A wedding is not only a solemn registration of marriage, a photo shoot, a walk, and gifts. This is also a banquet that will go off without a hitch only if it is organized in strict accordance with existing requirements and rules.
All of them relate, first of all, to the exact calculation of the number of necessary products, selected after drawing up the holiday menu. You need to take into account both the number of guests and their age. The quantity and quality of not only products for preparing snacks and meals, but also drinks – both containing alcohol and without it – depend on this.
When creating a menu for a wedding banquet, you should make sure that all the necessary products are purchased in a wide range. The tables should have:
- cold snacks;
- salads;
- cold cuts;
- sauces;
- fruits;
- cheeses;
- fish dishes;
- hot dishes.
Of course, there should be an abundance of various drinks. Among those invited to the wedding there will probably be guests with children. For them and for many adults, you will need to prepare water with and without gas, sweet drinks, and juices.
Most guests drink alcohol, and what would a celebration be without champagne? Dry, semi-dry wines, vodka and other alcohol-containing drinks are placed on the table.
Their quantity is calculated in advance so as not to face the problem of shortage or not to think about what to do with the remaining bottles, realizing that a significant amount of money was spent in vain.
Any banquet begins with light appetizers, in which vegetables and cold cuts are placed on the tables. There should be fresh vegetables and fruits, pickles, and smoked meats.
An accurate calculation of the amount of food for a wedding banquet is also important because in many cases the heroes of the occasion and the organizers of the holiday (including the banquet) strive to keep costs to a minimum. To do this, even when renting space in a restaurant or cafe, they agree on the opportunity to bring their own food and alcoholic drinks. During the walk after the ceremonial registration, the procession participants will need champagne, soft drinks, fruits, and sweets.
How much of both should you take with you on a walk? The answer to this question can be obtained by making an accurate calculation.
How to calculate the amount of food
To make an accurate and correct calculation of food for a wedding, you need to know the generally accepted norms for food consumption, the number of adult guests, and the number of children present at the celebration.
Everyone knows that guests actively eat and drink only at the beginning of the celebration. At this time, toasts and congratulations are heard. Adults drink and snack, and children taste the beautiful sweet dishes with interest.
You can calculate the amount of food by knowing the weight of one serving for an adult or a child. It is important to take into account the calorie content of each dish and the fact that, having quickly become full at the very beginning of the banquet, guests will not actively consume hot food.
If the hosts of the holiday want to provide tasty and satisfying food to the guests, giving them the opportunity to try each of the prepared dishes, they should think about what should be the weight and volume of the portions placed on the tables at the very beginning of the banquet.
Knowing the exact number of guests invited to the wedding and the standard of products for preparing one serving of a particular dish, you can safely begin to calculate the total amount of products that will be used to prepare salads, main dishes, and snacks.
These standards are different for sausages, meat, fish, poultry, cheeses, vegetables and fruits. Before you start making calculations, you need to find out the number of guests and the exact amount of food needed to prepare one serving of food and have a menu already drawn up.
The number of drinks depends on the time of year in which the date of the gala banquet falls. During the hot season, you will have to provide a large amount of water.
Remembering that the main dish of any wedding is always the cake, it is important to make sure that you have the right amount of tea and coffee.
How many grams per person
You can avoid unnecessary costs and senselessly wasted (spoiled) food by knowing how many grams there should be in each serving of cold appetizers, dessert or hot food prepared for adults and children. The consumption rate of products depends on their properties and the characteristics of the prepared dish.
There should be several types of salads on the holiday table:
- meat;
- vegetable;
- fish;
- fruity
All of them are served in special dishes and arranged so that each guest has the opportunity to try the dish they like. Often, for convenience, salads are served in portions, and the cuts are placed on the tables in the form of canapés. The variety of cold appetizers allows you to satisfy your hunger and satisfy your interest already in the first minutes of the festive banquet.
To ensure that all guests are satisfied and well-fed, you need to know how many grams of various products a serving intended for one person should contain.
Snacks
Cold and spicy appetizers are one of the first dishes put on the table. For full perception of taste and saturation, one person must be provided with a portion weighing at least 250 g.
What are snacks? This is primarily fish caviar, pickles, smoked meats, cheeses, and ham. Snacks can be not only cold. Hot snacks are also very popular. If among the guests there are supporters of proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, vegetarians, then they will undoubtedly be pleased with mushroom julienne and shrimp in batter.
This portion for one person is 70–100 g. All these dishes do not help satisfy the feeling of hunger, but rather, on the contrary, aggravate it. Therefore, at the same time as appetizers, salads and cold cuts are placed on the tables.
Cold cuts can consist of balyk, boiled tongue, hams and sausages of different varieties.
For one person, 150 g of this cut is quite enough. If pieces of various cheeses are placed on a platter, then 100 g of such cuts are needed for one adult. Vegetable mix:
- bell pepper;
- tomatoes;
- cucumber;
- radish;
- daikon;
- lettuce leaves and other greens.
Vegetable serving – 100 g . Sliced fish includes different types of salted and smoked fish, and this portion does not exceed 40–50 grams per person.
Salads
Salads are served in common dishes, which are arranged depending on the table design concept. If a separate table is served for each group of guests, then the amount of salad is calculated in accordance with the number of people sitting at the table. There is at least 250 grams of each salad per person.
To give guests the opportunity to enjoy the salads they like, prepared dishes are placed in communal salad bowls.
Hot meat and fish dishes
Hot meat and fish dishes are the main dishes on the menu. They are served after empty dishes from salads and appetizers have been removed from the table, and the service staff has replaced the used plates with clean ones. Hot dishes are served either in portions (kebabs, kebab, chops) or in sliced form (baked pigs, fish, poultry).
The weight of one serving is 250 grams per adult. This is quite enough to satiate and avoid the feeling of overeating.
Dessert
After the hot dishes, it is time to serve desserts. Despite the fact that the main wedding dessert is cake, tiny cakes, mousses, fruit and berry jellies, fruit salads are also necessarily included in the menu. Each serving for an adult is 150–200 g. This also applies to a wedding cake.
Long before baking, its weight is determined, which depends on the number of invited guests (each should get a piece weighing 200 g).
Bread
The quantity of bakery products is calculated depending on the serving method. If these are specially baked buns, then there are from 3 to 5 such products for each guest. In total, an adult is entitled to 150 g of bread.
Seasonings
Spicy sauces and seasonings in the form of mustard or horseradish are served in a special sauce boat. Such dishes are set at the rate of one container per 10 people. For an adult guest, 10 grams of hot seasoning is enough to improve the taste of any dish, changing it at will.
Adjika and Tatar sauce, mayonnaise and tkemali
Fruits
Fresh fruits are placed on tables on multi-tiered stands or in large vases. Their number also depends on the design of the table.
If several people are sitting at each separate table, then the fruit is served in one large vase. Apples, pears, grapes, pomegranates, and oranges are placed on the common table with the expectation that each adult should have 200 grams of fruit.
Online calculator
To save yourself from unnecessary hassle and be sure that the correct calculation will help you avoid unnecessary material costs, you just need to use an online calculator designed for calculating food for a wedding.
It is he who will allow you to determine exactly how much food is needed per person for the wedding. In order to use such a calculator, you need to know exactly the number of invited guests and have an already compiled menu indicating all the dishes.
The number of products that need to be purchased for preparing main courses, appetizers, desserts and side dishes is calculated using the formula: K x M = A
K – product consumption rate;
M – number of people;
A – weight of the original product (kg, pcs)
If the banquet is organized for 50 people, then to calculate the amount of ham you will need
200 x 50 = 10,000 g = 10 kg of ham.
The quantity of other products is calculated in a similar way.
From this video you will learn how to correctly calculate the amount of food for a wedding:
When preparing for organizing a wedding banquet and creating a menu, it is important to remember the need to serve side dishes. Their weight per serving is 150 g.
Accurate calculations, knowledge of the standards and requirements for the allocation of products for each serving of all dishes included in the menu will help to avoid unnecessary material costs, take care of all those invited to the celebration and be sure that the purchased products will not be spoiled. It is also important that none of the guests will remain hungry. Everyone will be able to try the most delicious dishes and snacks, everyone will get a piece of the wedding cake and an original dessert. This means that all guests will be in a great mood.
In today's article we will talk about how much food and drinks should be at a banquet so that guests are full and satisfied? How to calculate the number of drinks for all guests? How to make the menu optimal in terms of the ratio of dishes: salads, appetizers, mains? To answer all these questions, some rules have been invented.
Of course, if you go to a good restaurant, the banquet manager knows and will tell you about these subtleties, but it wouldn’t hurt to calculate everything yourself and delve into the intricacies of the restaurant business.
What to consider when creating a wedding menu:
The tables should be filled with dishes so that there is enough food for everyone and there is no situation of additional ordering. It is best to make salads in portions, but put cold and hot appetizers, as well as sliced vegetables and meats on shared plates.
Consider a separate menu for children (they eat less, but drink more drinks and juices), as well as vegetarians - your friends who do not eat meat.
Agree with the restaurant about purchasing your own alcohol and cake, as well as the ability to package the remaining food and drinks.
Appoint a responsible person (or the wedding planner should act in this role) to monitor the fulfillment of the order by the restaurant - the number and weight of portions, the number of bottles of alcohol.
When creating a menu, focus on the time of year - for example, in the hot season they drink more white wine, soft drinks, and eat light snacks, vegetables, and fish more readily.
Calculation of the amount of food at the banquet:
If your banquet will last about 4-5 hours, then it would be optimal to order 1400-1500 g. different food per person. The following are the ratios of various dishes and snacks in grams per person:
Cold appetizers – 350-400 gr. per person (cheeses, vegetables and cold cuts, fish, mushrooms)
Salads – 200-250 gr. per person (meat, vegetable and fish salads)
Hot snacks – 100 gr. per person (pancakes, vegetables in batter, etc.)
Hot dishes of meat and fish – 250 gr. per person
Garnish for hot dishes – 150 gr. per person (rice, vegetables, potatoes)
Fruit plate – 200 gr. per person
Cake - 150-200 gr. per person*
Quantity of food per person: 1400 – 1500 gr.
Calculation of drink norms per person:
First you need to decide what alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will be present at the banquet. It depends on the tastes of your guests - cognac, martini, whiskey, liqueur - drinks are for everyone. But vodka, wine and champagne must be present.
Vodka - 1 bottle is enough for 2 people
Wine – 1 bottle per person is enough
Champagne – count on 1 bottle for three people (for the first 2 toasts)
For non-alcoholic drinks, it is better to purchase mineral water (with or without carbon), juice (2 types) and fruit drink. Soft drinks should be 1.5-2 liters per person.
Have a delicious holiday dinner!
When ordering a banquet hall The question arises about creating a menu. How much food should there be at a banquet to keep guests full and satisfied? We will help you make the menu optimal in terms of the ratio of dishes: salads, appetizers, mains.
Of course, if you go to a good restaurant, banquet manager will tell you about these subtleties and offer ready-made menu options, but it would be useful to calculate everything yourself and delve into the intricacies of the restaurant business.
What to consider when creating a wedding menu:
- tables should be filled with dishes so that there is enough food for everyone and there is no situation of additional ordering. It is best to make salads into portions, and put cold and hot appetizers, as well as sliced vegetables and meats, on shared plates;
- think over a separate menu for children(they eat less, but drink more drinks and juices), as well as vegetarians - your friends who do not eat meat;
Agree with the restaurant about independent purchase of alcohol and cake, as well as the possibility of packing remaining food and drinks;
- appoint a responsible person(or the wedding coordinator should act in this role) monitor the fulfillment of the order by the restaurant - the number and weight of portions, the number of bottles of alcohol;
- When creating a menu, focus on the time of year- for example, in winter, hot fish and meat dishes and strong alcoholic drinks are popular.
Calculating the amount of food at a banquet
If your banquet will last about 4-5 hours, then it would be optimal to order 1400-1500 g of various food per person. The following are the ratios of various dishes and snacks in grams per person.
Cold appetizers- 350-400 g per person (cheeses, vegetables and cold cuts, fish, mushrooms).
Salads- 200-250 g per person (meat, vegetable and fish salads).
Hot appetizers- 100 g per person (eggplant rolls, grilled vegetables, etc.).
Hot dishes from meat and fish - 250 g per person.
Garnish for hot - 150 g per person (rice, vegetables, potatoes).
fruit plate- 200 g per person.
Cake- 150-200 g per person.
About serving times
In order not to make a mistake with hot dishes, it is better to serve them on time. The hot dish is served three hours after the start of the feast. The holiday feast begins with cold cuts and salads, so salad alone is usually not enough. A hot appetizer is served about an hour and a half after the start of the feast. The main emphasis should be placed on the first table, so that the guests quickly get full, otherwise the wedding table will seem “poor” and all the cuts will be eaten.
If you have one hot dish, then it should be served in the middle of the wedding banquet; if there are two, they should be served in the first and second thirds of the celebration. It is better to serve the cake after the second hot dish has been eaten, otherwise it will go unnoticed among the guests.
Expert opinion
Elena Kirillova, manager of the Berezovaya Roshcha restaurant
“In our country we are used to having a wedding on a grand scale, but the issue of correctly drawing up a menu for a wedding is almost one of the most important and costly. Composing wedding menu, it is better to rely not on volume, but on the variety of dishes, because many guests are usually invited to such celebrations, and the banquet lasts at least 4-6 hours. It is also important to provide appropriate dishes for vegetarians and people observing fasting. On average, 5-7 types of cold appetizers and 3-4 types of salads are placed on a common table (at the rate of 1 serving for 2-3 people, depending on the range of dishes). Hot snack placed either in portions (individually for each person), or, like cold appetizers, on a common table (you can choose 2 types of hot appetizers). Main hot dish Best served in portions. Typically, a hot dish is selected on a 50/50 basis (meat/fish), or one type of hot dish is selected (mostly meat).
The most expensive and lengthy part of a wedding celebration is undoubtedly the banquet. The choice of place for a banquet directly depends on the number of guests, the time of the celebration and the individual wishes of the newlyweds. However, the principle by which tables are filled is approximately the same everywhere. The banquet table should include cold appetizers, salads, fish dishes, hot meat dishes, possibly soup, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, cake, coffee, tea and fruit.
For one person, the average calculation of drinks and food is approximately the following: cold appetizers, vegetable cuts, fish dishes and salads - 350 g, hot dish (meat and side dish) - 350 g. Alcoholic drinks must be purchased at the following rate: champagne – 0.5 l/1 person, wine – 1 bottle/1 person, vodka – 0.5 l/1 person. Buy non-alcoholic refreshing drinks at the rate of approximately: juice - 0.5 l/1 person, mineral water - 0.5 l/1 person.
The optimal menu option for a wedding banquet per person.
Cold appetizers:
Cold smoked fish (sturgeon, halibut, beluga, etc.) – 50-60 g
- red salted fish (trout, salmon) – 50-60 g
- sandwiches with red caviar – 1-2 pcs.
- salted herring – 50-60 g
- sliced cheese from smooth cheeses (“Gouda”, “Dutch”, etc.) – 20-30 g
- sliced raw smoked sausage, boiled sausage, boiled pork – 20-30 g
- jellied tongue – 40-50 g
- canapés with cheese (“Roquefort”) – 4-5 pcs.
- salad with sausage or meat, baked shrimp or salad with shrimp, “Liver” cake, “Greek” salad – 50 g each
- fresh greens – 20-30 g
- fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumbers – 40-50 g each
- pickled and salted mushrooms – 30 g each
- tomatoes, pickled or pickled cucumbers – 40-50 g each
- pies with mushrooms and meat – 2 pcs.
- sauerkraut – 40-50 g
- wild garlic, capers, pickled ginger and pickled garlic – 20 g each
- black olives, olives – 10-20 grams each.
- butter – 15 gr.
What dishes, in what quantity and how to serve?
Salads can be arranged in tartlets.
Butter is served chilled and cut into 0.5 cm cubes. Butter the bread in advance
no need to spread.
Appetizers do not need to be served all at once. They need to be divided into several parts and served on the table as they are required. Most of the snacks are consumed at the beginning of the banquet, when hot dishes have not yet been served.
Soups: mixed meat solyanka, meat broth with herbs and crackers, fish soup - 200-250 ml/1 person.
Soups, as a rule, are served if at least two hours have passed between registration at the registry office and the start of the banquet, and only after cold appetizers. First courses are usually in demand at winter weddings and should be served hot.
Hot fish dishes: sturgeon baked with vegetables – 150-200 gr.
Hot fish dishes should be ordered for a wedding banquet only when the wedding takes place during the good river fishing season. Then the fish will be really good. A hot fish dish is not mandatory for a banquet, but it can help out if there are people who do not eat meat among the guests.
Hot meat dishes: baked poultry – 200-250 g, roast beef baked with vegetables 100/150 g, fried pig with mushrooms – 200-250 g.
At a wedding feast there are usually two hot meat dishes, one of them is served in the first half of the feast, the other in the second. You can order one meat dish, but it should also be served twice. Let the hot dish be served in small portions, but 2-3 times, rather than once in large portions.
If we talk about choosing between expensive hot dishes and a variety of snacks on the table, then snacks are a priority. Everyone will like the variety of snacks, and the main course can be as ordinary as possible.
Dessert:
Chocolates – 40-50 g;
- cake – 100-150 g;
- dessert with fruit and whipped cream or cream – 40-50 g;
- sugar – 10-20 gr.
Fruits (from 300 g per person):
Sliced bananas – 0.5 pcs;
- apples – 1 piece;
- pears – 1 piece;
- tangerines – 2 pcs;
- oranges – 1 piece;
- peeled kiwi – 0.5 pcs;
- peeled pomelo – 1 slice;
- strawberries – 50 g;
- peeled fresh pineapple – 1 slice;
- sliced lemon – 2-3 slices;
- grapes – 40-50 gr.
Fruits should be placed peeled and cut into vases. You should not cut all the fruits at once, they may become windy and wither. Let some sliced fruit be served at the beginning of the feast, and the second part whole and in wide vases at the end of the banquet.
Bread:
White loaf – 1-2 pieces;
- rye bread – 2 pieces;
- wheat bread – 1-2 pieces;
- black “Borodinsky” - 2 pieces.
Seasonings and sauces:
Tartar sauce;
- adjika;
- mushroom sauce;
- cheese sauce;
- Russian table mustard;
- white, black and red pepper;
- salt.
The entire set of sauces should be served for every six people.
Soft drinks:
Carbonated sweet water – 0.5 l;
- mineral water – 0.5 l;
- fruit juice – 0.5 l;
- sparkling water like “Schweppes” - 0.3 l;
- coffee – 2 cups (200 ml);
- tea – 2 cups (300 ml);
- milkshake – 200 ml;
- hot chocolate – 200 ml.
If there are children at the banquet, the number of non-alcoholic refreshing drinks should be greater.
As for alcoholic beverages, consider that men usually drink strong alcoholic drinks (vodka, cognac, martini, whiskey), while women prefer light cocktails, red and white wine. The average calculation of alcoholic drinks is approximately 0.5 liters of each per person. Champagne should be served at the beginning of the feast at the rate of 100 ml per person. Good luck!
Calculation of the amount of food for a banquet
How to calculate dishes for and achieve the ideal balance between appetizers, main courses, desserts and drinks? If you order, the manager will go into all the details and create a menu based on the number of guests. Have you decided to organize a banquet yourself, but don’t know how much food and drinks to prepare?
There are standards for the yield of dishes per person depending on the duration of the event:
- 1–2 hours - total yield 200–400 g;
- 2–4 hours - 400–600 g;
- 4–6 hours - 600–1200 g;
- more than 6 hours - over 1200 g.
What should you consider when creating a banquet menu?
- When calculating the amount of food at a banquet, it is important to ensure that the tables are not empty. It is convenient to serve salads in portions, and hot dishes and vegetables on shared trays.
- Plan a special menu for children's meals and vegetarians. Children eat little, but drink more juices and sparkling water. Vegetarians prefer vegetables and fruits to meat and fish.
- Buy cake and alcohol yourself. This will save your budget. Arrange to pick up remaining food and alcoholic beverages after the party.
- When creating a menu, take into account the season. In summer, guests drink more wine, lemonade and juice. In winter, soups, hot snacks and strong alcohol are popular.
When calculating, use the following data.
- The standard yield of cold appetizers per person is 350–400 g. These include cheese, vegetable and meat slices, mini-sandwiches, canapés, and rolls.
- Salads are served at the rate of 200–250 g per person. The most popular are Caesar, herring under a fur coat, vinaigrette, and various seafood dishes.
All snacks are divided into several parts and served as needed. Most food is consumed in the first part of the banquet, when hot dishes are not yet prepared.
When calculating the number of hot dishes at a banquet, they are guided by the following figures:
- meat and fish dishes (steaks, chops, roasts) - 250 g per person;
- side dishes (potatoes, rice, stewed vegetables) - 150 g;
- soup (solyanka, broth with croutons, fish soup) - 250 g.
As a rule, at large-scale feasts two hot meat dishes are served. One is brought to guests in the first part of the event, the second is brought closer to the end of the holiday. Sometimes one dish is divided into two servings.
When calculating the food yield per person that will be optimal for a wedding banquet, be sure to take into account desserts and fruits. The standard portion of fruit per guest is 200 g. It includes:
- bananas - 0.5 pcs.;
- apples and pears - 1 pc.;
- tangerines - 2 pcs.;
- oranges - 1 pc.;
- kiwi - 0.5 pcs.;
- strawberries - 50 g;
- pineapple - 1 ring;
- grapes - 50 g.
The cake is ordered taking into account that there should be a portion weighing 150–200 g per person. The fruits are cut and placed in vases. Moreover, they do this several times so that the slices do not become weathered and lose their appearance.
Before calculating soft drinks and alcohol, take into account what food will be at the banquet. Guest preferences are also important. Drinks for everyone include all kinds of liqueurs, martinis, whiskey, and cognac. Vodka, wine and champagne are considered universal alcohol. There are standard formulas:
- vodka - a bottle for 2 people;
- wine - bottle per person;
- champagne - a bottle for 3 people.
The best non-alcoholic drinks are mineral water, juices and fruit drinks. At the same time, they are purchased at a rate of 1.5–2 liters per guest.
Calculation and preparation of a wedding banquet menu
When calculating products for, keep in mind that the main feast is usually preceded by a small one. For the welcome zone you will need champagne, several snacks and fruits.
For a banquet that lasts 4–5 hours, you need 1400–1500 g of food per guest (including cake). The following ratio of main courses and snacks on the banquet table is considered optimal.
- Cold appetizers (cheeses, vegetables, cold cuts) - 350–400 g.
- Salads (vegetables, meat, seafood) - 200 g.
- Hot snacks - 100 g.
- Hot (steaks, chops, roast) - 250 g.
- Side dishes - 150 g.
- Fruits - 200 g.
- Cake - 150–200 g.
If 10–15 guests are invited to the wedding, it is better to order a cake based on a portion of 200 g. If the celebration is large-scale, 150 g per guest is quite enough.
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