Birthday party -- food question

sistrkate

For various reasons, I'm probably going to have my kids' birthday parties on Sunday afternoons this year.  I'm thinking it shouldn't be too late in the day since some guests will have to work the next day and stuff, and want their Sunday evenings to themselves.

If you were invited to a party starting at 1:00 or 1:30 PM, what would you expect in the way of food?  Would you skip lunch and come hungry, or would snacks/finger food + cake be OK?

hannah&ben

I would expect snacks/finger food at a party anywhere between like 1ish and 3ish... after lunch but well before dinner.

Mmmm... can I have some cake now?  That sounds so good!

And holy crap look at your cute little guys!! Love Tyler's hair! Henry is still slick bald

KristenBtobe

Snacks and cake sounds right to me! (I spelled cake "kake" at first, stared at it for a while, and figured out why it looked strange. Duh)

Klmorgan83

I think it all depends on what your idea of finger foods is.  We had Noah's b-day party at 1 and I did have pulled chicken sandwhiches but most people ate more of the "sides" then the "lunch"  I had stuff like salami roll ups, little bbq hot dogs, buffalo chicken dip, fruit, chips and dip....stuff like that. 

I consider stuff like that snacks, but that's also pretty much the norm for b-day parties in my family.  I did go to my nephew's b-day last year, I think it was around 1 and my SIL just had blueberries, golfish crackers and some little sandwhich things (it was a Nemo theme so all the food was blue and orange) and I was starving!

cops_wife

I think on a Sunday, when lots of people might be coming from church, I'd serve lunch. We actually went to a kid's birthday party at 1 on a Sunday a few weeks ago and they had pizza. Which was a good thing for us, because we were coming from 11:30 Mass and had not eaten.

mrs.george2be04

For a 1 or 1:30 start time, yes I would expect lunch (or at least heavy appetizers) and come hungry.

Moesten

I, too, would expect lunch at a 1:00 party. I think Copswife makes a great point in that it's right after church time. For events starting at like 2 and 3 is when I would expect snacks/finger foods. 

Miller238

I would also expect lunch with a 1:00 party time.  If it started at 2:00, I would expect appetizer foods.

MrsMoher

Can you just specify on the invite come for appetizers and cake so that people know what to expect?  I usually look to the invite for clues myself.

curlypie1

If it's noted on the invitation, "Please join us for cake and ice cream....", I wouldn't blink an eye if there wasn't a meal served. Otherwise, I would probably not eat lunch and hope there were some hearty munchies there.

Nora's party was this weekend, and my Mom said to me...back when you all were little, children's birthday parties never involved meals...you kids way overdo it these days!  I wonder if it was like that for everyone or just our family, but it does seem like birthday parties are a much bigger deal now. Oh, well...it's fun!

adamsbabble

I agree with copswife!  We get out of church around 12:45 on a Sunday and wouldn't have time to eat before a 1:00 party.  But nevermind that it is on a Sunday... on any day of the week I would come hungry, because honestly, most of the parties I've been to have had lunch if they were around 1:00.  I'm cool with snacks at 1:00 if by snacks you mean lots of heavy finger foods... but in that case, I think it's easier to just serve lunch?  To me, preparing lots of finger foods isn't any easier/cheaper than preparing lunch.

Also, we had to have Charlotte's party on a Sunday and we did 3-5.  It worked out nicely.  Since most of my guests attend church on Sundays I wanted to give them plenty of time to get out, eat and not have to rush to the party.  I felt like it started far enough away from lunch that I didn't have to worry about that, and ended in plenty of time before dinner, so I was able to get away with just a few light snacks (cheese & crackers, veggies & dip, etc.) and cake.

Lyons_in_2007

mrs.george2be04:

For a 1 or 1:30 start time, yes I would expect lunch (or at least heavy appetizers) and come hungry.

Yep - this is the way I think, too.