Bride In The Dark, Lots Of ??

I`m planning my wedding in central Illinois for next year, and I`ve run into so many brick walls. It seems that no one at the planning sites have these questions. Any help would be appreciated!

I am catering my reception myself. Is it ok to have appetizers and cake for a pre-lunch reception? It will be 2-3 hours long. Some of my relatives are obese and compulsively eat. I know I will run out of food, no matter what I do. Should I stick to the 12-pieces-per-guest rule, and does cake count as an h`our dourve? (When the trays run out, we`ll replace them with silver picture frames of FH and I.)

I will have a kids` area at the reception site, and there will be hired help there during the ceremony. (Ceremony and reception site are 10 minutes apart.) I would prefer it if only adults attended the ceremony. They can let their kids stay in the kids area during that time. How do I let them know that the sitter is available? A card in the invite?

I`ll post more questions in seperate threads. Thank you!!

Anda