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ELLEN'S KITCHEN
Cook Talk

wedding reception for 200 people
Sonyette
02/04/09
I'm having a full course wedding dinner for approximately 200 guest. The menu consist of three meats w/the option to choose one:
3-turkeys, 2-hams, or chicken (200 pieces)
dressing w/gravy, potato salad, baked mac and cheese
green beans, greens, sweet potatoes,and rolls.
I need to know how much dressing and sweet potatoes needs to be prepared (lbs..bags).I'm also not too sure on how many pans (lbs) of baked mac & cheese I need.
The desserts will be a three tier wedding cake, a sheet cake, punch bowl cake, and jello pies.
The drinks will be tea, lemonade, punch, and water. Is this menu ok? If you have any other advise or info that you would like to share, please do so.
ellen
02/04/09
Sonyette,

This is a very large group if you are planning to do it yourself, and if you are having it catered or dropped off, the person should be able to halp you with amounts.

You need about 3-5 kitchen people and 12-18 servers for this size group.

This is basically an OK menu, but I am a little confused by your description. If this is self serve, people will not chose one meat, and even it is buffet with servers for the meat, many people ask for more than one. If it is plated, you have to have enough that people can have their first choice, and it looks to me like you will not have the flexibility for that.

First the easy part, you need about 30 pounds of potatoes per 100 and dressing is discussed in the article on planning and shopping for a large community dinner in the holiday cooking section at the top of big pots.

You have enough chicken for about 100 people, enough turkey for about 50 and enough ham for about 60 unless they are VERY large. This does not give most of your guests a choice, they will get chicken because the others will run out. I would probably stick with ham and turkey and use the guidelines in the planning section of the holiday cooking section in big pots, which would indicate 150-200 pounds of whole raw turkey PLUS 35 pounds of boneless ham for this size group.

There are several rescipes and also quantity guidelines for the mac and cheese on this site. If you post a plan or shopping list I will check it for you.

Sonyette
02/05/09
Thanks for your response. After I posted this message to you, I made the decision on changing the whole menu all together overnight. The food will be buffet style with servers. I have decided to go with chicken wings...fried, barbecue, and hot
(how many lbs of party wings will I need?)
meatballs...w/barbecue and some w/gravy
(how many lbs will I need?)
the ham and turkey will be slice and served w/rolls or croissant
lil' smokies w/barbecue sauce
(how many lbs will I need?)
mash potatoes, potato salad, pasta salad
what do you think about cheese & cracker/veggie trays?
I didn't make any changes to the desserts but I was thinking of adding a fruit bowl...your thoughts.
ellen
02/05/09
mash potatoes, potato salad, pasta salad- all covered in the [plan for 100 tables.
cheese & cracker/veggie trays? I would put these out as a nibble table for the guests to eat while they wait that hour while you do pics and everything gets set up. See the appetizer planning page.

Though you have picked appetizer type meats, you need a dinner's worth per person:

chicken wings...fried, barbecue, and hot
(how many lbs of party wings will I need?)
~1/2 pound per person
meatballs...w/barbecue and some w/gravy
(how many lbs will I need?
~1 pound for each 5 persons
the ham and turkey will be slice
~1 pound of each for each 5 persons deli thin sliced
and served w/rolls or croissant
small rolls or mini croissants,
~2 per person, and have butter as well as sandwich spreads
lil' smokies w/barbecue sauce
~1 pound for each 8 persons.

millie
10/30/09
Thanksgiving for 100 people
Can you tell me how many turkeys I need to cook for 100 people?
ellen
10/30/09
Between 75 to 100 pounds raw. See the discussion in the planning and shopping for large community feasts at the top of Big Pots.
Therese
11/20/09
Planning a wedding reception for my daughter. Approx 200. We were going to have both ham and turkey. Do you need more turkey than ham?
So for 200 hundred approx 150 or so lbs of turkey and another 150 of ham?
ellen
11/20/09
You need 5 ounces cooked ready to eat turkey PLUS 3 ounces cooked ready to eat ham per person. There is a turkey yield table so you can decide how much raw, depending on what cut. Ham, presliced boneless, 1 pound for 4-5 people, depending on the sides.
Autumn
12/03/10
I'm having a wedding reception for 200 people. We are serving Ham sandwiches on snack buns. I would like to know how many lbs. of ham slices I would need we want to serve shaved ham due to it's nice texture and ease with chewing due to our elderly guest. We are also serving Maid Rites and a Nice Roasted Garbanzo Bean Pasta Salad. The ham is the only amount in question as we are doing this all ourselves with some help with our church ladies. I thank you for any response.
ellen
12/04/10
With the Maid Rites, 4 ounces ham per person is plenty.
Paula
12/12/10
I am serving shaved ham on small wheat rolls and chicken salad on small croissant rolls as finger sandwiches at my daughter's wedding reception. I do not know how many pounds of shaved ham or chicken salad to purchase. We are planning on 200 people. I plan on having 200 of each type of sandwich. Your help would be greatly appreciated
Leona
12/13/10
What's a Maid Rites?
ellen
12/13/10
Paula, the amounts for this are discussed on the sandwich page. My suggestions, 2 sandwiches per person is cutting it very close on amounts and I would add 10%. Remember for each 50 people self serve, you need a line, so you need 4 lines.

As I told Sonyette, you need about 3-5 kitchen people and 12-18 servers for this size group..

ellen
12/13/10
They are a midwestern variation on sloppy joes.
Brenda
01/03/11
planning reception for my sons wedding that took place in Las Vegas. Now we are having the reception back at home for 200. They want mexican food. Pork burritos, taco bar, mexican rice, fidel using angle hair pasta, beans, chips and cheese dip and of course homemade salsa. Could you tell me how many pounds of pork butt and hamburger to get. Also approx. how much lettuce, tomato, and cheese, rice and beans. I will be cooking most of this myself. please give me as much info as you can!!
ellen
01/04/11
You may be cooking yourself, and you can do a lot ahead but you need to recruit or hire help for the day before and day of, or you won't make it. At least a couple day before in the kitchen, and about 10 day of to set up, serve, and clean up. You would need almost double this if it was plated instead of buffet.
Good sources: community college culinary program, active church kitchen, staff of breakfast diner that closes at 2 PM.

As far as the menu:

Pork burritos, 1 per person Enchiladas (2 per person) or adobo are both easier. 1 pound bone in pork butt or shoulder per 3 people Can be made ahead and frozen
taco bar, See the taco bar page. Do for 150; the burritos will offset the rest Lettuce, sour cream, etc, all covered
mexican rice, discussed at taco bar, or use 2 times one of my Spanish or Mexican rice for 100 recipes; about 12 pounds dry rice; use an oven recipe Day of
fidel using angle hair pasta, about 10 pounds dry pasta Day of.
beans, depends on the recipe; at least 16 pounds dry, 1-2 days ahead
chips, corn, 8 pounds per 100
cheese dip, 1/3 cup per person
homemade salsa, 1/3 cup per person

I would add 2 fruit trays for 100 This is a heavy meal without it.

Beverages, see the beverage planning page.

Donna
01/18/11
A wedding reception for approx. 200 people, the tentative menu, Prime rib w/ Au jus (if need to much may change to sliced ham, baked boneless/skinless chicken breast w/ Marsala sauce, boiled potatoes w/ parsley butter, green beans, pasta salad, fruit salad all served buffet style by servers and toss salad & rolls first on tables, cake, mints, nuts, tea (s &us), punch, water and coffee. I am having trouble with the meat amounts. Do I figure on 3-4oz of cooked rib and 4-5oz of chicken per person or how much raw would you suggest? Thanks, Donna.
ellen
01/18/11
If this is buffet service, you need 4 lines. Each 2 can go to one carving station.

If prime rib and chicken, 4-5 ounces ready to eat beef (that is about 1/2 pound raw bone in) PLUS 1 small chicken breast (3-4 ounces cooked) per person

If chicken and ham, 2 pounds raw breast per 5 PLUS 1 pound boneless ham per 4.

At weddings, you need a nibble table for the guests (in this case 2 or 3) with about 3 items plus punches for the long wait between the wedding and the dnner. I would do one dip, fruit trays, and cheese trays for the table

Donna
01/19/11
Ellen, Thank you for your help!!! :) I have been searching for answers. Just one more question we were wondering if cost wise we should add the ham (3 meats) or just stick with two? Ellen, again THANK YOU for your help and God bless you. Donna
ellen
01/20/11
Stick with 2. Consider adding a side dish that could serve as a vegetarian entree- eggplant Parm, ratatouille, etc: about 7 quarts.
joyce
04/09/11
Planning a wedding and was wondering how much mix nuts, mints, cake and punch needed to serve 250
ellen
04/09/11
6 pounds each per 100 mints and nuts. Punch, see the beverage planning page, and also add dinner coffee for at least 200. Cake, depends on whether there are other desserts as well and what else is being served. Since wedding cake costs $7 per serving or more, a very good way to cut expense is to have a smaller cake and a dessert buffet. Check out the dessert planning page, write back if you need to.
Michele Yordon
08/18/11
How much pasta do I need for 100 people??? It will be a side dish...not the main course.
ellen
08/18/11
Covered on the spaghetti page with explanations about different types.
Cathy
09/08/11
I am going to cook baked ham for 200 people. What is the best type of ham that is a good that will feed that many. How many lbs of ham would we need. We were considering the spiral hams. Would that be a bad choice?
We are doing corn & green beans too. How many of the large commercial type cans that you get at Sam's would we need for each of those?
ellen
09/08/11
Hi, Cathy,

Spiral hams are a good choice, the thin slices cut down on the amounts taken. 50 pounds bone in or 30 pounds boneless ready to eat.

A good spicy glaze and a raisin or pineapple sauce are attractive accompaniments.

The veggies, 5 #10 cans per 100, or 22-24 pounds frozen per 100.

Cathy
09/09/11
Thank you so much for your help!
ellen
09/09/11
ALERT CATHY!!!
That is 50 pounds per 100 people. You need double for 200 people!
hannah
09/09/11
iam planning a wedding and planning on doing cheese dip how much should i fix for 200 people?
Jane
09/14/11
Wedding reception for 200 buffet style. Meat choices will be BBQ pork (I purchased 4 shoulder/butt roast, approx 37 pounds raw and have already prepared and have frozen in food saver bags), Brisket (planning on 5 to 6 briskets), chicken wings and shrimp boil.

My questions are:
Chicken party wings how many? 1/2 pound per person?

Shrimp boil with potatoes, mushrooms and corn. This would be peel and eat shrimp, large size, how many pounds would you suggest taking into consideration the other meat choices we are having?

Thanks for any info you can provide. The wedding is October 1st.

ALSO ~ JUST FOUND THIS SITE AND LOVE IT... VERY HELPFUL!!!

ellen
09/14/11
Hannah, about 3 1/2 gallons.

Jane, people LOVE shrimp and are quite greedy about them, even with other tasty choices. You need at least 1 pound per each 5 people, and having someone serve these portions for the first round would be wise.

For the wings, 4-6 pieces per person, weight depends on size, but it works out to 2 pounds raw for every 5-6 people. Every 6 should be OK with this menu.

Kayla Wilkins
10/20/11
We are inviting 300 people to our wedding. We are planning a dessert reception. Do you think people would like that? Also, should we serve fruits and veggies too? if so how much?
ellen
10/20/11
As long as the service is after a meal- so people eat before they come- it will be fine. Either 1-2 pm or 7-8 pm for the service.

Fruit trays, nuts, and some cheese trays are a very good addition, as some people can't eat a lot of sweets. I would skip the veggies. Amounts are covered on the fruit tray page, plan for 100 page and the appetizer page.

You want to be sure to serve dinner coffee/tea as outlines on the beverage planning page, along with your punch. Many people want coffee with desserts.

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