All about hors d'oeuvres

Hors d'oeuvres are always appreciated by guests.

Bite-sized delicacies, hors d'oeuvres are essentially up-scale snacks. A cocktail hour allows for an easy transition between a wedding ceremony and reception when guests are required to travel from one venue to the next and may arrive at different times. 

When designing an hors d'oeuvres menu, think in opposites;

• Select one item that is crunchy and another that is soft.
• Choose a vegetarian hors d’oeuvre option and something for meat eaters.
• Consider the demographic of your guests when selecting hors d'oeuvres. Men generally prefer meat and higher calorie options than an event that is made up primarily of women.
• Anticipate the time of year the event will be held. Guests at summer events prefer lighter fare. For winter functions, select heartier hors d'oeuvre options.
• If you come from a seafood-loving family, highlight this in the menu. Remember to think in opposites and select some hors d’oeuvres for the inevitable non-seafood loving guest.
• Guests will enjoy the diversity of a menu that allows them to try foods that are outside their comfort zone when paired with foods that are more traditional and feel safe.

For more creative cocktail hour ideas, visit http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-reception-planning/articles/wedding-reception-ideas-creative-cocktail-hours.aspx?MsdVisit=1

Passed hors d’oeuvres encourage guests to mingle; whereas, buffet hors d’oeuvres allow them the opportunity to admire and choose between a variety of options. For groups of 40 and above, it's generally a good idea to have a combination of butler passed and buffet hors d’oeuvres.

Hors d’oeuvre receptions, in which a buffet made up entirely of hors d’oeuvres takes the place of a traditional dinner, encourage guests to mingle rather than sitting during a dinner hour. The benefit of an hors d'oeuvre reception is in how it shapes the personality of the wedding and whether this super social atmosphere reflects the personality of your event. While the food is bite-size and therefore looks smaller, hors d’oeuvre receptions are generally as costly, if not more expensive, than planning a traditional dinner.

However they're served, hors d'oeuvres always add style to an event.