Whether you attend weddings a little or a lot, there’s nothing quite like a nice canape between the wedding ceremony and the wedding breakfast, as a means of getting your appetite whetted for the serving of more meaningful dishes in the company of the happy couple and guests. 

But what really is a canape? For this, we could consult the dictionary definition – Cambridge English Dictionary, for example, describing it as “a small, thin, salty biscuit or small piece of bread with food such as cheese, fish, or meat on top, that is served with drinks, especially at a party”. 

That might seem informative enough, and most of you reading this probably have some experience of attending a canape reception. But what else should you know about canapes as someone organising a wedding or a similar event, and are they quite the essential element of a wedding that they are sometimes made out to be? 

The background of the word “canape”

You will no doubt be shocked to learn that the word “canape” – like so many words in the English language since William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 – is French in origin. 

The French word literally means “sofa”, this association apparently coming about due to the placement of a savoury topping on a piece of bread or toast being likened to a person sitting on a sofa. The snack itself therefore came to be known simply as a “canape”. 

Is it really all that crucial to have canapes at your wedding?

Technically, of course, you don’t have to have canapes at your nuptials – after all, we are in the age of seemingly anything and everything about the traditional wedding being challenged, questioned, and reimagined. But canapes aren’t a wedding tradition that people continue with ‘just because’; they have a genuinely useful purpose. 

That purpose is helping to whet the appetite of guests with something dainty, delicious, and colourful, ahead of the heftier gastronomy to come at the ensuing wedding breakfast. A great canape doesn’t spoil anyone’s appetite, of course, and nor are canapes meant to eliminate one’s hunger. But the right canapes will certainly add fun and interest to what is meant to be a fun and interesting day of celebration for the newly married couple and their loved ones. 

To that end, wedding canapes can take all manner of forms, ranging from cheese and salmon canapes to the likes of mini burgers, tomato bruschetta, macarons, and so many more. 

If you would like to have a more in-depth conversation about how our own top caterers in London here at Sophie Wright Catering could assist in rustling up the canapes that would help ‘complete’ your big day, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us today. We will have the canape selections ready that could make all the difference. 

Sophie Wright Catering