Unless the party is at 6pm people dont need to be fed protein. People
usually either eat before or go out to eat after such parties. Is this
going to be a backyard keg of beer type party, an in-home no alchohol
type party, or a rented space champagne quartet type party?

I would get enormous bowls. Fill them with trail mix ingredients-nuts
crackers mints candy. Then have paper cups or those clear plastic cups
and let people "ladle" their cups full. For the grandparents generation
have the obligatory ordered bakery cake.