Wedding Reception Late Night Snack

[easyas123]

So would you eat an Uncrustable as a wedding late night snack?

nopenopenope

No. Uncrustables give off such a cheap vibe. If they seriously can't afford better then that, then don't offer anything at all. Do they really want the wedding reception to be remembered for this?

Exactly!

We are hosting our sons wedding in July, about 140 people. There will be plenty of food & drink, although up until seeing this thread it never occurred to me to offer a late night snack. Neither he nor his fiancé mentioned it either, and it's not something we are doing, but then it starts in the late afternoon and (hopefully!) not going on until the wee hours! BUT-if we were I think it would probably be something nicer/more adult/better than a uncrustable. I think you'd be left with a lot of them leftover.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Based on follow-up posts, I'm not sure I understand where the late night snack will be served. If it's at the pub, they could rent a popcorn maker & either enlist someone to bag & serve it or allow guests to serve themselves. In my clubbing days, I always preferred something salty to go with the alcohol. Popcorn would be a low cost, novelty option.

The late night snacks would be for the 20 somethings. Typically the late night snack is served towards the end of the reception. The post party at the pub will not be a hosted event. Neither the bride, groom, nor their families are paying for that part. In their friend group, everyone pays their own way once they get to the pub.

Popcorn is another popular option I’ve seen. Chick fil a sandwiches, McDonalds small hamburgers, fries, soft pretzels, cookies and milk, pizza, are all things people have done in my city. It’s usually cheap comfort food.

 

[snikki]

Of the weddings I’ve been to that had a late night snack it was either something meaningful to the couple or a popular/famous local food which would be a big hit for locals and different/new for out of town folks.

If uncrustables were something the couple met over or it has significance to them I could see doing that with other little snacks. But serving them alone as just something to hand out at the end of the night doesn’t vibe for me.

 

[HopperFan]

We had a buffet and the catering place we ended up going with for ours would have had the same number of staff either way because the staff came around and refilled drinks (as well as taking drink orders with exception to bar items) and picked up plates and empty glasses. That seems to be the case at other weddings we've been too with plated meals. For ours there was one or two staff that were at the buffet not to plate everyone's meal but to help either those who needed help (like elderly) or to swap out empty containers with new ones.

The difference was there if you were doing a more restaurant catering place which we have been to weddings that have done that as well. One of the weddings did a well-known in our area Mexican place for their wedding catered in (it was not a low-key wedding either they just really liked this place), in that case someone picks up the order or arranges for the restaurant to drop it off but no staff are really there.

In our case buffet was less expensive than plated but the difference was less noticeable when you added the surcharge that many charged for having actual plates and silverware as opposed to plastic. Of course though if your food was including things like lobster and higher end steaks the plated meals would be far more expensive regardless.

Style would vary. For us to have plated the staff would have had to go up because the kitchen now needed the staff to create all the plates to go out, plus likely needed to double the serving staff to get it to the tables. We didn't take any drink orders, bottled Pelligrino on tables, all other drinks were at the bar. Bar staff was a different company.

 

[anniemae]

I would say no to uncrustables.

If a late night snack is needed, I would say to set up a cheese/crackers/pepperoni/pickles board with some grapes/fruit.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I would not do uncrustables, but the idea of food is a good one.

Anyone in your town make the big 6 ft sandwiches? That would be my #1 but it seems an only NYC NJ thing.
If not and if I was going to put out a spread it would be sort of a second lunch, we did these all the time. There would be a big salad with dressing, lots of cold cuts like ham (on sale is always cheapest), some salami, turkey and cheeses (american on sale cheapest) and lots and lots of split rolls with mustard, mayo etc. It can be done fairly expensively, probably under 100 if you roll the cold cuts onto trays from Dollar Store you can put them out as you go and save what is leftover for the coming days.

The thin slices meats are folded not only to look nice but because when they are folded people don't take more than they need, it is easy to grab a big 1/2 lb blob of meat when stacked from the store but when it is folded people usually count out maybe 4 slices.

Maybe scatter some bags of chips and cookies around the table with fun sodas like Root Beer, Coca Cola etc & you have an excellent drunk food table. Good luck!

 

[Lilsia]

I got married over 20 years ago have not been to a wedding in a long time and have never heard of a late night snack. I wonder if it is a regional thing.

I think that Americans are just catching on to what they do elsewhere. Most immigrants that are not that far removed from their original Countries follow what they did in the "old Country". With so much commingling now, people see how other cultures do things and they are adopting them. I think that is great. No right or wrong way to do things.

 

[NotUrsula]

No Viennese tables?

From my experience, "Viennese tables" are for the most part a Tri-State thing, or perhaps a Northeast US thing. While you'll certainly see pretty displays of various sweets in many places (especially if the wedding is an informal one that allows the family to contribute food), that name tends to be regional.

Where I grew up (the New Orleans area), "wedding cake' used to be one particular flavor, and it's so well-known that it turns up in other things, such as snow cones and flavored coffees. "Wedding cake" as a generic flavor means "almond" there, commonly with pineapple filling. The traditional sweets at a Louisiana wedding were that flavor in the "bride's cake", and a smaller "groom's cake" of any flavor he preferred, most commonly chocolate or red velvet (which for whatever reason is hugely popular with Southern men.) Sometimes a really French family would also include croquembouche. In recent decades bride's cake flavors have become as varied there as anywhere in the world. However, having 2 cakes only as the sweets selection is still quite common, but, in that area, sit-down meals are rather rare at locals' weddings. A constant flow of heavy hors doevres throughout the entire event is the more popular option locally, with some served from tables and some passed. In that situation, a "late-night snack" would never be necessary, as the guests would have been continually snacking through the entire event. Since Louisiana passed laws in the 1980s allowing no-waiting-period weddings for non-residents in the New Orleans area, it has become quite popular for destination weddings, and often folks from out of the area request their own traditions, which is how I first encountered a "Viennese table". It had to be explained to the catering staff, but they did their homework and provided it.

As to the OP's question, Uncrustables are for children. If you want to give your adult guests something filling late in the evening, I'd go with the most popular option that I've seen at long parties; a variety of sliders. If you want to include PBJ, make it an option with bowls of different jams and nut butters and small buns, and they can stack it themselves.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

From my experience, "Viennese tables" are for the most part a Tri-State thing, or perhaps a Northeast US thing. While you'll certainly see pretty displays of various sweets in many places (especially if the wedding is an informal one that allows the family to contribute food), that name tends to be regional.

Yes - In my experience they were originally an "italian wedding" thing now it's an everybody thing in this area. Our weddings have always been over the top but the Italians just take it to the next level..... I married an Italian man BTW LMAO

I will take our Northern Viennese tables but with your southern cakes please

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Style would vary. For us to have plated the staff would have had to go up because the kitchen now needed the staff to create all the plates to go out, plus likely needed to double the serving staff to get it to the tables. We didn't take any drink orders, bottled Pelligrino on tables, all other drinks were at the bar. Bar staff was a different company.

Yeah the bar for ours was a bar tending company so if the guest wanted alcohol you needed to get it yourself. We were paying for their hourly rates for 2 bartenders and then opted to do a pre-paid tips for them. We purchased the alcohol separately from the bar tending company at a liquor warehouse and any leftover unopened beer cases or wine bottles we returned.

The catering company sent out the number of staff needed based on the number of people you were paying for (with a slight additional allowance like they do for food in case some rsvp no but come anyhow). Those in the kitchen were already having to get the food containers to go out on the buffet although yeah for sure plating would have meant a tad more time into that but then they wouldn't have to prepare, place under heating elements, and replace the food out if it was plated just plate it, send it out and have someone pick up the plate.

We did our cake with the same catering company as the food but could have done it with another company. They just offered a price break for doing both plus we really liked their cake flavors. So the catering company would get glasses of water and I feel like we had coffee and some other drink like a pop. And they came around and cleaned it all up. This is also why there was a decent surcharge for real plates, glasses and silverware because with plastic they would just throw it in the trash as opposed to having to stack it/place it somewhere to be cleaned back at their place.

Then there was the venue staff which in this case was just 2 people (the main wedding coordinator and then her assistant). I guess there was also the required security guard that we paid the hourly rate for (many Downtown venues require this).

So various roles just split up amongst several companies.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I'd stick to single serve items at that point in the night vs guests putting it together, especially if alcohol consumption is a factor.

I'd get a gourmet popcorn maker to make me single serve beautiful favors...one allergy free (so just salted), one desserty, and one savory...and have them in baskets to be taken...

 

[mefordis]

When DS got married in 2020, a late night snack was part of the package. I had never heard of this but apparently, it’s a thing. I don’t recall what their choices were but they chose pretzel bites.

This makes me think it might not be a bad idea to have a bag to go with a soft pretzel, mustard packet and cheese sauce cup, along with a small water bottle. That would be appreciated I'll bet.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

These started happening in my area about 10 years ago depending on where you have it and anything else you might do (my cousins both had Venetian hours after their cake so no late night snack but another couple I know did not and had soft pretzels).

For me I’d LOVE to do a theme park food type thing for a late night snack

 

[CynBeth]

I think that Americans are just catching on to what they do elsewhere. Most immigrants that are not that far removed from their original Countries follow what they did in the "old Country". With so much comingling now, people see how other cultures do things and they are adopting them. I think that is great. No right or wrong way to do things.

Definitely. I like leaning about other cultures and religions. Even traditions done in other states.

 

[Imzadi]

When DS got married in 2020, a late night snack was part of the package. I had never heard of this but apparently, it’s a thing. I don’t recall what their choices were but they chose pretzel bites.

Was this during or after the pandemic started? Maybe the venue included this as they knew a lot of places shut down early due to the pandemic. Even Walmart hasn't reopened to 24-hours and has no plans to, and it's 3 years later.

So, people leaving the venue back then might not have been able to go to IHOP or burger place to get a late night snack. And the venue cashed in on that.

 

[NAB]

Late night Snack as you call it is not new. Maybe regional because I have only gone to weddings with one even my own 29 years ago.

Of course we never had cocktail hours either, first I heard it was on the wedding shows on TLC.

Don‘t weddings go to 1:00 am last call being 12:00. The snack would be 10:30-11:00 pm .

 

[mjkacmom]

Late night Snack as you call it is not new. Maybe regional because I have only gone to weddings with one even my own 29 years ago.

Of course we never had cocktail hours either, first I heard it was on the wedding shows on TLC.

Don‘t weddings go to 1:00 am last call being 12:00. The snack would be 10:30-11:00 pm .

I don’t think weddings are all at the same time, ours started at 4, was probably over by 10, and that includes the church and pictures. My young adult children hate the fact that our plentiful diners are no longer open 24/7. Some wedding here are Thursday or Friday night, or Sunday afternoons.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

I pray all of my kids elope. Weddings are insane. I thought the trend would go to "less is best". But, my goodness! It just keeps getting crazier.

We went to a wedding recently where the after party snack was basically what I served for my main meal at my wedding almost 3 decades ago.

Then after wedding cocktails at a different location.

Rehearsal dinners are now like wedding receptions. In fact, they are deemed "Welcome Dinners". So many people invited.

Gift bags to welcome hotel guests.

And then the goodbye brunch the next day, complete with billion dollar bloody Mary and mimosa bars.

I just keep thinking these are the same people that are going to be complaining soon about how much money it costs to raise a child.

Cheers!

35 years ago, I got married in Vegas but we did have a small ( about100) reception a week after we got home. Just me, but I think receptions are insanely ridiculous alot of the times. The kind of reception I'd like to be invited to is like this: marriage ceremony and reception same venue. Ceremony at noon, followed by light snacks and beer/ wine. Have a sit down luncheon with live music playing and offer complementary champagne for toasting after a few very short obligatory speeches, cut the cake and have it served. Send the couple off in a limo and "oh my" it's time to go home!

 

[mjkacmom]

35 years ago, I got married in Vegas but we did have a small ( about100) reception a week after we got home. Just me, but I think receptions are insanely ridiculous alot of the times. The kind of reception I'd like to be invited to is like this: marriage ceremony and reception same venue. Ceremony at noon, followed by light snacks and beer/ wine. Have a sit down luncheon with live music playing and offer complementary champagne for toasting after a few very short obligatory speeches, cut the cake and have it served. Send the couple off in a limo and "oh my" it's time to go home!

Some of us really can’t get married at the reception venue due to religious reasons. My favorite parts of the reception are happy hour (the food is usually better than the dinner) and dancing after dinner. We had a cocktail reception so I didn’t have to sit down for dinner, lots of dancing!

 

[Tinkerbell58]

No to Uncrustables (a guest may be allergic to peanut butter.) A co-worker went to a wedding that had a tater tot bar.