Planning one of the main days in your life is an important and responsible step. The guests are looking forward to when they go to the wedding. The newlyweds with trepidation compose the banquet menu for 20, 30, and 40 people. The staff of the establishment helps them in this.
What should be considered when drawing up a menu in a cafe?
Table of Contents
Administrators and waiters know how many servings to order per person. But newlyweds should have such information. After all, they need to correctly distribute their budget, not overpay and at the same time not leave guests hungry. Ideal balance – empty plates and full stomachs of those present.
Earlier, after the wedding, mothers and fathers stayed on both sides to pick up the uneaten food. Nowadays, almost no one does this, because it is considered bad form.
However, it is not uncommon for young couples to simply throw away large amounts of unused food. All this happens due to ignorance and misunderstanding of how much it is necessary to cook for the wedding.
After the young people have precisely decided on the date of the wedding and the place of its holding, it is worth developing a wedding menu for 30 people. It always consists of several positions, including:
- snacks;
- salads;
- hot dishes;
- dessert.
These are just those necessary components that no menu can do without. Already starting from the assortment of dishes, it is possible to draw up a complete list of products for guests. It can consist of one or several salads.
Everyone knows that a wedding is a rather expensive event, on which one would like to save at least a little. This can be done using the required number of dishes. There should be just enough of them to be enough for everyone present.
Consider if there are any people with special taste preferences from the list of guests to the wedding. They can be vegetarians, meat-eaters, or fruit lovers. Perhaps there are allergy sufferers. Try to take care of such guests so that they are as comfortable as possible at your wedding. For them, you can order a special wedding menu for 20 people.
Do not forget about the children at the celebration. They are usually ordered the same dishes as adults. And this is one of the main mistakes. Children don’t like salads and snacks at all. They will prefer fries, hamburgers and a wide variety of sweets.
All children can be seated at a separate table and fed with whatever food they like best. You can order delicious pizza and light snacks at the wedding, especially for them. Children tend to eat the least at celebrations, so they don’t need to order full meals.
How to calculate the approximate number of meals for a banquet?
To calculate how many dishes and how much you need to put on the wedding table, you need to understand the size of the average portion per person. Approximately 1.5 kilograms of food for the entire wedding day can be eaten by one guest. This will be quite enough to not just eat but overeat. Starting from this number, you get the number of servings for 30 people.
Snacks
Typically, wedding snacks account for almost half of the food eaten. Snacks are served at the very beginning of the feast, they are on the festive table throughout the evening. Wedding snacks are very light and easy to eat. It is enough just to take a few pieces of sausage and a fork and enjoy this taste for a long time.
The most popular dishes on the wedding table are:
- cheese slicing;
- cold cuts;
- vegetables;
- pickled vegetables;
- marinated mushrooms;
- stuffed mushrooms;
- eggplant with cheese and garlic;
- stuffed tomatoes;
- boat eggplants with cottage cheese;
- zucchini stuffed with rice and vegetables;
- canapes with cheese and fruits;
- seafood tartlets;
- sandwiches with caviar;
- bruschets with pate.
Please note that all snacks for 30 people should be approximately 12 kilograms. On average, one person will need 400 grams. If you are afraid that the guests will not fill up, then order plus 2 extra portions.
Salads
When choosing salads for a wedding feast, you should focus on two different options. The first salad should be light and airy, and the second more satisfying. As a rule, salads with potatoes, rice, or eggs are not ordered for weddings.
These are very heavy and at the same time satisfying foods, which should be abandoned due to the abundance of other foods. Choose options where there will be a combination of meat and herbs, fish and vegetables. The more unusual your salad is, the more your guests will like it.
For 30 people, you need to order about 9 kilograms of salad, of which 4.5 will be for one type, 4.5 for another.
Hot meat and fish dishes
There are several options for ordering hot meals for your wedding. Some newlyweds make two dishes at once, serving them one after the other. But still, most stop at only one option. It is best not to make two hot dishes because due to the abundance of the rest of the food, meat dishes will not be eaten.
The average portion of a meat dish for a wedding, per person, is 300-350 grams, including the side dish. In this case, the side dish should be as simple as possible. For example, duck and vegetable stew (no potatoes). Grilled fish and cauliflower in batter.
desserts
The final part of the party is the wedding cake. This is a favorite delicacy that all guests eat with pleasure. As a rule, by the end of the party, people are full, so not everyone can even just taste the cake.
In this case, the newlyweds are advised to purchase containers in advance for storing food and put a piece of sweet cake for all guests. The next morning, guests can have tea with a wedding cake. They will appreciate such a gift.
The approximate weight of one portion of a wedding cake is 200-250 grams. If you will not give containers to guests, then the portion can be safely reduced to 150 grams.
Bread
Bread is the least eaten at a wedding. Even those people who enjoy it at home refuse baking at such parties because they already have a large amount of delicious food.
For each portion, there are 2-3 slices of bread per person. But, as a rule, it remains in large quantities after the wedding. It’s okay if you take the remaining loaves home after the event.
Condiments
Do not use a lot of seasoning at a wedding. Not everyone loves spices, and you simply cannot guess who likes this or that taste. On each table, there should be a salt shaker with salt, black pepper, and sugar.
These are the main spices that can and should be used in the cooking process. The rest of the options should be abandoned, so as not to be strongly original.
Fruits
Everyone, without exception, loves sweet fruits. They are well eaten from the wedding table. For 1 person, it is better to choose 150-200 grams of various fruits. At the same time, give preference to more exotic products.
For example, give up apples and pears, which are already abundant in every family. Replace them with fancy kiwi or mango. In addition, it is better not to choose bananas for fruit dishes, since they are very satisfying and quickly lose their attractive appearance, turning black in an open space.
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
It is impossible to imagine a wedding party without drinks. They can be both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. If we talk about the first option, then it is better to calculate individually. 30 people are not much for a wedding party.
You can make a complete list of guests on a separate sheet, next to each name write who and what will drink from alcohol. It can be either champagne or vodka. Surely, you know which drink this or that person is giving the invitation to. After setting your preferences, you can already start counting.
On average, for a wedding, 1 person drinks 2-3 bottles of champagne, 2 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of strong drink (vodka, whiskey, or cognac). Depending on what your guest is drinking, calculate the amount of alcohol needed for the party.
All non-alcoholic drinks at the wedding are drunk without exception. Their number will skyrocket if the wedding is organized during a hot and sultry season. If the event is held in winter, then 1-1.5 liters per person will be enough. In summer, this amount can be safely increased by 2 times.
Outcome
Nowadays restaurants offer a truly wide selection of festive menus. They can consist of both completely banal and original dishes. Wedding planners advise you to stay in the middle, as it will make it easier for you to guess the taste preferences of the guests.