Are you doing buffet or sit down?

cookdt5312014

we are trying to decide now of course plated would cost us more. which would you do?
Buffet
Asparagus soup
International bread selection
green salad leaves with oils,vinegar,dressing
Smoke salmon,potato with capers and tarragon
Smoked duck breast with citrus fruits
Chickpea salad with onion,coriander,olives,sun dried tomatoes
Tomato and mozzarella salad
Grilled zucchini,cherry tomatoes,goat cheese
Mixed seafood salad
Smoked mackerel,Italian ham,smoked trout,smoked salmon
Vegetable lasagna
Grilled new potato
Mixed vegetable in season
grilled salmon with Caribbean sauce
Lamb cutlet with sauteed mushroom
Roasted chicken with pineapple salsa
Whole strip loin carving with selection of sauces
Live pasta station
Penne, farfalle and spaghetti
Tomato sauce,creme mushroom,tomato,asparagus,zucchini,onion
peppers,olives,mussel,shrimp,anchovies,bacon,ham,Parmesan cheese
Grapes,quince,crackers,french bread
Tiramisu,strawberry shortcake,french vanilla creme brulee
chocolate pot de creme

Plated Dinner
Chef amuse bouche
Appetizers
Sweet and sour tamarind soup with chicken or
seared yellow finn tuna with gingered tomato and keylime oil
Sorbet
Entree
Garlic roasted red snapper with mash potatoes,asparagus and tomato oil
or
Corn fed chicken with parmesan artichoke,eggplant,zucchini and tarrragon jus
or
Lamb fillet with foundant potato glazed pearl onions and roasted peppers
Dessert
Bourbon vanilla pana cotta with red wild berries or
Grand marnier creme brulee served with home made ornge compote

Kids menu
Chicken tenders with bbq or sweet and sour sauce
Spaghetti with butter or tomato sauce
Hamburgers and cheeseburgers
french fries
fruit kabobs
or
Chicken tenders with bbq sauce or sweet and sour sauce
Penne pasta with butter or tomato sauce
cheese pizza
Hotdogs
French fries
Fruit kabobs
Vegetarian options
Spanish potato with seasonal vegetable
Israeli cous cous with roasted eggplant and roasted cherry tomato
Grilled zucchini with ceme cheese and roasted peppers
Braised portobello mushroom with saffron,risotto and parsley oil
Giant vegetable ravioli with cottage cheese
Seasonal vegetables and tomato sauce

QueerFemme

cookdt5312014 said:

we are trying to decide now of course plated would cost us more.

I did buffet. I personally like buffets better because I can choose the food I want instead of getting a plated meal where I might only eat half of what I'm served.

LondonLisa

We are having a sit down meal because I prefer it but I don't mind buffets at all. The only thing with buffets is to make sure you get a good caterer to ensure there is plenty of food, at the right temperature and the queue isn't ridiculous. 

The only person that could tell you if it is more expensive or not is the caterer. It varies so greatly by region and even by caterer. Sometimes buffets cost more because they have to make more food. Sometimes plated meals are more because of staff. 

southernbelle0915

We did a buffet. But a buffet cost us a lot more than plated would have. We had a ton of different menu selections and way more food than we needed in case people wanted to try and get seconds of everything. If we did plated, we would have controlled selection and quantity a lot better - making it cheaper. But this is a question for your caterer.

Maggie0829

QueerFemme said:

we are trying to decide now of course plated would cost us more.

I did buffet. I personally like buffets better because I can choose the food I want instead of getting a plated meal where I might only eat half of what I'm served.

This.  I can also go back and get some more of one item that may have been extremely tasty.

AddieCake

We did buffet, and that is my preference. I'm a very picky eater, and a buffet allows me to choose what I want and not be stuck with anything I don't. 

ShallowSeas

We are doing a buffet. FI and I both decided that we would rather have a buffet versus a plated meal. I personally like a buffet because I am a picky eater. If I request a certain plate when I RSVP'd a month or so before the wedding, I might not feel like eating that when I actually get to the reception. I change my mind often and its nice to have options. I wanted to give our guests different options. When done right, buffets are great.

lizzypoo96

We are doing a sit down at FI's request. Despite what many caterers and vendors promise, he has been to so many weddings where by the time he got to the food, there was either nothing left or just scraps. He has actually ended up leaving weddings hungry. At least if you do a sit down you can assure everyone will at least get a plate of food.

tlc9615

I plan to do a plated meal- the main driver of this decision is FI and I both have a lot of elderly aunts, uncles, and other family members. That being said we do not want to have those to have to get up and serve themselves a plate to go sit back down. 

It does sound like the buffet has more options; I would just take a glance at your quest list and make sure your decision accommodates them as well!

beachyone15

We are doing plated b/c our venue serves the same food either way. I thought with a buffet, we'd have more food options but that wasn't the case. So since the food was the same, we decided we'd rather have guests served their meal, instead of getting up to get it themselves.

Maggie0829

beachyone15 said:

We are doing plated b/c our venue serves the same food either way. I thought with a buffet, we'd have more food options but that wasn't the case. So since the food was the same, we decided we'd rather have guests served their meal, instead of getting up to get it themselves.

I think this would be the only reason why I would have plated.

And that is just silly of your venue.

beachyone15

I know! I was really surprised. Like, what's the point of even having a buffet??

climbingsingle

We're having a sit down meal. Our venue actually limits the buffet to 130 people and we're at 150.

tammym1001

I wanted to have sit down, but the building we chose on our venues property was only equipped to handle buffet. The buffet was more expensive, but it worked out better because we got a lot more options and everyone got way more food. They had enough of every main dish for each person to get one where if we would have done sit down everyone would have had to choose only one. We also got more sides with the buffet.

loveislouder

We're probably doing a buffet because the caterer we really like adds an extra 4 bucks a person for a sit down dinner, which isn't even like... served. They just bring like, a plate full of chicken, a plate full of potatoes, etc. to your table and you dish yourselves.

theartistformerlyknownas

Plated. Partially because the plated options sounded so much more appealing to me than the buffet options, and partially because I was worried about timing with 250+ guests. I didn't want anyone to have to wait very long for their food - I know I get hangry at weddings when I have to wait.

Your buffet choices sound AWESOME.

littlemushroom

Buffet for us.  It was cheaper and had more options.  Plus, FI and I, as well as our families, all like buffets better.  I have never once had a plated meal at a wedding that was actually good.  Buffets have always been better in our experience.

jules3964

A plated dinner is cheaper than a buffet through our caterer, so that's what we're doing. FI and I preferred a plated dinner anyway, so it works out. Guests get to choose from 3 different meal options.

Senecaf

We are doing a buffet as well. I like being able to choose what I eat a little of and what I eat a lot of. You typically get more food too. I will make it a point to make sure my caterer knows we are not to run out of food. I've never experienced that but I would feel terrible of it happened.

CMGragain

Daughter had a brunch buffet.  Some of the men went back twice for bacon and sausages!

kmmssg

I am a really picky eater so I much prefer buffets.  As long as someone doesn't send me a plate with a duet where there is any fish I am fine, but if there is fish on my plate I am gonna be one hungry girl cuz that stuff is uber nasty.

vulpiepop

We're doing plated. We originally wanted a buffet but buffets costs significantly more than plated through our caterer. The buffet had the same food options anyway, just in larger quantities and we don't like wasting food so I guess it's for the better. The portions on the plated are nice and big at least

Cookie Pusher

We had a buffet, and every guest we spoke to raved about our food. Our caterer was able to grill the food in batches so nothing ran out but everything was fresh (no rubbery chicken or chewy beef!). We ended up getting 6 trays of leftovers afterwards - I brought a bunch of it to work and people were practically fighting over it.

That being said, I think it really depends on your caterer and your guests. Some caterers just aren't good at buffets, and larger guest lists make buffets harder to do logistically.

atlastmrsg

I was adamantly against any buffet at my wedding.  I don't think it's as luxe than having food brought to you.  I also had very limited space, and it would've taken up a lot.  Also, guests standing in line would be waiting and standing over people at tables.  Practically, I also thought it would be a lot easier for old people to have food brought to them instead of juggling plates and getting to table.  A few old people had mobility issues, one had an arm cast, one had a walking cast after food surgery.

Last, I hate seeing pillaged buffets/meat and cheese and fruit displays at cocktail hour.  There's usually something on the floor, things that have been picked over, etc.  I just don't find it aesthetically appealing.

I'm all for plated dinner.  All the food options sound nice, but I think having it served adds something special that is worth the expense.

JCbride2015

It never even occurred to me to do a buffet.  Every wedding I've been to except one had a plated meal, that's just how I've always seen it done.  Our venue didn't even have an option for buffet, so there was no choice involved.

That said, the options for both your buffet and plated meals sound delicious.  I don't think you can go wrong here.

sparklingjewelee

We are doing buffet style, although I believe the salad will be brought out to each guest individually.
It is all included with my reception venue. I'm not having a separate caterer.

drptobe14

We are doing a buffet with 2 stations, so 4 lines total. I have a highly selective palate (aka different textures are weird) so I really dislike plated meals because I usually only eat half.