Wedding season has arrived, and not everyone is as pleased about it: being invited to a wedding also means feeling like we have a blackhole in our wallets. We are forced to buy presents although we couldn’t even afford it in the first place, and we have to always look on point. BUT there is a big plus side to it: the food is great.
Even if you ate all of the prawns and drank all of the champagne at the place, your inversion would most probably still not be paid back. However, there are a few tricks that can help you get the most out of it. Here goes how to go canapé-hunting at a wedding without failing in the process.
1. Forget about waiting in front of the kitchen
The urban legend of waiting by the kitchen to catch the waiters with full plates of food turns out to be a lie: according to Mónico caterers, waiters have defined action ranks, which basically means that they don’t have to offer you food just because you’re standing in front of them. So quit doing this. Just wait for your food to arrive, because it will.
2. Resort to the tables if there are no waiters in sight
Caterers usually think about guests in advance, so they usually put food on the tables so that there’s no way for them to become hungry. Thanks to this, the guests don’t have to wait for the food to arrive. They can help themselves if needed. So now you know: if there’s no waiter in sight, you can always resort to the “extra” food placed on the tables.
3. Stay close to the wallet-sacrificers
It’s important that everyone has a great time at the wedding, but it has to be absolutely unforgettable for those who are actually getting married. This means, that caterings do have preference toward certain tables.
For example, the table where close family is seated, and the table of the marrying couple will be better fed. It’s interesting to note, however, that they are usually the people who eat less. Now you know who to get close to.
4. Don’t pull a “meerkat”
If you’re one who inevitably gazes at waiters who carry food around, stop it. Waiters actually avoid people who do this, so get rid of the “anxiously-waiting-for-food” look. No more “meerkat attitude” if you want your food properly served.
5. Remember the waiters’ faces
Waiters often get assigned certain tables. This means that if one particular waiter keeps offering you food it’s not because you’re their favourite, it’s because they have to.
In other words, if a waiter has a different table section it’s quite probable that they won’t offer you food. So stick to remembering who is your section’s waiter as they’ll feed you for the rest of the wedding.
On the other hand you should also remember the waiter’s of tables that are eating less; you’ll understand why in a few minutes.
6. Go on and drink away
If you’re closely following these tricks it’s probable you are eating quite a bit, so in order to get it all through you will have to resort to drinking. Not to worry, we also have a great tip for this: it’s important that your section’s waiter always feels that you would like a drink.
They have to see you want to grab a drink. This way they know who to turn to if they have a lonely leftover drink.
7. Find the waiters going back to the kitchen
Waiters that go back to the kitchen, contrary to those coming out of the kitchen, are allowed to offer canapés to all of the guests. This is a great moment to go back to tip number 5: go up to the waiters from the less-eating tables, because they will be bringing more food back to the kitchen. Until they encounter you, that is.
8. Pay attention to the position of the trays
Waiters usually keep their trays up when walking around the venue in order not to hit any guests and to keep from walking up to people like you. Respect this, because if the food falls to the ground, it’s a loss for all. Don’t bother waiters who are keeping trays high up.
9. Always be kind
At last, but definitely not least: be kind above all. Most people don’t realise, but waiters are not allowed to say “no” to guests. They cannot tell you you can’t take a third prawn if you want to, so go ahead and do it, but always be kind. Such events are stressful enough, and there’s no need to make it harder.
Photos: Unsplash and Pixabay