Wedding Catering: canapés, timings and practical planning tips

Once you've picked your caterer, a few practical questions still need answers: how much food, how long each part of the day takes, and what to check before signing off the plan.

How Many Canapés Do You Need?

It depends on your ceremony timing and how long the drinks reception runs. As a rule, plan for six to eight canapé varieties plus one heartier option, a sausage roll or similar, since guests are usually hungry by the time they arrive.

Timing Your Day

A rough framework that works for most weddings:

●      Drinks reception: 2 hours

●      Guest seating: 30 minutes

●      Speeches: 45 minutes to 1 hour

●      Each food course: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Venue layout and guest numbers will shift these, but it's a solid starting point for planning with your caterer.

Questions Worth Asking Early

●      What's your approach to staffing, do you use agency staff or your own team? (At Jeeves, it's always our own team, never agency.)

●      What's your corkage policy if we're bringing our own drinks?

●      Where do your ingredients come from, and can you tell us about your suppliers?

●      Can you help build a day-of schedule around the ceremony and meal service?

●      Will a dedicated event manager be on-site throughout?

Making the Menu Yours

Share the dishes and food memories that mean something to you, a favourite restaurant order, a family recipe, and a good caterer will find a way to work them in. Keep it realistic though: some dishes just don't hold up to service for a hundred guests, so trust your caterer's advice on what translates well.

To find out more please contact us using on the website or by emailing us at info@jeevescatering.com