How much food for 200 people reception?
Brittany
08/10/10 		I am doing the food for my own wedding reception next week. We are looking at 200 people. 150 of which are adults, 50 of which are children. I am planning on serving cold buffett of the following items, but don't want to under buy. How much of each should I get?

Thinly sliced turkey/ham
Two cheeses sliced
chips
dinner rolls
potato salad
regular salad w/ dressings
pinwheels
veggie trays
fruit trays
Possibly cocktail shrimp if they still have some at the store.

Desert will be wedding cake and cookies which are already taken care of as well.

Thanks for any help I can get :)

ellen
08/10/10 		OK, you need to recruit several people not members of the wedding party to set up, serve and clean up wile you and guests do the wedding. 6-8. A local church is a good place to start, they often have experiences food people from their kitchens.

Thinly sliced turkey/ham; 1 pound turkey per 4 PLUS 1 pound ham per 5
Two cheeses sliced-2 ounces per person
pinwheels-2 to 3 pieces per person, depends on size and type
dinner rolls- get a variety of rolls and bread, 1 pound total per each 5 people
You need sandwich makings, lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayo, see the sandwich event article, use 2 times the amount for 100.

chips- I allow at least 6 pounds potato or 8 pounds corn chips per 100. Get dips; 3 quarts per 100

potato salad-4 gallons per 100
regular salad w/ dressings- see the plan for 100 page, 1 3/4 times the amount for 100

veggie trays- see the veggie tray page. Consider doing 2 relish trays for 60 plus about about 12-14 pounds assorted vegetables plus dip as indicated (thin Ranch)
fruit trays- see the fruit tray page. Do 6-8 times the tray for 25, substituting other fruits as desired according to the tables.

Possibly cocktail shrimp if they still have some at the store. Terrifically popular. You need at least 1 pound for each 5 people plus 1/4 cup cocktail sauce per person. Best to have someone serve these, people can be very greedy.

You need dinner level coffee service See the beverage planning page for other beverages.

Brittany
08/10/10 		Great. Thank you.

the only thing I'm concerned about is the meat. I went to the deli last night and the slices they did were about 17 slices per lb. That seems like an awful lot of meat if I go by lbs as you mentioned. Would you change the amount with this figure (15 slices worse case per lb)?

Thanks!

ellen
08/11/10 		No, I go by weight. When the slices are thin, people take more slices.