Our daughter is getting married...

[Tesha]

She calls me Monday and asks if she could be married here - on the day after
Thanksgiving. Wednesday she says, not to worry... just the wedding itself, no
dinner required. They'd like to go to the Chinese Buffet as a hoot with all her 20
or so guests. Whew....


So, just the gathering, the wedding itself, and the toast are all will happen here.

She suggests an hour or so.

So for 20 people of a wide range of age and tastes - what should we have for drinks and food?

Any ideas?

[elleng]

1. CONGRATS!

Daughter married Sept. 2, and due to size of event I didn't even get to see hors d'oevres tables; can't help in that respect; sorry.

Just pulled this up:

WHEELS OF BRIE CHEESE, SODA AND WATER WAFERS

ASSORTED FRESH FRUITS WHIPPED IN SOFT

SPREADABLE CHEESE

FRESH BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, CELERY, RED BELL PEPPERS, BABY CARROTS

GRAPE TOMATOES, CREAMY HERB CHEESE, BACON-HORSERADISH, WHIPPED CHIVE BLEND

[Tesha]

4. Veggie trays are always good...

and fruit and cheese, with some dips.

thanks!

[beac]

2. As I vegetarian, can I just put in a suggestion that you have at least a

couple of non-meat options? With 20 people, statistically 2 could be vegetarian.

Unless you know all 20 aren't, in which case you can ignore my advice. :)

As for concrete recipe ideas, at what time of day will the wedding take place?

[Tesha]

5. 5:30 at night is goal...

but some people are coming from over an hour away.
Just driving by the malls will take a whole lot of time on Black Friday!

I love the idea of veggies - they don't have any special timing required either.
So I could prepare them days ahead and set them out anytime.

[beac]

9. grasswire's cheese/fruit/cracker idea below is a good one.

If you want something easy but with a little "fancy" factor you can cook tri-color tortellini until just shy of al-dente, cool and thread two (of different colors) each onto a long skewer and arrange the skewers in a wreath shape with pesto-mayo and/or red-pepper couli in the center for dipping (be sure to have a 'discard' plate for the used skewers nearby.)

Are you going to have a wedding cake? If so, despite what some bakeries may tell you, it's not too late to order one. I had a home wedding and we ordered the cake about three days before. They said it was too late to order a "wedding cake", but when I asked if they could stack a 12" cake and a 10" cake and frost it white, they said "Sure!" It's all in what you ask for. ;)

[Tesha]

10. ah- a cake!

The bride has one in mind, so that's set at least this minute...

but the wreath idea sounds wonderful - fancy with out being fussy - thank you!

[beac]

13. You're welcome!

Should have mentioned to use CHEESE tortellini only... meat-based tortellini won't stick on the skewer as well... I know this from my meat-eating past. :)


Best wishes to your daughter and family/friends for a happy wedding day!

[Callalily]

3. Congrats to you and

also congrats to your daughter for deciding to have a small, intimate wedding!

I too would suggest one or two veggie selections, but it's 5:30 a.m. here and the coffee hasn't kicked in yet, so that's all I can offer right now. ;-) I'm sure you'll be able to come up with some easy, tasty items to serve.

As far as beverage, it's always nice to have a champagne toast. With that small crowd, very doable and would be a nice touch.

[Tesha]

6. Champagne, perfect...

I should buy it now and bring out the classes and wash them.

my neighbor agonized for months over her daughter's wedding saying they had too much time to plan:)

[elleng]

7. SO GOOD for you all!

Daughter took too much time (and money,) she's 200 miles away, and did all the planning and agonizing, contacting me occasionally w some agony!

As to Champagne, nice, and keep in mind, Beaujolais Nouveau should be out now!

I will be thinking of you all celebrating, as I'm having daughters, w new son in law and a beau, for our Day After Thanksgiving dinner at my place (they may have T'gvg Day with their father.)

:hi:

[grasswire]

8. I might have several large pieces of good cheese...maybe a Stilton...

...and a very good cheddar and a brie...all on a big tray or basket with a bowl of spiced walnuts/pecans/hazelnuts, and some good crackers. Several knives for cheese cutting. Grapes, sliced apples of different colors, and pears (dip in lemon juice). That is a visually beautiful way to go, and would be very popular.

[Tesha]

11. that'll do it...

just a little, but very attractive.

thank you

[grasswire]

12. some pretty autumn leaves with the fruit and cheese display

...wash them, of course.