
When it comes to planning your wedding we understand that you want everything to be perfect and run smoothly. For many people, canapés are an excellent choice to keep guests entertained and busy during a drinks reception.
Canapés are a type of hors d’oeuvre (appetiser), and are one of the most excellent choices for a wedding or large party. They allow for all your guests to continue to freely walk around and chat with whomever they please, whilst still being able to enjoy small bite-sized decorative nibbles. They ensure that guests get a taste of what’s to come without spoiling their appetite for the meal you have arranged.
How many canapés should you serve at a wedding?
As a well-regarded catering company, we are often asked “how many canapés will I need at my wedding?”. We’ve found that this question is far too broad to be answered accurately. Instead, we’d like to ask you two important questions which should hopefully give you the answer you’re looking for.
The first question is, how many people are attending? We typically recommend 3-5 canapés per person. Remember, that it will likely be the first thing your guests would have eaten since leaving home so it’s important to offer some delicious options to keep guests from becoming too hungry.
The second question is, how long are you leaving your guests? This could have an effect on how many you choose to serve. After an hour, the general rule of thumb we recommend would be an additional 1-2 canapés to be served. This again keeps guests nibbling but won’t let them ruin their appetite.
For a wedding, you shouldn’t have to leave your guests for much longer than an hour so additional canapés are not always necessary. What’s more, is that you will likely have a delicious 3-4 course meal waiting for them so additional canapés might be overkill.
- Who nicked one!
- mini homemade cheeseburgers – canape
What canapés should I serve?
We have found that it is the more savoury canapés that tend to be most popular. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give your guests a sweet option. We suggest the golden ratio of around 1:4 works perfectly.
There is also the option of serving hot and cold canapés. In an ideal world, both should be an option. Unfortunately, For some venues, hot canapés may not be viable if they do not have access to the appropriate cooking facilities or if the canapés are being transported to said venue. So it might just be easier for you to serve cold canapés, which are equally as delicious.
Please take a look at our Canapés Menu or click here to take a look at our gallery of canapes and starters.
When it comes to canapés it is all about options. You want to try and appeal to everyone’s tastes and preferences. More times than not, canapés always go down a treat anyway!
What’s the best way to serve canapés?
The eating of the canapés isn’t the whole experience when it comes to this appetiser. How they are served as well as the presentation are both key elements that cannot be overlooked.
We have served canapés for many events and weddings and are strong believers that presentation is king. We often find that the eyes can sometimes outweigh the nose and tongue when it comes to tasting food.
Your eyes offer an initial impression of what you perceive the food to taste like before you’ve even picked it up. So, we always take extra care to ensure that every canapé that is served to your guests comes out looking delicious and identical to all of the others. But to be fair, they taste delicious as well! Win-win!!
Get in touch
If you’d us to cater for your event and would like to chat, send us a quick email or please fill out our enquiry form.
Feel free to have a look at our canapés menu on our website or click here.
We look forward to hearing from you
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