fOOD TIMINGS AND WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS
When you’re planning your wedding day, food timings might not feel like the most exciting decision, but getting them right can make such a difference to how smoothly your wedding day flows.
After catering for hundreds of weddings, there are two timings we’re often asked about: speeches and evening food. I love that clients actually ask the question to hear about the pro’s and con’s without just making a rash decision that hasn’t quite been thought through.
So, question 1:
Speeches before or after the wedding breakfast?
Our preference is before food, of course, this is along as the kitchen is far enough away from the main room where the speeches are taking place so that guests cannot hear any clattering and conversations about table service, allergies etc and more importantly providing everyone giving a speech can stick roughly to their allocated time!
Timings of speeches are important as if the food is sat too long i’m afraid, the truth is, it won’t taste its best! Catering for large numbers can be tricky to get right so timing really is key.
Getting speeches done before the wedding breakfast means anyone feeling nervous can relax afterwards and properly enjoy their meal. It also means your guests are already seated and ready to listen.
Once food has been served, people naturally start moving around. They head to the bar, pop outside, visit the toilet or start chatting at another table or outside which can make getting everyone seated again after food much harder.
Now, question number 2:
When it comes to your evening food, if your evening guests arrive at around 7pm, I think 7.30pm is a brilliant time to start serving.
Some guests may have come straight from work or travelled to your wedding without having an evening meal. Your daytime guests don’t have to eat immediately either. They can have a dance, enjoy another drink and come back for some food later once the newly arrived evening guests have eaten.
So, from a catering team who have seen plenty of weddings, our vote is: speeches first and evening food from around 7.30pm!
With love,
The Cart Shed Catering Team