How to correctly create and calculate a menu for a wedding for 20, 50, 70 people

The main wedding celebration takes place during a multi-hour feast. Many guests will see the young couple as the bride and groom for the first time at the banquet. But, as they say, you won’t be satisfied with beauty alone, so the wedding menu has a great influence on the success of the entire celebration. What is important for guests, first of all, is not competitions and musical accompaniment, but the design of the wedding hall and properly selected dishes.

According to primordial Slavic traditions, during a feast, the tables should be “crowded” with a variety of dishes, and every guest should be well-fed. Let's talk about how to create a wedding menu without any shortcomings.

Calculating the menu for the wedding

Remember that you cannot do without certain hassles, since you need to create a menu not only taking into account the variety and sophistication of the dishes, but also taking into account their quantity and portion size. No one wants their wedding guests to go home hungry or upset that they didn’t have time to try the delicacy. It is important to clearly understand whether there will be 20, 50 or more guests at the banquet.

Remember versatility

The menu for the wedding table should be universal, that is, the dishes should be interchangeable so that each of the guests can try whatever they want. The menu at a wedding banquet should be varied; you need to think about not only the availability and composition of hot dishes, but also take care of vegetables, fruits, and cold appetizers.

The main task:

1. Calculate the total number of dishes and their ratio to the invited people.
2. Calculate portions.
3. Select ingredients for dishes.

What to consider when creating a menu

After reviewing the range of dishes offered by the establishment, decide for yourself which ones you would like to order. You should not take into account dishes that you have never tried.

If you are on a limited budget, you should not choose expensive options, since there are similar ones, but at a more reasonable price.

It is very important to diversify the menu. You need to order snacks of different composition, since guests have different tastes, and someone may prefer meat, another fish, and another vegetable.

During the banquet there must be at least 2 hot dishes: one general and the other individual. If the celebration lasts more than 7 hours, then you can add one more hot dish (3 in total).

Check with the administrator about alcoholic drinks: how much you can bring your own. In establishments, alcohol is more expensive than in a store, so there is often an unspoken amount for which you need to order in a restaurant, and you can take the rest of your own.

A buffet table will be very useful for young guests awaiting their arrival, and some will also want to have a snack during the gift ceremony (while they are waiting for their turn). Light snacks (sandwiches, canapés), fruits, and don’t forget champagne and wine are suitable for the buffet. When ordering wedding decor, remember that the buffet table also requires the attention of decorators.

How to make a wedding menu at home

If your wedding is taking place in a narrow circle of invitees, and your house can accommodate up to 20 guests, then you should not spend extra money on renting a room - you can prepare all the dishes yourself, involving relatives and friends in this process.

Of course, dishes made at home should not be the usual ones that everyone eats for lunch and dinner, but there is no point in trying to repeat complex recipes from chefs. Here is a sample menu for a wedding for 15-20 people, which is easy to repeat at home:

• Snacks: pickles, sliced ​​cheese and meat, vegetable plate, fruit, sandwiches with sprats.
• Salads: herring under a fur coat, with chicken and pineapples.
• Hot: cabbage rolls, baked potatoes, marinated fish.
• Dessert: cake, wafer rolls with condensed milk, sweets, fruit.

Place all dishes on 2-3 plates and place them at different ends of the table.

Wedding menu in a cafe, restaurant

There are no specific rules that determine what should be on the wedding table. But there are “established” tips that should be followed if you choose a classic celebration option rather than a themed celebration. The list of alcoholic drinks includes vodka, wine, both regular and sparkling, etc., but in no case should beer be present.

Each restaurant, cafe and even canteen offers its own menu, which includes a lot of food options that also differ in price. The administrator will give advice on what is most in demand. There must be at least 2 hot dishes, 3-5 cold appetizers and tea/coffee with cake.

The most popular dish options:

• Snacks are varied: sausages, vegetable slices, seafood sandwiches, cheeses.
• Salads will also not be superfluous. It is better to take a few in small quantities rather than one type of salad in large quantities. Popular ones include the following: Olivier, Caesar, Greek, “shuba”, vegetable options.
• A tasty and satisfying dish are tartlets that can be filled with anything.
• If you decide to order stuffed eggs, then take the minimum, but stuffed vegetables will be in great demand.
• The hot dish should be meat: beef/pork + vegetable or potato side dish is suitable. Chicken is best served with rice, as is fish steak.
• Don’t forget about non-alcoholic drinks: mineral water, juices (you can even make your own birch juice), carbonated drinks.
• Dessert is traditionally represented by a cake, which is ordered either in the establishment or from a third-party baker. A sweet table of various delicacies is also acceptable, but this option is used less often. Make sure there is coffee and tea for each guest.

Approximate calculation of products

Ordering a lot of food is costly and unjustified.

The approximate range of dishes for the celebration should consist of:

• 3-5 types of appetizers and salads (half serving or serving per guest);
• meat, vegetable, fish platters;
• hot dish with side dish - one or two dishes;
• hot snack;
• a variety of beautifully arranged fruits;
• ice cream;
• tea and coffee, which can be arranged on a separate table so that everyone can drink if they wish.

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Sample menu per person for a wedding

The main rule of any successful feast is that no one should remain hungry or dissatisfied. It is also important not to overdo the number of dishes: try to eliminate the possibility of a large number of “saved” food, because money is paid for everything, which could have gone in another direction.

When calculating the wedding menu per person, take into account both the number and composition of guests, and the duration of the celebration. More partying means more drinking and eating.

With an average wedding duration of 6 hours, it is optimal to take 1500 grams of food per guest. Categories of dishes should be calculated in approximately equal proportions; if you take more hot food, then reduce the portions of salads. You should get approximately 0.4 kg of hot food, 0.5 kg of snacks, 0.25 kg of salads, etc. Fruit should be taken at the rate of 0.2 kg, and cake 0.1-0.15 kg per 1 guest. For small children, the total volume can be reduced by 30-50%.

Drinks should be provided in abundance, especially since they are served as needed and are stored in a closed container for a very long time. Strong alcohol, such as vodka, take 250 grams. per person, but low-alcohol drinks, such as wine, need to be taken one bottle per guest. Don't forget to exclude children from the calculation. You should not buy a lot of champagne, since it is customary to drink it only in the first part of the feast, so one bottle for 3 people will be enough. Juices, carbonated and mineral drinks should be taken at least 1.5 liters for each guest; if the wedding is on a hot summer day, then it is better to play it safe and take 2 liters.

Consider the number of male and female guests

When creating a menu for a wedding, you need to take into account the gender of the guests. Men need more food than women. The salad is prepared at the rate of 50 g. per guest. In the case where men are represented with a numerical superiority, increase this figure to 70 grams. Alcohol is also purchased taking into account the presence of ladies and gentlemen. Women prefer liqueurs and wine, while men prefer cognac and vodka.

Children at a wedding

So that during a long walk, children do not distract you, and they do not get bored with adults, it is better to set a separate table for them. This way they can get enough and, without disturbing anyone, get up and play a little. The children's menu differs from the traditional one: do not serve heavy dishes (avoid mayonnaise dressing, fatty meat), spicy dishes are also not recommended. You need to focus on light salads, chicken fillet, sweets and fruits.

The time of year affects the menu features

• In autumn there is a sufficient selection of natural meat, dairy products, vegetables and fruits can also be bought fresh and in the right quantities.
• In winter, it is almost impossible to find fresh fruits and vegetables. In winter, the body needs more calories, so it is worth including high-calorie pork dishes. A good snack will also increase your consumption of strong alcohol.
• In spring, the body lacks vitamins, so the presence of vegetables, parsley, and dill is mandatory.
• As for the menu for a wedding in the summer, during this hot season you don’t really want to eat mayonnaise salads or fatty meats. You need to pay attention to light salads, less fatty meat, chicken or fish dishes. It is better not to take publicly available fruits (apples, pears), since guests can try them in the summer anyway.

Aperitif and cold appetizers

The experience-proven calculation of products per person is:

• slicing - three to four types of meat (stuffed neck, carbonate, chicken legs, etc.), calculating 40 g per person of each type, plus one type of sausage, preferably raw smoked;
• hard cheese – 20-25 g;
• vegetables: (radish, cucumbers, tomatoes) – 50 g;
• sweet pepper (the combination of yellow and red varieties looks beautiful) 20-30 g;
• greens - dill, parsley, cilantro are used for decoration and can be placed on a separate dish;
• pickles: cucumbers and tomatoes 50 g each;
• olives or black olives – 10 -15 g;
• pickled mushrooms – 35-40 g;
• fish - can be white or red - 40 g. After processing the fish, about 20 percent is waste, take this into account;
• red caviar – 15-20 g, and black caviar 10 g;
• the amount of fruit is determined by the time of year in which the celebration is celebrated. Traditionally served are lemons, oranges, grapes, pears, bananas are recommended in the summer.

Tartlets, sweets, fruits, and nuts are suitable for an aperitif.

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Basics of booking a wedding reception

Remember the following traditional rules:

1. Institutions most often work with prepayment. First of all, this is a guarantee that you will not cancel your reservation at the last moment. You can agree on a fixed deposit amount, but most often in restaurants the prepayment is a certain percentage of the entire order (10-20% of the preliminary calculation).
2. The work of waiters is indirectly included in the cost of organizing a banquet, but according to an unspoken rule, you need to pay a remuneration for their work. The amount is approximately 50 cents for 1 guest (accordingly, for 50 guests – 25 USD for waiters). The work of cooks is estimated at approximately the same amount.
3. Not often, but there are establishments where you need to pay for the rent of the hall.
4. How much does the wedding menu cost per person? The administrator of any establishment will clearly state the amount of the minimum order for each guest. In Minsk restaurants (for 2021) this amount is 70-100 BYN. rub. In cafes and canteens you can invest 40-50 rubles. Some establishments close the hall when booking for a specific total amount (for example, 5000 rubles and you can invite 50-90 people, the amount does not change). The final price depends on the status of the establishment and the markup.

In what order are the dishes served?

• By the appointed time of the start of the banquet, the table should be filled with all snacks, including assorted dishes, juices and waters, fruits and alcohol.
• After about 30 minutes, salads are served on the table.
• The first hot dish (snack) is brought 1.5-2 hours after the start of the celebration (it all depends on the number of hot dishes and the planned duration of the evening).
• The second (main) hot dish must be served with a side dish. Before it is taken out, waiters change cutlery and remove dirty dishes. This happens a little later than mid-evening (if the wedding is 7 o’clock, then 4 hours after the start).
• The final touch of the feast is the bringing out of the wedding cake. After tea, the celebration can continue - start a disco.

Cake and loaf

The loaf begins the wedding feast, and the cake symbolizes the peak of the celebration. According to tradition, a round loaf is made, which is decorated with paintings and patterns, and it is presented to the young people before entering the establishment.

A wedding cake gives true scope for imagination. The shapes and variations are so different that each couple will be able to choose the option they like, make some changes and order a wedding cake. The cake is ordered by weight at the rate of 100-150 g. per guest. Don’t forget to order wedding hall decorations and off-site registration from PikoBy.