How many appetizers per person for a cocktail hour?

The cocktail hour between a wedding ceremony and dinner has one job: keep guests happy while photos are taken, without spoiling the meal. Four or five bites each does that.

Why four or five, and not ten

Dinner is coming within the hour, so appetizers here are a bridge, not a meal. This calculator plans 4 pieces per guest for the first hour when a sit-down dinner follows, and 2 per hour after that. For 100 guests, 400 pieces plus 10% is 440 — about 37 dozen. If the cocktail hour runs long, as it often does when photos run long, every extra half hour adds about one piece per guest.

Passed appetizers go further than a buffet table, because servers control the pace and guests take one at a time. If the appetizers are stationary — a display of cheese, vegetables and dips — plan toward 5 or 6 pieces each, because people help themselves to more.

Planning the cocktail hour for 100

• Four to six kinds, at least one vegetarian and one more substantial (a skewer, a mini crab cake, a slider).
• One napkin per piece is not an exaggeration at a standing reception; see how many napkins for 100 guests.
• Drinks in the same hour: plan about two per guest — and water on every table.
• Late guests and vendors eat too; the 10% extra covers them.

For a party where appetizers are the whole event, see how many appetizers for 50 people or how many appetizers per person with no dinner. Tables for the reception itself: how many tables for 100 guests.