One of the most common worries couples have when planning their wedding catering is… what if there isn’t enough food for everyone?
It’s perfectly understandable, you don’t want anyone to feel short changed or end up popping out for a bite to eat mid-evening.
But we can tell you from experience that wedding caterers are more than adept at knowing how to judge food quantities, it’s almost like our superpower.
Weddings are pretty unpredictable, which is often what makes them such an enjoyable day, as long as you’re willing to go with the flow.
The precise numbers will depend on a whole range of factors, from the style of wedding to the length of the day, the weather, and the atmosphere you’re looking to create.
At Kemp & Kemp, we’ve catered hundreds upon hundreds of weddings over the years and one thing we’ve learned is that generous hospitality matters much more than mathematical perfection (although the secret is that it’s a bit of both!).
People remember whether the food felt welcoming and abundant, which is always what we’re looking to create.
How Much Food Is Normally Served At A Wedding?
Most weddings involve several different food moments throughout the day rather than one single meal.
From canapés after the ceremony to the main Wedding Breakfast, desserts and then evening food, there’s a lot of food prep to be done and a lot to be consumed… and it always is!
When you add all of those together, guests are usually eating much more overall than they realise, which is why it’s important to think about how the day flows more than each separate course or dish.
A formal plated meal is planned very differently to a sharing feast or buffet.
With plated dining, portions are carefully controlled, timings are tighter and the service is more structured. Whereas with sharing-style catering, the tables need to feel visually generous, platters need replenishing and guests naturally graze more freely because everyone eats at a different pace.
Buffets can also require more food overall because guests tend to serve themselves slightly differently than they eat during plated meals, so this is all stuff that caterers will account for when quoting your wedding catering.
Roughly How Much Food Do You Need For 100 Wedding Guests?
As a broad guide, many weddings for 100 guests might include:
- Canapés – Around 4–6 pieces per guest
- Main meal – Either one plated starter main and dessert per guest or several ‘substantial’ sharing dishes and sides per table
- Desserts – Usually one plated dessert or a shared dessert selection
Then the evening food will then need to account for all of your 100 guests… depending on timing and drinking levels.
Of course, every wedding differs and a relaxed countryside barn wedding with a whole load of dancing might need something completely different to a formal afternoon reception where guests might leave slightly earlier.
A relaxed countryside barn wedding with lots of dancing may need something completely different to a formal afternoon reception where guests leave earlier in the evening.
Evening food is something that tends to be a bit of an afterthought… which is why we often bring it to the table for catering discussions in our first conversation!
People always imagine guests will still be full from dinner but after hours of dancing and drinking, guests become absolutely ravenous again. And some guests will only be attending the evening, so their only experience of your catering will be what you do amidst the dancing and revelry!
Late-night food disappears astonishingly quickly at weddings, which is why things that are quick to grab are always a hit, whether that’s pizza, burgers, loaded fries, tacos or pretty much anything that involves melted cheese, really.
Another thing couples sometimes underestimate is vegetarian and vegan numbers, which are often much higher than you think, so it’s worth planning carefully for that as early as possible.
Does The Type Of Guest Matter?
Very much so, your food quantities can change vastly depending on how many children are attending, if there’s a large proportion of older guests, if your wedding is skewed towards having more evening guests than daytime or all day, if you’re outside in the middle of summer or if you’re planning on kicking off as early as midday.
Guests at a formal winter wedding often eat very differently to guests spending ten hours outside in the sunshine with cocktails in hand, as an example!
That’s why experience matters so much with wedding catering.
So, we always recommend ordering a bit more than you’d think you might need, so you’ve got that buffer – extra food is never a bad thing and you’d be surprised at how much is consumed.
Not ridiculous amounts that create huge waste, obviously, but weddings always feel better when food feels generous rather than tightly controlled.
Particularly with sharing feasts, abundance becomes part of the atmosphere itself.
Nobody remembers weddings where there was slightly too much food, they do remember how good the food was and how many times they returned for more!
What About Dietary Requirements?
Dietary requirements need proper planning rather than simply being added on at the last minute.
Experienced caterers carefully account for children, vegan and vegetarians, allergies, gluten-free meals and pretty much any requirement your guests might have.
And importantly, those guests should still feel fully included in the experience rather than like an awkward afterthought, so well-thought out and delicious dishes are always part and parcel of what we do at Kemp & Kemp, no matter what your requirements are.
Good hospitality matters enormously here, which is why we’ll always handle the exact food quantities, because experience means that we always get it right.
The more useful question is usually ‘How do we want people to feel around the table?’
Maybe it’s relaxed, sociable, comfortably full, raving about the food or just caught up in the atmosphere of the day… or a combination of all of those things.
At Kemp & Kemp, we believe wedding food works best when it feels generous, seasonal and genuinely welcoming. Food should become part of the atmosphere and celebration itself rather than simply another box to tick during the day.
FAQs
How much evening food do you need for 100 wedding guests?
Usually enough for around 70–100 guests depending on timings and alcohol consumption (but we always build in a buffer).
How many canapés should you serve?
Typically around 4–6 per guest.
Do buffets require more food?
Often yes, because self-service and sharing-style dining generally require more visual abundance.
Should you order extra food for weddings?
Usually yes! Weddings tend to feel more relaxed when food feels generous, we’ll always build in a buffer.
How do caterers calculate quantities?
Experienced caterers consider timings, guest demographics, service style, season and venue logistics.
If you want to talk through some options for your wedding, drop us an email on info@kempandkempcatering.co.uk and we’ll discuss how we can make your food dreams a reality.
