Photo: Lisa Lefkowitz

Planning on inviting children other than your flower girl or ring bearer to your wedding? You may want to consider a special kid's menu. Which options will your younger guests will enjoy the most? Our wedding etiquette experts are here to answer your catering questions in our daily post.

What do we need to think about when serving children? Should they get a separate menu?

"Children are guests, too!," says Charlie Palmer, chef at New York City's Metrazur, Aureole and Asta restaurants. "I think that it's worth the extra time and effort to cater to their needs. Let your caterer whip up a few simple dishes that young palates will love, but can still be formal, like a simple soup (hold the spices!), a delicious four-cheese ravioli for the main course, and ice cream for dessert."

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Photo: Alea Moore Photography

It's your wedding and you can serve whatever food and drink you want to, right? Not necessarily. Our wedding etiquette experts are here to answer your catering questions in our daily post.

We don't drink, but some of our friends and family do. Is it rude not to serve alcohol at our wedding reception?

Although it's not rude to have a liquor-free party, if you know your friends and family drink, and you don't have any vehement objections to alcohol, go ahead and splurge on a little booze. You don't have to spend tons of money on a full, four-hour open bar. Instead, host a full bar open for a cocktail hour, followed by a few hours of wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks. Or serve just wine and beer, or festive champagne, all night long. However, if you do feel strongly about passing on liquor, then do so. Offer an exotic fruit punch and flavored sparkling waters. Or hire a bartender to mix "virgin" piña coladas and other fancy drinks. Or maybe even have a flavored iced-tea and coffee bar. Make the drinks you do serve interesting, and your guests will hardly notice what's missing.

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Photo: Adam Sjöberg and Joanna Michaelides for Ira Lippke Studios

Finding delicious vegetarian wedding food options can be a challenge—but what if both you and your fiancé are veg-only? Do you serve an entire menu of meatless food? Our wedding etiquette experts are here to answer your food restriction-related questions in our daily post.

My fiancé and I are vegetarians, and we planned a fantastic meatless feast. My mother, however, thinks that we're being rude hosts by not serving meat to the rest of our guests. What do you think?

It's a tough call. If you feel very strongly about not serving meat, you should go ahead with your vegetarian dinner plans—even if your guests are normally carnivorous, they may really enjoy the enticing menu you have planned. On the other hand, the sign of a good host is someone who keeps their guests in mind when planning a party. If your family and friends are real "meat and potatoes" sorts who might find your menu too exotic for their tastes, compromise by offering one entree that will please the meat-eating crowd, and another for you and the more adventurous types.

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A signature cocktail is a delicious way to personalize your wedding menu, especially if you're throwing a destination wedding. We asked wedding planners across the country, from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, what kinds of fruity concoctions are most popular in their neck of the woods. "If your crowd is into margaritas, try a version with Texas grapefruit instead of lime," suggests Sarah Kane of Dallas-based Culinary Art Catering. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia it's all about the Greenhouse Tonic served in a mason jar and garnished with a cucumber slice. How's that for colorful and delicious?

For this and eight more mouth-watering signature cocktail ideas and recipes, check out the full slideshow.

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What catering options should you provide for your vegetarian wedding guests? How do you handle wedding guests' food allergies? Our etiquette experts are here to help you sort out your food-and-drink dilemmas.

How should I handle vegetarian guests?

Even if you only have one or two vegetarian friends, arrangements should be made. You wouldn't want them to try to survive on the olives from their martinis alone. At a buffet, it's easy to let guests pick and choose. For a sit-down dinner, however, you should have one vegetarian choice. Don't think of it as a meal that will only appeal to the vegetarians. A good pasta primavera, for example, will please both carnivores and herbivores. But, if you really want both your main dishes to be meat, choose a hearty pasta for the side dish. This way, it'll be available in the kitchen so the waitstaff can bring out full plates of it upon request. Give your veggie friends the heads up on this plan so they know to place their request rather than just stare at a plate of food they won't eat.

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Photo: Kate Headley

Do you have to serve dinner if your wedding reception starts in the early evening? Is 11 a.m. too early to serve drinks to your wedding guests? Our etiquette experts are here to help you sort out your food-and-drink dilemmas.

Do we have to serve a full meal at a 5 p.m. reception? I was going to have a long cocktail party, but my mother says we'll look cheap.

Timing-wise, your idea is fine; it's early enough that a full dinner isn't required. On the other hand, you don't want anyone to go home hungry—especially if they've traveled any distance. Make sure you offer enough to eat (18 to 24 hors d'oeuvres per person for a three-hour party), and consider a variety of serving styles: passed canapés, a cheese and fruit buffet, and a couple of action stations (quesadillas, pastas). Serve a wedding cake or another sweet finish as well. You can also prepare your guests with this invitation wording: "Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres immediately following the ceremony."

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Photo: Amy Majors Photography

Should you serve a plated dinner or a buffet at your wedding reception? What catering options should you provide for vegetarian wedding guests? Our etiquette experts are here to help you sort out your food-and-drink dilemmas.

Is it more traditional to have a plated dinner than a buffet?

In any wedding reception, food plays a major part—in fact, the cost of food at a reception usually consumes 45-50% of the total wedding budget. The first big choice you'll make as you plan your dinner is how to serve your guests: a plated dinner or a buffet meal, which usually includes several entrée options. A plated dinner is considered the most formal option, as each guest is individually served. (In fact, when Emily Post first wrote Etiquette in 1922, she spent considerable time writing about a sit-down, or plated, wedding breakfast.) It is nice to offer guests an option with a plated dinner, either two completely separate choices, or two choices, such as meat and fish, on one plate.

Regardless of tradition, it's entirely possible to have a formal wedding with buffet service these days. Mostly, the choice between the two comes down to questions of convenience and cost. Plated service requires more servers, both to do the plating in the kitchen and to serve the meal to guests. Also, buffets make it easier and more cost effective to provide guests with a variety of choices (especially in this day and age of so many types of allergies and dietary restrictions).

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Should you serve dinner for a 5 p.m. wedding reception? What catering options should you provide for vegetarian wedding guests? Etiquette expert Anna Post, the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, is here to help you sort out your food-and-drink dilemmas.

How do I handle guests' food allergies?

Food allergies are a more serious concern than dietary preferences such as vegetarianism or a low-carb diet. While a strict vegan might simply find less available to them at the buffet, a triggered food allergy can have serious health consequences.

People with dangerous food allergies typically take appropriate precautions. If you know of close friends and family members with food allergies, you can mention it to your caterer so that they can either avoid that ingredient or let you know where they plan to use it so that you can let people know.

When you're planning a large gathering such as a wedding reception, you don't have to ask each guest about individual food restrictions. If you know that many of your friends are vegetarians or avoid a certain food for religious reasons, discuss some appropriate dishes and options with your caterer. That way, everybody will find something he or she enjoys. Buffets are the best option to accommodate a wide range of restrictions and allergies, as guests can pick and choose what works for them, filling up on vegetarian lasagna and skipping the chicken with peanut sauce.

—Anna Post, The Emily Post Institute

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Photo: Esther Sun Photography

Planning all the details of your wedding reception can be a bit of a headache. What type of dessert should you serve? What's the difference between escort cards and table cards? Our wedding etiquette experts are here to answer all your questions!

Can we serve only cake for dessert, or should we offer other desserts, too? What are some inexpensive options?

It's sweet and it's served after dinner—sounds like dessert to us! A slice of cake is the perfect way to end the meal, and you're not obligated to provide your guests with other selections to choose from. Sure, some couples opt for a dessert table to accompany cake service, but rest assured your guests aren't counting on it.

However, if you're looking to add a little variety to dessert, here are a few options that won't break your wedding-planning bank: You could arrange for plated truffles or chocolate-covered strawberries to be placed on each reception table. Folks who don't have room for a big slice of cake (go figure!) at the end of a filling meal might still want a little something to satisfy their sweet tooth. Another idea is to set up a fruit station after dinner. It's a refreshing addition to dessert—especially on a hot summer's night. One final idea certain to please the chocoholics in the crowd is to set out bowls of individually wrapped bite-sized candy bars. Pick up bags of these assorted and festive treats and have the waitstaff set them out near the cake. Just like kids knocking on your door at Halloween, your guests won't be able to resist grabbing a handful (and probably throwing some in their pockets for later!). Whether you decide to add extra sweets for dessert or not, just remember that as long as guests get their coffee and cake, they're good to go.

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Is cocktail hour a wedding essential? Can you have a cash bar at your wedding? Navigate the stickiest wedding food and drink dilemmas with a little help from our experts.

Our reception starts at 11 a.m. Is that too early for guests to start drinking?

For some guests, it probably is; for others, a party's a party no matter what time of day, and they'll be happy to raise a glass or two. Instead of stocking the bar with hard liquors, though, take a lighter route. "You could do a bubbly bar, with champagnes and sparkling wines, or pass around Bloody Marys, in addition to serving wine and beer," says Laura Weatherly, owner of Engaging Affairs in Alexandria, Virginia. Fruity alcoholic drinks can be both pretty and punchy, like strawberry piña coladas or pomegranate margaritas. Have juices and sodas on hand too, plus iced tea and flavored lemonade in summer or mulled cider in winter.

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Photo: Aaron Dyer

You don't have to sacrifice a super chic soirée if you can't afford a traditional evening wedding reception with dinner and dancing. Instead, throw a stylish punch-and-dessert party. "A cake-and-punch party is best in the late morning or afternoon," says Kathryn Storke Grady, the fab blogger behind Snippet & Ink who selected the amazing wedding details shown here. "Word your invite clearly so guests know not to expect a full meal." And then follow the five tips below to throw a bang-up bash.

1. Offer gourmet versions of your favorite childhood treats. "Your guests will get a kick out of dressed-up takes on desserts you loved as a kid, like mini milk shakes and grown-up cotton candy," says Grady.

Photo: Aaron Dyer

2. Serve your cake with a keepsake. This vintage personalized cake server from Wooden Hive ($39) makes "such a sweet memento—whenever you serve cake, you'll think back on your wedding," says Grady.

Photo: Aaron Dyer

3. Counting pennies? Serve punch! "Offering several pretty punches is cheaper than a full bar," says Grady. "Just be sure to have a non-alcoholic one, too!" And the ten-piece "Optic" punch bowl set (above) from Godinger is just as useful after the big day.

Photo: Aaron Dyer

4. Wow your crowd with the cake. "Since you're not serving dinner, take that savings and splurge on a show-stopping cake," says Grady. This too-pretty confection from Lael Cakes looks picture perfect on its color-coordinated stand from Fishs Eddy ($100).

Photo: Aaron Dyer

5. Send guests home with a bang. Mini Moët & Chandon champagne ($15, available at Grand Wine Cellar) is "such a luxe party favor!" says Grady. "Plus, it will encourage guests to keep the celebration going at home." Go overboard with fun details like custom labels from MaeMae Paperie ($270 for 100 labels).

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There is nothing more frightening than a hungry guest. Navigate the stickiest wedding food and drink dilemmas with a little help from our experts.

Our ceremony starts at 7:30 p.m., and the reception will follow directly at 8:00. Do we have to serve dinner?

In most parts of the country, eight o'clock is a reasonable dinner hour; even if it's on the late side in your region, realize that guests will have spent their normal dining period getting ready for and driving to the wedding. If cost-cutting is your motivation for skipping the meal, remember that the food doesn't have to be elaborate. Instead of pricey filet mignon or lobster, go with a less expensive chicken or pasta dish. Talk to caterers about your budget and your options. You might be pleasantly surprised.

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Cake or cupcakes? Classic cake toppers or whimsical ones? Our etiquette experts are here to help.

Our evening reception is scheduled for 6:30. Is it OK to have a dessert-only celebration?

Any time you invite people to be with you during a customary mealtime, you've got to feed them something substantial. A dessert-only reception should be held only in the late afternoon (before 4:00) or in the late evening (after 9:00). If you want to have a dessert party to save money, adjust your timing. If you want to have one because you love sweets, think about serving a three-course (instead of five-course) meal, and have a tempting dessert buffet. You could also have a sundae bar or a crème brûlée station with fruit and other toppings.

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There is nothing more frightening than a hungry guest. Navigate the stickiest wedding food and drink dilemmas with a little help from our experts.

Is cocktail hour essential? We don't want people to fill up on hors d'oeuvres and not eat dinner.

A cocktail hour isn't just for eating and drinking—it also gives you time to organize the crowd. With cars to park and coats to check, people tend to trickle into an event, and the cocktail period ensures that everyone will be present when dinner is announced. Rather than eliminating your cocktail hour, try cutting it back to 45 minutes or scaling down the number of selections (for example, three types of passed hors d'oeuvres instead of six).

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When planning your wedding, you're sure to have many questions about feeding your guests. That's why our experts are here to help you navigate the stickiest of food-and-drink dilemmas.

Can we have a cash bar at the wedding?

Guests shouldn't have to shell out for anything at a wedding reception. But there are ways to serve liquor without getting soaked. Lisa Harris, director of catering at the Wyndham Miami Beach Resort, suggests limiting the time the bar is open—you could close it during dinner or an hour before the reception ends, offering just house wines, beer, and soft drinks. Other cost-savers: Pass up expensive premium liquors (you'll save about 15 percent), and have a sparkling-cider toast instead of passing champagne. If your caterer will allow it, buy your own liquor—that way, you can stockpile during sales and return unopened bottles for credit.

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