How to Count Children's Food

I'm planning our weddding by myself, so of course I have many questions. One very simple question is regarding children. Our reception dinner will be simple and accurate. My question is, should children be counted as an adult plate, or are we supposed to count 2 children as 1 adult? We don't want to be short food, but since our budget is tight, we don't want mounds of the food left over either, any ideas. A lot of children are going to be attending, enough so that they will make a significant difference.

This question really should be put to whoever is preparing/serving your reception meal. Some count by plate, regardless of who's eating from it. Some may have children's portions which they would charge less for. And if it's a buffet rather than a sit-down service, there may be different charges for children vs adults. The charging scheme varies with location. If you are preparing the food vs a hotel chef for instance, then your thought is probably close - to count two children as one adult for amount. It's also probably a good bet that elderly people will eat much less than younger (teens & 20's age) people, so quantity eaten will vary by the type of guests you are inviting.