The ceremony is over, the formalities box ticked and it’s time to celebrate. Guests (and I bet yourselves as the newlyweds) are hungry so what better way to cure their rumbling stomachs than to serve a few canapes at cocktail hour? This way, if the speeches during the wedding breakfast, lunch or dinner (whichever time of day it is) drags on, you won’t need to worry that everybody’s starving and all they want is for the food to miraculously appear before their eyes. That means you’ve got their full attention. If your wedding bash doesn’t involve a sit-down meal, serving finger foods will ensure guests won’t be drinking on an empty stomach (we all know how that can end) and can sample a variety of culinary treats. You want food that’s unfussy, mess-free, preferably sauce-free, can be eaten in one bite and with one hand. The last thing you want is for a someone to cause a scene when she gets sloppy food or red wine spilt down her expensive dress or even worse, all over your white wedding gown. There’ll probably be more than just a gasp.

You can go casual with mini-burgers, fish n’ chips or sophisticated with scallops on a spoon. The choice is yours.