Before people jump in with "omg, you're catering your own wedding", let me say: PROPS!

I wish more people would get their head out of the proverbial catering sand.

I did a guest post over at one of my favourite wedding blogs, that discusses my experience with self-catering, including our food:

http://www.sourismariage.com/2010/02/micies-for-last-day-of-guest-post.html

Best of luck. The key is having lots of friends to help, and doing as much in advance as possible.

kaitlin, i agree, but people should proceed with caution.

it's one thing to keep food for 10 dinner guests hot and out of the danger zone during cocktails; it's quite another to keep food for 75 people (or more) hot and out of the danger zone during the ceremony, cocktail hour, receiving line, toasts, introductions ...

I'm worried the skin will dry out in a weird way though. I've never been happy with the texture of baked dumplings. Or if you could put the dumplings on cooling racks and put them in a hot oven while tossing water on the oven floor, the resulting steam could keep them moist. But really I'd just boil them for convenience.

@kaitlin - I totally agree! We also did our own catering, and are still being held up as the standard by which other people's caterers fall short (we also overcatered to the point of practically begging strangers in the bar to come in and eat, but hey, better than the alternative!)

Yay for you! I don't have any advice, but we did our own wedding food (not a full meal) too. Everyone helped out and we had 350 people there. :) Go you!

If you have enough time before the big day, you could always try out the recipe and see how the baking comes out. Or, if you're swamped and busy, maybe a willing friend can do a test run. Good luck and congrats!

So to actually answer your question and not the fact that you're catering your own wedding (which may I add is so admirable): boil them.

As a Chinese gal who LOVES dumplings, I can't imagine that baked dumplings would be good. But if you get a ginormous pot of boiling water, just dump those babies in, and you can cook big batches (day of, unfortunately) in a short amount of time.

Mini quiches? You could bake and freeze them ahead of time and then just heat them up on the big day.

Or, a homemade version of Trader Joe's mushroom turnovers? Those things are crazy delicious, and it seems like you could make the mushroom filling and the dough and assemble and freeze them way in advance.

(Heck, I might even be tempted to just use the TJ's turnovers and dress them up somehow.)

All of these suggestions/responses are so great! Thanks for all of the well wishes. cuishanying, I will definitely try boiling them; I'd been wondering if that was an option, so the suggestion is much appreciated, and heather77, I'm definitely NOT opposed to buying something from TJs and dressing it up (or even just doing them as-is), that's a great suggestion. Keep 'em coming! <3

I don't think baking will do them justice - it's just not the same food anymore. I'd definitely steam them, or, alternately, make them shui jiaozi - just boil them until they float. Lots more authentic, lots more delicious, and just as quick and easy.

My mom makes her own potstickers (Grandma's recipe), fries/steams them and then freezes them. She heats them up again in the oven on a rack set in a cookie sheet. They're much crisper but still quite good. I wish I could tell you the time and temp but unfortuantely, I don't know them.

Word of warning for boiling in batches: This a yummy way to make them and my preferred method. However, when you plate them the wantons very easily stick together and get gummy. I highly suggest putting some oil in the boiling water as when cooking pasta. The dumplings won't stick as well and hold up better. I've also found they stay warm a bit longer with this method although a warming tray would be a very good idea. Dipping sauce is important no matter how you cook them.

I have much respect for intrepid people! I did my own wedding reception (waaaay back when people didn't expect so much). I baked a beautiful 4 tier wedding cake (rented the pans from a local bakery), plus other cakes of an exotic nature (pineapple, marble - hey! it was 1969). We had a good quality champagne for tipplers, coffee and sodas for tee-totalers). We had the grandest time!!!

Good for you~!

I think if you pan fry them ahead of time and just reheat in the oven it should retain the proper flavor and come out nice and crispy/chewy.

They're going to squirt all over people. I don't think regular sized ones are good finger food. But you could try making bite-sized ones, as well as shu mai, to pass around.

We catered our wedding, a zillion years ago--my BIL made the wedding cake as he'd just graduated from Cordon Bleu, and my husband's a chef. But I don't think I'd go through it again--too much stress.

i think you should think of another snack. anything else but dumplings - it's a lot of work for such tiny bites of food. that's like saying you're going to make your own petits fours on the day of :) why do this to yourself?

however you could make and boil them ahead of time and fry them the day of - it's a Chinese leftover dumpling staple for breakfast the day after holidays when families gather round and make and boil dumplings ALL DAY for the holiday. usually there aren't many leftover. of course americans only make them in order to eat them fried ... go figure!

that recipe is gross, mayo in the dumpling?

i've made many different jiaozi and would prob be scolded if i ever put mayo in the stuffing.

but yeah, u can boil them then freeze or refrigerate, and then pan fry when needed. its very fast to pan fry (tho not as space conscious or hands free as baking)

At my cousins wedding they had small stuffed cabbages. Easily made ahead of time and put in a crock pot. They were hot and in sauce and ready to eat. There was no real thinking about it the day of the wedding, just turn on the crock pot.

I would suggest things that can totally be prepared in advance with no assembly required at the last minute, but just warming.

some ideas,

spanikopita (you can even buy frozen little phyllo shells and put different little fillings in them)

stuffed mushrooms

chicken satay

marinated shrimp

vietnamese spring rolls

baked brie

I would also suggest contacting your local culinary school for students in their externship for a few extra hands! Good Luck!

If you are stuck on potstickers (pun intended). Why not create a steam bath like the above suggestion to make the texture softer? Or bake them on a high heat with a little water in the pan and covered almost like frying them?