Wedding reception for 200 amounts of food to make
Jeanie
08/30/11 		Hi Ellen, I've never asked advice on the internet before but I need you! So, here goes.
We have a wedding reception for 200. The wedding is at 3:30 on a Sat. with the reception following. My menue is:
Bowls with Chicken salad surrounded with crackers, plus some on trays in filo shells.
The same with Tuna salad, crackers and filo shells.
Some pimento cheese salad with crackers.
Meat balls in sauce.
Mixed fruit in pineapple halves with dip.
Cream cheese & walnut stuffed pear halves.
A veggie tray with dip.
Morocco Salad (broccoli, cauliflower,bacon,sunflower seed, mozz. cheese, raisins with a sauce) one punch bowl full feeds 40.
Our family also has a tradition of making european type dainty cookies and chocolate candies for our weddings so there will be a large spread of small (2 - 3 bite size) cookies, fudge and chocolates.
Plus we will have the traditional cake.
We already know how many cookies to make, the cake is coming and can figure out the punch.
Because of all we are offering I am wondering how much of the meatballs, chicken and tuna salad, crackers, veggie trays to make. I was planning on 4 - 5 punchbowls of the morrocco salad. I would appreciate your advice. I am very apprehensive about guessing amounts.
Thank you for all you do for everyone.
ellen
08/31/11 		Hi, Jeanie,

I'd love to see/taste the desserts! The timing is for reception level food, most people will not be trying to eat their dinner, so you need less than for a meal:

Chicken salad- about 6 gallons
Tuna salad- about 4 gallons
Pimento cheese salad- about 2 1/2 to 3 gallons
Meat balls in sauce- 1 pound per each 5 people if one flavor, 1 pound per each 4 if 2 or more flavors

Unless you are deeply devoted to the pineapple halves, please consider fruit trays (see the pineapple fruit tray for 25 for example). Easier to prep and store, and you don't have as much trash after.

Jeanie
09/01/11 		I feel so computer illiterate! But I am proud to say I found this after about an hour of searching! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I almost cried when i saw that you answered. Do I still need to use the same amounts for the vegetable tray if I am also makeing morrocco salad? Same question for the fruit tray if I am also making stuffed pears? Just wondering. THANK you for your patience and wisdom.
ellen
09/02/11 		Good for you.

With the broccoli salad, you might consider doing 2 of my classic relish trays instead of regular raw veggies and dip, the amounts are on the veggie tray page.

Counting each whole pear (two halves) as 1 person, I would make the fruit trays for however many people you don't "have a pear for" For example, if you make 100 pears, make other fruit for only about 100.

Jeanie
09/02/11 		Thank you so much Ellen. I can breathe now. I was so clueless. My daughter said you can come to the wedding if you are anywhere near Somerset KY and eat some of the goodies. It really IS beautiful to behold. My mother is 95 with 140 decendents and has always had us do the dainty cookies for weddings. Kalachi's, tiny cream horns, butter fingers, coconut strawberries,truffles, fudges and 25 other types of cookies and candies. I have a little cookbook I made with all the recipes in it and each of the aunts pick about 6 different things to make and bring them the night before. We use tiered cut glass serving dishes, large silver platters, antique glass plates, etc. It always wow's the guests and it REALLY is a reasonably priced thing to do.
Jeanie
09/02/11 		One more question..(hopefully) How many pounds of crackers for the 13 gallons of meat spreads? Thank you.
ellen
09/02/11 		What a great family party! I would do 6 pounds of crackers PLUS 6 pounds of those cute tiny Pepperidge Farm cocktail bread slices (or other delicious thin sliced bread) per 100 people. You will have some left.
Jeanie
09/03/11 		I am glad I put (hopefully) on my last question. I spent over an hour on the internet trying to find out how many cans/ounces of chicken to use in a gallon of chicken salad. I am adding Ranch and cream cheese. If I knew the ounces or cans of chicken I could figure the cream cheese and the ranch. I WILL be using canned chicken. I am sure the chicken ounces and tuna would be the same as both are around the same texture when coming from a can. Thank you for the cracker/bread amounts. I have the fruit and veggie amounts figured out thanks to your tray amounts. You have been wonderfully helpful. What would I have done without you? Thank you so much ... for everything and the confidence you give people who really don't know what they are doing!
ellen
09/03/11 		Make 1 chicken's worth and measure-