Harper Blog

Everything you Need to Know about Wedding Canapés

Canapés are not essential, but they are sure to be a welcome addition to your wedding reception.

Teamed with a celebratory glass of bubbles, a canapé (or two) can keep your wedding guests’ hunger at bay, ahead of a sumptuous wedding banquet to follow. This guide has been designed to help you discover how best to choose and serve canapés at your wedding.

How Many and for How Long?

Canapés will most likely be the first thing your guests will have eaten since leaving home. All the more reason to make it delicately delicious and just enough to leave them excited for the main banquet to shortly follow.

On the basis that your drinks reception is around the standard mark of an hour and a half, a good rule of thumb here at Harper is 3 – 5 canapés per person. We feel that this is a great amount to whet your guest’s appetite and get them anticipating what tasty delights are to follow.

An hour and a half may feel like a long time when planning your post-ceremony reception, however, when surrounded by close family and friends you will find that this portion of your day will go by in a flash. Remember, there’s only two of you and as much as you’d love to spend every minute mingling with your guests, your drinks reception is also the time where you will get whisked away by your photographer for your first pictures as a newlywed couple.

Canapé Options for your Harper Wedding

Below, we’ve listed a selection of one and two bite wedding canapés that you could choose to serve at your post-ceremony drinks reception.

One Bite

• Baby Sheperd’s Pies
• Chorizo & aubergine skewers
• Honey and mustard chicken bites
• Jacket potato with sour cream & chives
• Lamb meat balls with spiced tomato dip
• Smoked salmon mousse and lemon crostini
• Tapenade and anchovy palmier
• Tomato and olive and pepper crostini
• Wild mushroom tart with enoki

Two Bite

• Asian marinated chicken with pine nut satay, coriander and mint
• Baby Hampshire fillet of beef and potato fondant with Béarnaise to dip
• Breaded sole and chips with tartar sauce in a mini bamboo cone
• Cheese straws and Provencal olives
• Classic mini croque monsieur
• Fillet of South Downs lamb served on a rosemary skewer
• Foie gras torchon, toasted grains and peach jelly on a foie gras sablé biscuit
• Fresh fig wrapped in Serrano ham with basil and ricotta
• Golden Cross goats cheese on a cheddar shortbread with red onion marmalade
• Little hot smoked salmon and brie quiche with dill & creme fraiche
• Mini South Downs lamb shepherds pie served in a tiny pastry shell
• Mini filo basket with Scottish smoked salmon, poached quail egg and hollandaise
• Mini pork sausages with creamy mash potato to dip and crispy shallots
• Miso black cod on a Chinese spoon with pickled daikon
• Peeled quails eggs with flavoured salts; citrus, Indian and smoked
• Peeled tiger prawns with wasabi mayo, lime and chilli
• Pesto arancini with mozzarella bocconcini and basil mayo to dip
• Potted rabbit with pickled walnut and onion relish on a tiny croute
• Roast free range chicken in a mini roast potato with bacon and sage
• Roast parsnip crisps with lemon houmous
• Roasted Hampshire venison on a potato drop scone with redcurrant jelly
• Scottish scallop on truffled cabbage
• Thai fishcakes with red pepper and mango salsa
• Tiny fish pies topped with creamy mash
• Warm veloute of Jerusalem artichoke and vanilla
• Welsh rarebit beignets with creamy mustard dip
• Zucchini and sun blushed tomato rolls with mozzarella and rocket

Canapés for Children

Kids canapés can be super exciting and are a sure-fire way to keep the children happy, excited and not too hungry during your drinks reception.

Below are just a few of Harper’s carefully selected Canapés for children, aimed at being fun, interactive and a way to pass the time during the drinks reception, which may seem like a long time to younger guests.

  • Chicken goujons with mayonnaise to dip
  • Mini hot dogs
  • Cheddar and pineapple on sticks

The excitement of canapés for kids will not last the whole time period of your drinks reception so why not think about filling the extra time with something that will keep them entertained?
A magician or a caricaturist could keep both children and adults occupied – as could over-sized garden games, a photo booth or a DIY drink stand.

Wedding Canapés: 3 top tips

  • Be bold on your wedding day with bespoke canapés. If you are a real foodie couple, why not try to create a bespoke canapé to add that perfect personal touch to your day.
  • You’ll be offered the opportunity to taste a selection of canapés at your menu tasting session with Harper. Don’t forget to savour every mouthful in order to make your final canapé selection.
  • If you are feeling inspired and want to get creative, don’t be afraid to contact your wedding venue with your ideas and get started with creating your perfect wedding canapé!

Canapés are not essential, but they are sure to be a welcome addition to your wedding reception.

Teamed with a celebratory glass of bubbles, a canapé (or two) can keep your wedding guests’ hunger at bay, ahead of a sumptuous wedding banquet to follow. This guide has been designed to help you discover how best to choose and serve canapés at your wedding.

How Many and for How Long?

Canapés will most likely be the first thing your guests will have eaten since leaving home. All the more reason to make it delicately delicious and just enough to leave them excited for the main banquet to shortly follow.

On the basis that your drinks reception is around the standard mark of an hour and a half, a good rule of thumb here at Harper is 3 – 5 canapés per person. We feel that this is a great amount to whet your guest’s appetite and get them anticipating what tasty delights are to follow.

An hour and a half may feel like a long time when planning your post-ceremony reception, however, when surrounded by close family and friends you will find that this portion of your day will go by in a flash. Remember, there’s only two of you and as much as you’d love to spend every minute mingling with your guests, your drinks reception is also the time where you will get whisked away by your photographer for your first pictures as a newlywed couple.

Canapé Options for your Harper Wedding

Below, we’ve listed a selection of one and two bite wedding canapés that you could choose to serve at your post-ceremony drinks reception.

One Bite

• Baby Sheperd’s Pies
• Chorizo & aubergine skewers
• Honey and mustard chicken bites
• Jacket potato with sour cream & chives
• Lamb meat balls with spiced tomato dip
• Smoked salmon mousse and lemon crostini
• Tapenade and anchovy palmier
• Tomato and olive and pepper crostini
• Wild mushroom tart with enoki

Two Bite

• Asian marinated chicken with pine nut satay, coriander and mint
• Baby Hampshire fillet of beef and potato fondant with Béarnaise to dip
• Breaded sole and chips with tartar sauce in a mini bamboo cone
• Cheese straws and Provencal olives
• Classic mini croque monsieur
• Fillet of South Downs lamb served on a rosemary skewer
• Foie gras torchon, toasted grains and peach jelly on a foie gras sablé biscuit
• Fresh fig wrapped in Serrano ham with basil and ricotta
• Golden Cross goats cheese on a cheddar shortbread with red onion marmalade
• Little hot smoked salmon and brie quiche with dill & creme fraiche
• Mini South Downs lamb shepherds pie served in a tiny pastry shell
• Mini filo basket with Scottish smoked salmon, poached quail egg and hollandaise
• Mini pork sausages with creamy mash potato to dip and crispy shallots
• Miso black cod on a Chinese spoon with pickled daikon
• Peeled quails eggs with flavoured salts; citrus, Indian and smoked
• Peeled tiger prawns with wasabi mayo, lime and chilli
• Pesto arancini with mozzarella bocconcini and basil mayo to dip
• Potted rabbit with pickled walnut and onion relish on a tiny croute
• Roast free range chicken in a mini roast potato with bacon and sage
• Roast parsnip crisps with lemon houmous
• Roasted Hampshire venison on a potato drop scone with redcurrant jelly
• Scottish scallop on truffled cabbage
• Thai fishcakes with red pepper and mango salsa
• Tiny fish pies topped with creamy mash
• Warm veloute of Jerusalem artichoke and vanilla
• Welsh rarebit beignets with creamy mustard dip
• Zucchini and sun blushed tomato rolls with mozzarella and rocket

Canapés for Children

Kids canapés can be super exciting and are a sure-fire way to keep the children happy, excited and not too hungry during your drinks reception.

Below are just a few of Harper’s carefully selected Canapés for children, aimed at being fun, interactive and a way to pass the time during the drinks reception, which may seem like a long time to younger guests.

  • Chicken goujons with mayonnaise to dip
  • Mini hot dogs
  • Cheddar and pineapple on sticks

The excitement of canapés for kids will not last the whole time period of your drinks reception so why not think about filling the extra time with something that will keep them entertained?
A magician or a caricaturist could keep both children and adults occupied – as could over-sized garden games, a photo booth or a DIY drink stand.

Wedding Canapés: 3 top tips

  • Be bold on your wedding day with bespoke canapés. If you are a real foodie couple, why not try to create a bespoke canapé to add that perfect personal touch to your day.
  • You’ll be offered the opportunity to taste a selection of canapés at your menu tasting session with Harper. Don’t forget to savour every mouthful in order to make your final canapé selection.
  • If you are feeling inspired and want to get creative, don’t be afraid to contact your wedding venue with your ideas and get started with creating your perfect wedding canapé!

The Harper Team

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