Every bride knows that 90% of success with guests is a good table. At the ceremony they will evaluate the beautiful bride, the groom’s suit and decoration, but at the banquet they will evaluate the dishes: their quantity, quality and presentation. Therefore, after choosing a dress, rings and a banquet hall, the newlyweds have another question - how to feed the guests so that everyone likes it, and at the same time not cost a pretty penny. According to Russian tradition, it is not customary to arrange light buffets; guests should leave the holiday well-fed and satisfied, only then is it considered that the Russian wedding was a great success.
Plan the menu for the wedding table per person
Any festive feast is a headache for the hostess, but there are several rules that will help you correctly calculate the amount of food:
- The basis of the banquet should reflect the theme of the wedding. For the “marine” theme, it is logical for seafood to predominate, for the “rural” theme – simple dishes;
- The calculation depends on the format of the party; the approach to the buffet table and seating at the table is different;
- Salads and desserts are a must-have element; they make it easy to demonstrate the abundance of treats;
- If there are more than 10 guests, drinks and alcohol must satisfy any preferences.
Having determined the banquet menu for the wedding, for estimates you can focus on the standards that have been refined over the years so that no one goes hungry. Portions per person (in grams) look like this:
- Snacks (each type) – 100;
- Salad – 150;
- Hot dishes: meat – 150-200, fish – 200-250, side dish – 50-100;
- Bread – 30-50;
- Fruits – 100-150;
- Desserts – 50-70, wedding cake ~ 100.
It may seem like a little, but any professional will confirm that such a volume will take into account almost all preferences and you won’t have to collect leftovers in containers.
With drinks, the assessment is simpler: champagne and wine - 1 bottle per woman. Strong alcohol: 1-1.5 bottles per man.
Cold appetizers
There should be a lot of snacks, they should be different.
They are put on the table first, they are on the table until it ends.
List and volume of snacks:
- Cold cuts include different types of balyk, boiled pork, and sausages. Each guest should receive approximately 40 grams of meat products.
- From the same calculation, the quantity of fish slices is determined; usually there are several types of fish on the plate.
- For 30 people, it is enough to cut 1 kg of cheese, preferably two or three varieties with different tastes.
- Place chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and herbs on plates at the rate of 100 g per eater.
- In the cold season, in addition to fresh vegetables, pickled or salted mushrooms and canned vegetables are served.
- At any celebration, canapés, sandwiches, and sandwiches take a worthy place.
Also popular for banquets are jellied tongue, liver cake, tartlets or baskets with various fillings.
What to consider when choosing recipes
In order for everything to go as planned and not have to regret too much leftover food, you need to select recipes, taking into account several factors:
- Will there be children? If there are, a separate menu will be required;
- How many guests will you receive? How many of them are men and women;
- Season. In winter it is better to plan heartier dishes, in summer – light ones;
- Location;
- Celebration format: banquet or buffet.
The buffet menu for a wedding is considered the most budget-friendly, but so far the format is quite bold, more suitable for a youth party.
Salads
It is better to prepare several different salads and display them in small salad bowls. The most popular salads are still “Olivier”, “Herring under a fur coat”, “Caesar”, “Greek”, “Crab”. It is advisable that the salads be prepared from different products and decorated in an original way.
Each guest should have approximately 150 g of a variety of salads. You should not serve only newfangled, exotic salads. Let there be both classic and unusual dishes.
What drinks to prepare for a wedding
For an aperitif, you should prepare champagne, martinis, low-alcohol cocktails, and keep tea and coffee on hand.
There should be an abundance of soft drinks: juices, nectars, fruit drinks, plain and sparkling water, a selection of well-known sodas. In the summer, it’s better to prepare water with lemon and stock up on ice, not just for cocktails.
The alcoholic selection is typical: wines, cognacs and vodka. At a themed wedding, tequila and absinthe are appropriate, preferably in moderation. The composition of the wine list depends on the age of the guests; this should be taken into account when planning, especially if the feast will be at home.
Wedding menu: how to create
When choosing dishes, be sure to take into account your budget, time of year, number of guests, and duration of the feast. If your budget is limited and you have invited a lot of guests, there are a few tricks that will help you feed everyone and save money.
Be sure to clarify which foods the invitees do not eat, whether they have food allergies, and whether there are vegetarians present. An allergy in one of the guests can seriously ruin the event and frighten the young people. But vegetarians are not troublesome people. Vegetable dishes are inexpensive, and they are quite tasty; meat-eaters will also enjoy them.
Don't forget about age. Children do not want a lot of spices, and representatives of the older generation will not appreciate newfangled dishes such as rolls, Chinese salads and carpaccio.
- Wedding menu for 15 people . This is a modest wedding, where only family and friends are present. Such banquets can be completely arranged at home, prepared by yourself. You can prepare 5 different salads or 2-3 salads, but in several dishes so that it is convenient for everyone to take. Salads should have different ingredients. You don't need to put just chicken or mushrooms everywhere in case someone doesn't like something. Be sure to have 2 hot ones; to save money, you can take chicken. For snacks, any sandwiches, cheese and cold cuts are suitable. For dessert, you can offer traditional cake, pastries, chocolate, ice cream, fruit jelly, muffins or any other sweets. Guests will enjoy fresh coffee brewed in a coffee maker.
- Wedding menu for 20 people . Accommodating 20 people at home is already more difficult if you do not have a cottage. Most often, modern newlyweds still prefer to rent cafes and restaurants. There is no need to cook, wash dishes, or serve food. To make it convenient for everyone present to take food, distribute each dish onto 3 plates. It turns out that for every 6-7 guests there will be salad, cold cuts, etc. Then you won’t need to run to the other end of the table for the desired snack. Consider the gender of the guests. If there are more men than women, increase the amount of food. There must be 3 salads, several plates with various snacks: vegetables, cheese, meat, sausage, fish, as well as 2 hot dishes (preferably meat and fish) and desserts. For such a number of invitees, it is better to have at least 10 bottles of wine and the same number of stronger drinks, as well as at least 5 liters of juice, not counting soda and mineral water.
- Wedding menu for 30 people . This is still a small wedding, but already requires renting a banquet hall. If you want to save money, then choose more budget-friendly products rather than reducing portions. So, for example, you can replace the pork chop with chicken, choose cheaper varieties instead of red fish, pancakes will be inexpensive if you choose a simpler filling, canapés and various light snacks will also help you save money. Chicken can be prepared in any way you like - grilled legs, stuffed, baked, fried, stewed. Hot food can be either portioned or shared on a platter. The cake should be large enough for all guests. Total weight – at least 7.5 kg. In summer, instead of a cake, you can present ice cream with fruit.
- Wedding menu for 40 people . Lunch for 40 people will not be cheap. It is advisable to place snacks on small plates so that everyone can try everything and do not have to reach too far for food. Appetizers may include eggplants, fish and cold cuts, pickled vegetables, olives, and mushrooms. Among the inexpensive salads is “Stolichny” with chicken breast, potatoes, cucumber and green onions. For main course you can serve pancakes with meat filling, chicken julienne, chicken tobacco, baked pike perch. Instead of a cake, you can make a pyramid of muffins with the initials of the newlyweds on them.
- Wedding menu for 50 people in a cafe . It is not possible to organize a celebration of this scale at home, so it is better to entrust the serving and cooking to professionals. You can make more appetizers, put different types on the tables: liver with onions, breaded fish, sausage, meat, cheese, olives, beef tongue, stuffed prunes, jellied meat, sandwiches, stuffed eggs, salted fish. It is recommended to make hot dishes in portions for convenience. Stuffed cabbage rolls, duck stuffed with apples, roast with mushrooms, and charcoal-baked potatoes would look great as second courses. You will have to make a large and multi-tiered cake, or offer cakes for every taste.
- Wedding menu for 60 people in a restaurant . To save money on a banquet, serve chicken and fish as main courses. This is the most budget option, and everyone loves chicken and fish, which cannot be said about, for example, lamb. For salads, “Caesar” with chicken, “Meyerhold” with tongue, apples and cheese, herring under a fur coat, and vegetable salads are perfect. Inexpensive appetizers include marinated mushrooms with onions, a cheese plate, olives, chicken roll, and sausage. The cake can be made into portions in the form of cupcakes or pastries.
- Wedding menu for 80 people in summer . Summer is a fertile time for weddings. There is a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables at this time. If you have your own garden, then you can save a lot of money. Feeding such a number of guests is not so easy. There should be at least 4 salads with different dressings and ingredients. You can make 1 or 2 vegetarian salads, for example, Greek. This is a great option for summer. For hot dishes, poultry and roast beef with a side dish of vegetables or rice, fried goose with stewed cabbage are suitable. There should be enough cake for everyone, so it will be big. It is advisable to also have a dessert table with all sorts of sweets, in case someone finds a piece of cake too small.
- Summer wedding menu for 100 people . This is already a big wedding, where most of the entire holiday budget will be spent on the banquet. If your guests are waiting for the arrival of the newlyweds, there should be a small buffet table with fruit, light snacks and champagne, then no one will get bored. The more you bring with you to the restaurant, the greater the savings. So, for example, you can make some snacks yourself, and instead of a cream cake, serve a light fruit dessert or ice cream in the summer. When calculated per 100 people, the savings will be noticeable. Pies, sandwiches with caviar, and meat rolls are suitable as snacks.
Rules for choosing a menu in a cafe
When preparing a menu, the most difficult thing is choosing dishes. You should not opt for very complex dishes. As a rule, not everyone likes such dishes, which means that not everyone will leave full. Choose time-tested salads: Olivier, Caesar, Greek and others. The same rule applies to hot dishes: between chicken fillet with pineapples and just chicken or pork steak, choose the second one, since the likelihood that almost everyone will like it is much higher.
You should not choose dishes based only on menu entries. Ask to try everything you're about to order. Some cafes are willing to do such a tasting, but even if you are asked to pay for this procedure, agree - you will save not only money if the dishes offered to the chefs do not suit you, but also nerves - on your wedding day you especially want everything, even the smallest details , were taken into account and brought to the ideal.
The presentation of the dish is also important. Often the pictures on the menu do not correspond to the real state of things. By doing a tasting, you will save yourself from unpleasant surprises at your holiday. True, it should be noted that the best test of the work of a cafe or restaurant is not a targeted sampling of dishes, but a visit to this establishment as an ordinary guest. Dine at the chosen place and check not only the kitchen, but also the work of the waiters.
Calculation of hot dishes
When calculating the number of hot dishes at a banquet, they are guided by the following figures:
- meat and fish dishes (steaks, chops, roasts) - 250 g per person;
- side dishes (potatoes, rice, stewed vegetables) - 150 g;
- soup (solyanka, broth with croutons, fish soup) - 250 g.
As a rule, at large-scale feasts two hot meat dishes are served. One is brought to guests in the first part of the event, the second is brought closer to the end of the holiday. Sometimes one dish is divided into two servings.
Beverages
Calculating the number of drinks is more difficult than appetizers. It is advisable to prepare them with a reserve.
There must be at least 2 liters of soft drinks per guest. If the wedding takes place in the summer, it is advisable to increase this number.
Approximate calculation of alcohol:
- champagne – one bottle for three people;
- vodka, cognac - one for two people;
- dry or semi-sweet wine - one per person.
The main thing is when creating a menu, make sure that each guest on the table finds dishes and drinks to suit their taste.
Buffet in nature
Recently, it has become fashionable in the summer to organize a buffet in nature, the toastmaster leads the wedding celebration, the invited guests communicate, walk on the lawn, participate in competitions and sweepstakes, and do not sit constantly at the table. The entire range of dishes is displayed on several tables and everyone has the opportunity to try what they like.
Stock up on mineral water, juices and soft drinks; guests may become thirsty during the celebration. This organization option is more economical; the festivities last no more than 5 hours, without dragging on until late in the evening.
In this case, it is important to rent a swing in the form of sofas on which invited guests can relax. If there are a large number of people, this option is inappropriate; maximum, it is designed for 30 people
Schemes for arranging round and square tables
Thematic and color wedding scenarios brought European variety to the classic layout of tables for guests.
In the banquet hall, separate tables are grouped for several guests (from 4 to 12 people). The principle of distributing guests by marital status, interests, and age is applied. A small number of people present at one table makes it possible to get to know each other better, find and discuss common topics.
The overall layout is designed so that every guest can see the newlyweds. To do this, individual tables are placed around the hall in a checkerboard pattern, while the newlyweds’ table can be installed either in the center (radiating layout) or in front of all the tables.
To create a unifying atmosphere of the holiday, the location of the guests according to their distinctive characteristics is communicated to the presenter (toastmaster), so that the sequence of presentation and the competition program create conditions for acquaintance and communication among all those present.
Italian
The newlyweds' table is placed on a place elevated above the rest of the platform for everyone to see. Guests are seated in groups of 4 at separate tables.
The scheme assumes the possibility of serving individual dishes and drinks in accordance with the preferences of a given group; it is convenient for invited participants with a sufficient number of service personnel.
English
According to the English scheme, round (less often square) tables for 8 guests are placed in the banquet area. It is believed that this creates psychological comfort for communication in a group. The newlyweds' table (rectangular in shape) is placed at the wall farthest from the entrance and faces everyone present.
Behind him, in addition to the newlyweds, there may be witnesses and parents of the bride and groom.
Cabaret
This option got its name due to the fact that it treats each invitee as a spectator - the part of the table facing the newlyweds is left unoccupied by people and provides a good overview of all stages of the celebration, show program, impromptu performances of those present or invited artists.
No one has to sit with their backs, be distracted by the contents of plates/glasses and turn around.
Herringbone
The tables are placed parallel at an acute angle to the central aisle (the branches of the Christmas tree) so that everyone can see the heroes of the occasion (the top of the tree).
From each place there is a free approach to the main table for congratulations. It is not correct to arrange the wedding table of the newlyweds at the “base of the tree” - half of those sitting will have their backs turned to them.
The principles of distribution of guests correspond to the traditional approach (kinship, rank, age, group).
American
In the American style, meals are usually served buffet style, when each guest independently chooses dishes, drinks and desserts from the offered assortment.
The bride and groom are served a separate table with their own dishes. Invitees move freely from their place to the treats and communicate with each other. This approach to organizing a wedding also reduces the number of service personnel (reduces costs), but clear organization is needed, especially at the start of the ceremony.
Guests must be willing to accept the need for self-service, and food must be prepared accordingly.
For the convenience of this method of treating, 2 types of arrangement of guest tables are used.
The newlyweds, after a short ceremony, can leave the holiday and go on a wedding tour.
Which dishes should you prefer?
If we talk about dishes in more detail, it is better to provide two salads for each guest: a light vegetable and a meat one. These can be salads in individual plates, or there can be large salad bowls, which are located on the table so that each invitee can serve himself the desired food. A light salad can be a simple slice of cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs, while more hearty salads include “Musketeer” and “Sail”.
A good hot dish would be baked potatoes with meat, so popular among newlyweds. For dessert, of course, a wedding cake will be served, but in addition to it, it is better to prepare cupcakes or sweets. It is better to make several types of snacks: sliced cheese, fruit, meat, possibly fish.
Focus on what alcohol you have chosen for your event. If there is vodka on the tables, and there are many men among the guests, then you should give preference to a nourishing appetizer, such as meat or fish. For ladies, a plate with grapes, nuts, cubes of cheese and a bowl of honey, into which pieces of food are placed on skewers or a fork, is well suited for champagne or wine.
