Ring pop, your reception food?

Alko726

Hey there, Did you think the family style menu at your wedding work out well? Did you find any issues with there not being enough food, or with people not knowing each other well and having it be awkward to share food like that on the tables? I'm still trying to decide how to do the meals, and I don't know anyone that's ever done it this way. Thanks

ring_pop

It worked out amazing for us!Well, we knew from the beginning that our friends would love it. Having family style service was actually a big part of the reason why we were able to get so much food. Our banquet had 3 main courses (chicken, salmon and lamb) plus several side dishes, but if we had gotten plated service, we would have gotten much less food for the same price. There was more than enough.My parents were the only ones who had concerns about the platters being too heavy or people spilling stuff, but as far as I know, they loved the food in the end and didn't really have any of those problems.It worked out that most of our guests came in groups that filled their tables, so we didn't really have too many mixed tables. So I'm not aware of very much awkwardness. If anything, I hope that sharing the food helped people break the ice.Keep in mind that we had to have very simple, small centerpieces to leave room for the food. So if you're dreaming of lavish flowers, they may need to be moved out of the way for dinner.If family style will help you significantly reduce your costs, I'd totally recommend it. Just make sure to ask them to set a full table for you to see when you go for your tasting. This gave us the opportunity to tweak a few things about how the table was set and how the meal was served.

Leese123

We were having the same issues when we were deciding on our menu and service.  We are having traditional chinese banquet style (10 courses)..there was pretty much only 3 options you have for food service and it all depends on what you find important. 1. Family style - leave the platter in the center for everyone to serve themselves.  Our caterer did not recommend it, especially if you are having it in a nice banquet hall.  We also had a lot of guests who are not familiar with chinese banquets, so they would feel uncomfortable serving themselves.  2. Food pre-served - meaning you have plates pre divided.  Depending on how traditional your family is..usually chinese people need to see the platter first (i.e. pig, chicken, fish) to make sure it is whole..there is symbolic meaning too...then they go back to kitchen or side table and divide it up.  I heard bad thing about this...usually not enuf to go around, and by the time they serve the plates, it gets cold.  Plus it's more $$$ because it's more labor. 3. Served at the table -* this is the one we went with *- the waiter brings and serves the food in front of your guests.  We cared about how hot the food was, plus it made my parents happy to see the whole dish intact when they serve it.  All the food gets divided up equally, so then no one would need to reach over to serve themselves. You should ask your restaurant/caterer how they usually serve the food, and go for a taste testing...as a full table..(not 3-4 people) so then you how much food you get.

ring_pop

My wedding was at a very nice banquet hall. And no one had ever been to a family-style wedding. But it worked out great. Just sayin'.

Alko726

Thanks for the feedback you two. Our reception venue (a banquet hall) is willing to do it however we want -- plated, buffet, family style, or stations. We're not doing the full on Chinese banquet until the day after for the Chinese side of the family (my dad wants it to sort of be a big Chinese family reunion), so we're doing a menu similar to Ring Pop's -- FI is not Chinese, and we want every guest to be comfortable and not overwhelmed by one culture or another, so we're thinking perhaps Asian Fusion. For the banquet the day after, we're definitely doing family style -- everyone for their own. Leese -- Don't most families eat family style anyway? Most of the people I know eat this way at home, so I figured this would be something that people would understand, even if they hadn't been to a wedding like that. And would you mind if I asked, why did your coordinator say that it's not good for a nice banquet hall? Did he/she think it was too informal? Also, if the food is served tableside hot, wouldn't that take a while for a lot of guests? Our venue usually does plated or buffet, but they're willing to try anything and we'll definitely do a tasting like how it will be on the day of, thanks! Ring pop -- Great to hear that it worked out well for you and thanks for the tips! I think it'd serve as a nice ice breaker for those that don't know each other as well. I've heard from other knotties that people are always afraid of taking more food so as not to seem like a "hog" or that there's never enough food for everyone. Not sure if they actually had been to one themselves, but it's good to hear that wasn't a problem for you. I think that the guests we're inviting will also come as 'clumps' of people that would fill an entire table, so I don't think that awkwardness would be a big problem for us either. Our event coordinator actually suggested doing a mix of both -- plated meal with some family style 'extras' or buffet with the same, so we're considering that now as well.

ring_pop

Yeah, we had the appetizers individually plated, main courses family style, and the desserts as a buffet. I think it's becoming more common now. I just went to a wedding this past weekend and although it was a buffet lunch, the first soup course was served individually at the tables. Get creative