Wedding Viewing Party: Food Ideas For The Big Day

Planning a wedding viewing party menu? There are lots of options to choose from, depending on your preferences and budget. If you're looking for something casual, a build-your-own pizza bar or taco buffet is a fun, interactive option. If you're after something more elegant, why not try serving lemon dill cucumber sandwiches, herbed beef pasties, or individual chicken and mushroom pot pies? For a real showstopper, set up a raw bar with shrimp, oysters, and crab claws. And don't forget dessert! From mini cheesecakes to chocolate truffles, there are plenty of sweet treats to choose from.

Tea and sandwiches

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

A clear favourite, this refreshing sandwich is fit for royalty. The recipe from The Kitchen Is My Playground includes three variations: Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Lemony Dill Spread, Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Chunky Cucumber Spread, and Vegetable Spread Tea Sandwiches. The key to this sandwich is in the assembly, with the blog providing instructions for different ways of putting it together.

Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

A classic tea sandwich, this is a quintessential pick for tea parties. Be sure to serve it on white bread slices with the crusts cut off.

Kentucky Benedictine Tea Sandwiches

This delightful finger food is filled with cucumber, cream cheese, and fresh herbs. It's the perfect bite-sized treat to make you feel prim and proper.

Mini Tomato Sandwiches with Bacon Mayonnaise

Upgrade your classic tomato sandwich with a smear of bacon mayonnaise. Don't forget to cut off the crusts to make it a true tea-time contender.

Crab Salad Tea Sandwiches

These sandwiches are perfect for showers, weddings, and special family events. They are so delicious that you won't be able to stop at just one.

Chicken Salad Party Sandwiches

These delicate finger sandwiches have a creamy herb spread and festive red and green garnishes. They are sure to be a hit at your wedding viewing party.

Mini Rosemary-Roast Beef Sandwiches

Roast beef sandwiches are always a crowd-pleaser. Dollop them with mayo, mustard, horseradish, and pickled giardiniera relish to take them to the next level.

Summer Tea Sandwiches

These dainty finger sandwiches are perfect for casual picnics or luncheons. They feature tarragon-seasoned chicken complemented by cucumber and cantaloupe slices.

Open-Faced Tomato Sandwiches with Creamy Cucumber Spread

These sandwiches are so pretty that you'll want to keep them open-faced. The combination of tomato and cucumber makes for a tasty and refreshing bite.

British-themed snacks

There are so many delicious British snacks to choose from, both sweet and savoury. Here are some ideas for British-themed snacks to serve at a wedding viewing party:

Savoury Snacks

• Sausage rolls are a classic British snack, perfect for a wedding viewing party. They are spiced sausages wrapped in puff pastry and can be served warm or cold.
• Scotch eggs are another traditional British snack, made with a boiled egg wrapped in meat and covered in breadcrumbs. They can be enjoyed warm or cold and are perfect for a party.
• Pork pies are a popular British snack, often enjoyed at picnics or parties. They are usually about the size of a cupcake and are stuffed with pork meat and stock.
• For a fun and interactive snack, set up a DIY cocktail bar with a British twist. Offer a selection of spirits, mixers, and garnishes, such as edible flowers, fruit slices, and popping candy.
• If you're looking for something more substantial, consider serving "bangers and mash," a British classic of sausage and mashed potatoes smothered in gravy.
• For a fun twist on the traditional sandwich, try a "chip butty," which is a sandwich made with buttered bread and French fries. Add condiments such as vinegar, ketchup, or mayonnaise for extra flavour.
• For a British take on eggs, serve lemon dill cucumber sandwiches. These tea sandwiches are a perfect savoury option for a wedding viewing party.
• If you're looking for a more elegant option, try herbed beef pasties with carrot and parsnip. These savoury pastries are sure to impress your guests.
• For a British twist on a classic, serve beef tenderloin, prosciutto, and mushrooms wrapped in puff pastry dough and baked until golden.
• For a simple yet delicious option, serve savoury cheddar scones. These buttery, cheesy scones will be a hit with your guests.
• Deviled egg finger sandwiches are a fun and tasty option. The traditional egg salad is given a kick with the addition of apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika.
• For a British take on a classic comfort food, serve individual chicken and mushroom pot pies. These individual-sized pies will be a hit with your guests.

Sweet Snacks

• For a classic British treat, serve shortbread cookies. These thick, buttery biscuits are an iconic British snack and can be enjoyed plain or with fruits, nuts, or chocolate.
• For a fun and interactive dessert, set up a build-your-own trifle bar. Provide layers of pound cake, ripe berries, whipped cream, and custard, and let your guests create their own trifles.
• If you're looking for a unique British snack, try Tunnock's Teacakes. These are shortbread biscuits topped with marshmallow and coated in milk chocolate—a perfect sweet treat to enjoy with tea or coffee.
• For a classic British dessert, serve Eccles cakes. These small puff pastry pies are filled with a sweet currant paste and have been a favourite in Lancashire since the 1600s.
• For a fun and colourful treat, serve jelly babies. These jammy, gingerbread man-shaped sweets are coated in icing sugar and are sure to be a hit with guests of all ages.
• If you're looking for a British twist on a classic dessert, try Bakewell tarts. These pastries are filled with frangipane sponge, a sugar paste topping, and a cherry.
• For a sweet and fruity option, serve Welsh cakes. These griddle-baked treats are spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and dusted with caster sugar.
• For a traditional British dessert, serve malt loaf. This chewy, gooey sweet bread is made with raisins and has a rich malty flavour. Serve it sliced and buttered.
• For a fun and interactive snack, set up a DIY donut wall. Provide a variety of donuts, from classic glazed to filled and topped varieties, and let your guests create their own donut creations.
• For a British take on a classic dessert, serve Eton mess. This dessert is made with meringue, cream, and strawberries and is a perfect summer treat.
• For a sweet and indulgent option, serve fudge. This melt-in-your-mouth treat comes in various flavours, including caramel, strawberries and cream, and maple walnut.
• For a fun British twist, serve beans on toast. This iconic British snack is easy to make and can be enjoyed as a savoury or sweet treat, with the addition of melted cheese.
• For a classic British sweet, serve wine gums. These chewy fruit-flavoured treats are a favourite among British children and adults alike.
• For a unique British treat, serve Twiglets. These crunchy wheat sticks are coated in yeast extract, giving them an unmistakable Marmite flavour.
• For a sweet and crunchy option, serve biscuits with tea. Dunking biscuits into tea is a beloved British tradition, and there are various types to choose from, such as Digestives, Hobnobs, and Shortbread.
• For a British take on a classic dessert, serve a Victoria sponge cake. This light and fluffy cake is filled with jam and topped with whipped cream, making it the perfect sweet treat for a wedding viewing party.

Creative cocktails

The Signature Cocktail

Create a unique cocktail that reflects the couple's personality and tastes. For example, if they love a particular spirit or flavour, incorporate it into the drink. Give it a catchy name that ties into the wedding theme, like "Mr & Mrs Margarita" or "I Do Daiquiri".

The Classic Cosmopolitan

A chic and elegant choice for a wedding viewing party, especially if you're aiming for a stylish city vibe. It's a well-known favourite, thanks to Carrie Bradshaw!

The Pretty-in-Pink Mimosa

These bubbly sips are a beautiful blend of pineapple and blood orange juices, champagne, and orange liqueur. For added glamour, rim each glass with pink sanding sugar.

The Refreshing Rosemary Greyhound

A sweet and savoury cocktail with a kick of grapefruit juice for a pretty-in-pink presentation.

The Royal-Themed Cocktail

If you're watching a royal wedding, why not create a cocktail inspired by the happy couple? For Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, a cocktail with lemon and elderflower flavours would be fitting, as these were the flavours of their wedding cake.

The Gin and Tonic

A classic and refreshing choice, especially for a country garden wedding. Set up a DIY gin and tonic station with different types of gin, tonic water, and garnishes to let guests customise their drinks.

The Whiskey Sour

A popular choice that's easy to make, ensuring shorter waits at the bar and more time on the dance floor!

The Tequila Sunrise

A colourful, retro drink that's sure to wake everyone up and get the party started. It's also easy to prepare in pitchers, saving time for your bar staff.

The Margarita

A classic margarita is always a good idea to get the celebrations going! It's a crowd-pleaser and can be prepared in pitchers beforehand.

The Creative Names Twist

Get creative with the names of your cocktails! Rename a drink after the groom or use the couple's married name, like "Mrs Smith's Mojito".

Remember to consider the time of your cocktail hour and the potential strength of the drinks. You may want to limit the cocktail hour to a specific duration to manage costs and ensure your guests' comfort the next morning.

Cheers to a fun and memorable wedding viewing party!

Fun games and activities

Creative Seating Chart Ideas

• Antique bell seating assignments with calligraphy: Bells calligraphed with guests' names can serve as both escort cards and wedding favours.
• Striking spice canister place cards: Sugar and spice and everything nice! Calligraphed canisters of fragrant spices double as place cards and wedding favours.
• Creative custom bottles of wine: Bottles of wine can be used as escort cards and wedding favours.
• Flower vase escort card wall: A blooming seating chart! Petite flower vases can also act as wedding favours.
• Sneaker escort card and favour wall: Calling all sneakerheads! This idea combines escort cards and wedding favours.
• Greek-inspired escort card wall installation: Bring the Aegean Sea's charm to your wedding. Escort cards can take the form of tags adhered to mini bottles of olive oil displayed in nooks in a white wall.
• Soccer ball escort card wall: A sporty idea to celebrate a shared love of soccer.
• Lucky fortune cookie seating chart display: A fun way to make your wedding day luckier! After finding their table number via signs that flanked the cookies, guests can snack on their fortune cookies as they make their way to their respective reception tables.
• The Grateful Dead-inspired musical escort card display: This display is perfect for Deadheads.
• Retro colourful escort card display with balloons: Music-inspired escort cards in the form of concert tickets, displayed on a balloon-filled installation.

Remarkable Guest Experience Ideas (Entertainment & Activities)

• Festive Ferris wheel: Rent a Ferris wheel for your wedding as an homage to the magic of festivals and fairs.
• Mermaid performers: Guests will be treated to entertainment by performers dressed as mermaids.
• Archery: Set up an archery station for a camp-themed wedding.
• Fire eating performance: Things will get heated with daring fire eaters!
• Ballet performance: Hire ballerinas to perform in swan-inspired outfits.
• Dance troupe: Get the party started by hiring a dance troupe to kick things off.
• Basketball: Arcade-style basketball hoops will be a hit with guests.
• LED robot: Welcome the future with a futuristic LED robot guest!
• Tarot card reader: Give your guests a peek at what the future holds.
• Drag queen performers: One drag queen performer is fun, but a whole crew of queens will really get the party started.
• Phone check station: Set up a phone check station, much like a coat check station, to ensure guests are able to disconnect and be present during the wedding.
• Pre-wedding toast: Instead of having a wedding party, invite your nearest and dearest over for a champagne toast on the morning of the wedding as a fun way to start the day.
• Charging station: Create a charging station for electronics to prevent guests from running out of battery during the wedding.
• Hot air balloon entrance: Make a memorable entrance by arriving in a hot air balloon.
• Smoke bomb baby reveal: Use the wedding as an opportunity to reveal your baby's gender with a colourful smoke bomb.
• Kids' colouring pages: Keep children entertained with fun wedding-themed activity pages.
• Giant checkers: Take the concept of wedding games to a new level with giant checkers!
• Aerial silk performance: An aerial silk performer will bring entertainment to new heights as they perform suspended from a tree.
• Acrobat performer on a metal wheel: This exceptional acrobat will wow guests by performing on a metal hoop on the dance floor.
• Sea lion performance: Include a sea lion performance as part of the reception schedule at a zoo wedding.
• Elton John impersonator: If you can't get the real Elton John to perform at your wedding, an impersonator is the next best thing!
• Wig photo booth: Up the ante with a wig wall that guests can peruse before snapping pics in the photo booth.

Unique Bar Service Ideas

• Drink pouches: Serve drinks in pouches to keep guests cool and refreshed during a casual summer wedding.
• Signature cocktails with tamarind straws: Edible tamarind straws are a fun and eco-friendly alternative to paper straws.
• Coffee station: A fun coffee station during cocktail hour will give guests a caffeine boost so they can dance till the wee hours.
• Tea display: Invest your wedding drink budget in offering guests a curated selection of top-notch tea.
• Mobile bar cart: Guests can choose from a variety of drinks and garnishes from a mobile bar cart.
• Flower drink garnish: Garnish your signature cocktails with fresh edible flowers.
• Monogrammed ice cubes: Up-level your drinks with personalised ice cubes that showcase your monogram.
• Fish tank bar: Commission a fish tank as your wedding bar and, at the end of the night, guests and wedding vendors can depart with the goldfish as pets.
• Shotski: Get the party going with a shotski!
• Hoop skirt with champagne flutes: Waiters can wear flutes of bubbly on their skirts.

Royal-themed dress code

If you're hosting a wedding viewing party, there are plenty of food and drink options to choose from to give your celebration a royal twist. How about some tea sandwiches, like lemon dill cucumber sandwiches or deviled egg finger sandwiches? Or you could serve up some savoury cheddar scones, bangers and mash, beef wellington, or chicken tikka masala. For dessert, you could make egg custard tarts, berry and cream trifle, or mini blueberry bakewell tarts. And don't forget the drinks! You could whip up a big batch of rosé punch or an Earl Grey iced tea cocktail.

Now, onto the royal-themed dress code. The key to a royal-themed dress code is formality. For a formal event, men should wear a white bow tie with a wing collar and a long formal evening gown for women. For a black-tie event, men can wear a shorter dinner jacket and a black bow tie, while women can opt for a trouser suit or a cocktail dress. If you want to channel Princess Kate's style, go for a colourful outfit – perhaps something red or purple. You could even wear a hat, but it's not essential. If you're going for a more casual look, a lounge suit will do, or something smart casual, like a collared shirt and a sweater.

Of course, there are a few other royal fashion rules you could follow. If you're wearing gloves, make sure you take them off before you eat – you don't want to get them dirty! And if you're carrying a clutch bag, hold it in your left hand so that your right hand is free to wave. Finally, when it comes to makeup, less is more. Go for a subtle, natural look that will ensure all the focus stays on you and your elegant outfit.

Frequently asked questions