Wedding Shower Is This Enough Food

Updated on April 27, 2015
S.S. asks from Golconda, IL
18 answers

I am hosting a wedding shower next month. We have been all over the map trying to figure out the food. I want to have enough but not so much that we are eating it for a month. The bride and several guests are vegetarian.

There are all adult women. No children. The groom will be there at the end to open gifts. I am sure he will eat some after but the men are all going to be at the place for the tux fittings that day. So not planning them for food.

So this is what we have settled on. Is it enough

These will be big platters of food not 1 pc each. Just wanting to know if the selection is enough or if I need to add more things to the selection. (wings, a dish of a hot pasta? etc)

Mini sandwiches (meat, cheese and lettuce tomoatoes with other toppings on a tray) on ciabotta bread
Mini sandwiches with just the cheese and lettuce and tomatoes (for those who are vegetarian) same bread
pasta salad
fruit tray and little sugar cookies and a sweet cream cheese mix to make mini fruit pizzas
veggie shots (little clear palstic glasses with veggies alreayd in them so they just have to pick them up
cheese and cracker tray

lemonade, iced tea and coffee
dessert

i feel like it is a big enough selection that people can eat and pick and choose what they want. What do you all think is it enough? Too much? Not enough?

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So What Happened?

The shower went off without a hitch. I ended up with way way more food than I needed. It happens every time lol. But we did the taco bar with beef, chicken, rice and beans. and all the fixings. veggie tray, fruit tray and chips and salsa. several desserts. And the lemonade and tea. Had enough food left over to dish up and send home with people and still make dishes to throw in the freeze for us 4 different meals. Thanks for all the help ladies. Another nice event done. And now I can breath til the wedding.

Featured Answers

W.W.

answers from Washington DC on

ETA: Julie S has a point. Is this what people in the family(ies) normally eat? I realize you can't make all the people happy....that's why I said include the bride and groom's favorite...

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sounds good. I might add a potato salad. what about pickles and olives? that's a great tray to have as well - at least in MY OPINION! :)

How does the bride and groom like the menu? Is there something of theirs that is a "favorite"?? I might include that.

I love the veggie shots! We did those at a pot luck and people were pleased! Each cup had a variety - so people could decide carrots, celery, etc. there were some with broccoli and cauliflower...

How may people are coming? All adults or kids too?

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D.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Looks good to me. No one expects to eat enough to be stuffed at a bridal shower. I also would not expect hot foods.

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More Answers

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Sounds good to me!
But where's the booze...? ;-)

6 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

My bridal shower had no booze - it's not a bachelorette party.
It sounds fine to me!

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J.S.

answers from St. Louis on

I really do just look at other family showers for guidance. What you described would actually cause people to tell me to my face it was awful. I am not saying what you are planning is awful, just it wouldn't work in my family and as Mamazita points out, where is the booze.

Thing is everything you list are small items which will make people confused. If I saw that I would think I get one small sandwich, one small cookie pizza, a small bit of pasta salad and a cup of vegetables. No appetizers, nothing hot, no alcohol?

In my family you must be so stuffed you are in pain or an event was a failure. We are a bit dysfunctional so alcohol is necessary. Sorry if this isn't helpful but my basic point is look to what family members have done, not what a bunch of women you never met do

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M.R.

answers from Washington DC on

I too think it's fine overall. I might add another sweet thing, maybe some high-quality mini cupcakes (these were what my brother and his wife had as their wedding "cake" for their tiny wedding and the cupcakes were a HUGE hit). Maybe get chocolate and vanilla ones.

So the cookies are supposed to be the base of the fruit pizzas? It's a cute idea but sounds rather fussy -- people might not want to "build your own" and it means they'd have to juggle cookie, spread cheeese, put fruit on top (and the fruit would need to be cut up pretty small to go onto a cookie). I'd do without the fruit pizzas and go with simple, beautiful sugar cookies (you can get really elegant varieties at nice bakeries!) and mini cupcakes, or have a wedding shower cake.

I have seen the "veggie shot" idea but personally prefer being able to get my own veggies off a veg tray. If the glasses are already packed, someone will get one but pick out what they like and the rest is rather wasted. If you provide a tray of veg instead folks can just get what they want. And that's less work for you as the person preparing it all, too.

The amounts are fine. I would not expect hot food or hot pasta etc. at a shower, at least not where we live and with the showers I've been to.... The focus is on nibbles and gifts, not on a meal, especially if the event is mid-afternoon.

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M.H.

answers from Dallas on

It looks fine, but personally I would have chocolate, in some form. Maybe cupcakes?

ETA: I forgot to add that we were going to do sandwiches for a party we had last summer, but when we went to Costco we saw that had a ton of really nice appetizers and party food in the frozen and fresh sections of the store that ended up being cheaper and easier. I don't know if you have a Costco near you but it would be worth checking out.

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S.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

I would add some potato chips and dip, pretzels and nuts.

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D.B.

answers from Boston on

I wouldn't do wings - they're messy and greasy, and people will be wanting to look at and pick up the gifts. Not a good thing for something that is dressier than a BBQ or a watch-the-football game night.

You're very heavy on the "wheat" - sandwich rolls, crackers, pasta, cookies. Not everyone can eat a ton of that. I'm not sure what's in the veggie shots - if it's a sizable selection of vegetables, fine, but if it's just a carrot and a celery stick, I'd add more veggies in another fashion.

You've mentioned a "hot" dish - I wouldn't do a second pasta (like lasagna) if you have a pasta salad, but you could do a simple spinach or broccoli quiche or a frittata (quiche with no crust). You could also do a green salad with whatever veggies are not in the veggie shots. Use some dark (e.g. spinach, arugula) or reddish greens (e.g. radicchio) in with the basic romaine or other green lettuce, put in some unusual things like fennel or jicama or chickpeas just to mix it up a little from the usual salad.

Whether it's "enough" food or not, we can't tell - but I gather you're asking about variety (which you've shown us) vs. quantity (which you haven't).

The thing people care about at showers and parties is presentation - how cute does it all look? So the fruit pizzas sound nice, and the sandwiches sound like they're on attractive rolls, and the veggies are in some sort of shot glass which is an unusual presentation, so that's all very positive. The fruit and the veggies add color.

If guests are making their own fruit pizzas, that's going to slow up the buffet line. So I'd consider making a bunch up ahead of time - I assume you are spreading cream cheese on cookies and then putting a few assorted fruit on top. If you can make up a few dozen, I think they will look lovely on a platter, and then people can just choose one as they go through the line. You can mix up the toppings so they aren't identical and offer a choice but still look inviting on the tray. I've also seen seedless watermelon cut in wedges (to look like pizza slices, with the green rind as the edge of the "crust"), with various fruits on top as toppings - kiwi, berries, mandarin orange segments, grape halves. You could do some of those for people who don't eat gluten or dairy. I don't think they'd take any more time.

But remember that people aren't coming for a full meal - just some festive fun foods while they congratulate the bride and watch the opening of gifts.

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M.C.

answers from Detroit on

Your menu sounds great. I would add some hummus and pita chips. Vegetarians love that stuff.

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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

I would add a Caesar salad to the mix.

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S.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I would add some hot food to the selection. Mini vegetarian quiches, vol au vents and a cob loaf dip. Some more sweet selections would be nice too.

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❤.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I think your variety is pretty good (not sure of the quantity you have...kiind of
hard to tell) but I would still add:
-a cold pasta salad
-green salad (like spinach w/sliced strawberries, slivered almonds, vinagrette
dressing
-I've seen the little shot glasses of Ranch & carrot/celery sticks. Just make sure
you have enough so people can have come bk & grab 2 or 3 of those shot
glasses
-have bottled water
-I'd add humus dip & poss a bean dip for the vegetarians
-add a quiche
-some bread rolls
-I'd definitely serve some rustic pizzas (classic pepperoni, feta/spinach/sausage,
a bbq chicken/diced red onions/mushrooms, classic combo etc.)
-having crackers & cheese seems to satisfy many ppl
-how about adding a hot silver crock of fancy soup?
-your idea of fruit tray & little sugar cookies sounds good.

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P.K.

answers from New York on

Doesn't seem
Like enough. How many people. Is it a brunch? I would usually do two hot dishes, salad, rolls. Also a 3 ft wedge depending on how many people. Potato/Mac salad, green salad. Also some appetizers like cheese and crackers, chips and various dips and maybe 2 hot appetizers. Cake, fruit and coffee.

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C.V.

answers from Columbia on

A lot of folks (like myself) don't eat wheat/bread/gluten products. You have a lot of wheat-based products on your table.

I suggest doing a meat/cheese/veggie tray apart from the bread so that folks can assemble their own little sandwiches if they want.

Some gluten-free crackers are also nice. :-)

And you could have the pasta salad made with gluten free pasta. Be sure you rinse the pasta after boiling and I guarantee nobody will know the difference until you tell them. :-)

Regular salad.

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M.S.

answers from Washington DC on

I would add a potato salad, a green salad, maybe with spinach and strawberries, and more dessert options, and water bottles or large dispensers filled with water, ice and various infusion options.

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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

It's plenty. They aren't going to be expecting a full meal, and if they are, then blame it on their parents' poor upbringing of them.

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A.B.

answers from Louisville on

Is this shower at/close to a meal time, or is intended to be just a snacks/finger food kind of thing? If it is possible people are looking at it as a meal, definitely add more to the line up in terms of hot foods (mini pizzas, pasta, quiche, etc.). But if this is just meant to be finger foods, your selection sounds fine but perhaps a little on the light side. In the interest of full disclosure, though, I love to go overboard on the food when I'm hosting and don't mind having a pile of leftovers as long as it's all good and all enjoyed by the attendees. However, picturing a plate of the items you mentioned, I think as a guest, I would be perfectly satisfied with the selection.

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