I think it depends on the kind of cheese. You might not get as many people eating pungent or strongly flavored cheeses but more people might be drawn to soft and mild cheeses like brie.

It should actually depend on how you think your guests enjoy cheese and what type of cheese you will serve. Like what Pi suggested, you can serve more of the mild flavored cheeses.

Your idea of having a cheese stack is great as it will allow people to take only as much as they want. Generally cheese servings during caterings allow just 20-30 grams of each cheese per person (again consider the strength of your cheeses' flavor) but no more than a total of 100-120 for each guest.

You should also consider offering alternatives to cheese. A lot of people typically expect a wedding cake or other dessert, but even those who don't partake of dessert usually have some alternative, like fresh fruit. Fruit could offset the cost of offering that much cheese. And you could also offer a cheese spread in addition to whole wheels of cheese.

I think it sounds like a great idea - I love cheese!

I went to a wedding where they did this. Each table was given its own cheese plate to share. No one (seriously!) but me ate any at my table and while I tried to put a nice dent in it, there was a lot of cheese left over at my table alone.

as Pi suggested, you may want to consider some sort of alternative because even though you don't like sweets, a lot of people expect some sort of dessert. Everyone at my table was waiting for the dessert that never came.

Cheese plates hardly get touched. No more than an ounce or two per person should suffice. As others have noted, pungent or strong cheeses will limit more than mild or easily recognized cheeses. Cheddars, Jacks and Goudas will be eaten in greater quantities than Stiltons, Roqueforts or Limburgers.

If there are people like me, however, 3 pounds per person.

I'm with Pi and vulpecula on this one. Port and cheeseplate is an aquired taste. I, for one, don't enjoy either and would be more than happy to have fruit instead.

I know it's your wedding, but I would also try to cater to the guests, most of whom probably *do* have a sweet tooth.

Maybe you could find something sweet that goes with the cheese? Something along the lines of dried fruit, I'm thinking of panforte?

go search this on chowhound- they have a very long and helpful thread that i used when i needed to plan a cheese course for my wedding last summer.

Yeah, I'd be the old lady smuggling extra cheese home in her purse, then telling everyone what an awesome wedding that was.

I did a "cheese cake" for my wedding. Three wheels of cheese (a manchego in the middle, with one wheel being smaller and one being larger for size context) more than fed everyone; we had over half of each wheel left over. We did have a few choices for cookies and bars as well, though it was the cheese we cut (I know, I know) since we knew that our guests would probably enjoy having something sweet offered.