pros and cons of buffet or plated meals

emplatacis

I was just looking through some vendors pages, and I was wondering if you could give me a general idea of people's opinions. Buffet or plated meal? Buffets would be great for variety but would bring up the trouble of long lines, and plated meals seem slightly more organized but don't offer much choice.

In case it makes any difference, my fiance is a vegetarian and so I'd like to incorporate a vegetarian option somehow; probably something like pasta.

jessicabessica

Buffets:

1. Guests get to take however much of what they want 

2. It can be less sanitary, especially if guests serve themselves and are allowed to go back for seconds with the same plate

3. Can get long lines (we had two identical buffets set up to reduce the wait time)

Plated:

1. Gives a more elegant feel

2. Servers need to be good, otherwise some tables are waiting while others are served, or some people at a table are waiting (like if they bring out all the chicken to everyone, the vegetarians at a table might not get their food until the chicken-eaters are done)

3. Can be cheaper than a buffet

I'm sure people will have more to add to those starter lists.  As a vegetarian, I tend to prefer buffets so I can take more sides or salad if there's no real veggie entree, but I think if you have good food served at the right temperature, and enough of it, either option is good.  

I would talk to your FI about what kind of meal he'd like and see what your caterer can do--there are a lot more creative vegetarian dishes besides pasta.  

courtchace7

I guess it depends, i mean both a buffet and plated meal can be really good or really bad. We are doing a plated meal because we feel that it is just more formal/elegant than a buffet meal. We also chose to offer 4 entrees so that people have more variety (chicken, filet mignon, fish, vegetarian). That way, guests get more entree choice while still having a plated meal. We also are having four courses (appetizer, salad, entree, desser) on top of cocktail hour so I think guests will have plenty of food options without going the buffet route.

lyndausvi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_pros-cons-of-buffet-plated-meals?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:bac3c199-496a-4f04-a6be-ea2b4af47cc1Post:1339aa6a-7371-4510-8386-6cc466939e4d">Re: pros and cons of buffet or plated meals</a>:
[QUOTE]I guess it depends, i mean both a buffet and plated meal can be really good or really bad. 
Posted by courtchace7[/QUOTE]

<div>This 100%.</div><div>
</div><div>I prefer plated.  I'm not a fan of standing in line for food, carrying my plate across a room.  I always feel like people judge me for the amount of food on my plate so I rarely take as much as I want.  I also like being served.</div><div>
</div><div>DH refuses to eat from a buffet, so there's that. </div>

littleluckypenny

Yes, a plated meal is more elegant, but as a guest, I don't like them because I'm always still starving at the end of the meal. 

At least to the weddings I've been to, when the meal came, it was only like 5 bites of food!  I'm not ravenous, but I think a meal should be more than 5 bites. 

Buffets are less formal, yes, but at least you can guarantee that your guests will not be hungry.  And they can get as much or as little of a particular item if they want.

031107

We had a plated meal.  The wedding was more formal, so plated worked better.  We made sure we had enough food to fill people (4 course meal + dessert).
 
I am a rather picky eater, so when I don't get to pick exactly what the menu will be (like at my own wedding) I like buffet.  I can pick and choose what I want.  I can get a little more of something I want, skip something I don't, and still be full at the end of dinner.

jessicabessica

Also, just to add to my previous post, we had a buffet for the main course, but plated soup and salad.  It worked out well, because people weren't trying to carry multiple courses or go back and forth to the buffet, and between the plated courses and cocktail hour, hopefully no one was starving while waiting for the buffet.  

FaithCaitlin

We are doing buffet and wouldn't have it any other way! 

It really depends on your wedding, the venue, your style, etc.

SuMmErKuTiE

DH and I always prefer stations or a buffet opposed to a plated dinner. We're always left hungry after a plated meal because there either isn't enough, it isn't hot enough, or we don't like the sides it comes with. DH always hits up the drive thru on the way home from a plated meal wedding.

We had stations at our wedding and they were done beautifully. We had a carving station with prime rib, turkey, and ham, a tuscan table, a pasta station, and a summer grille station. Plenty of variety and all the food was top notch. Our guests were able to take as much of what they like and go back up for more.

lyndausvi

It interesting how many people say they left hungry from a plated meal.   

I've left a reception hungry before, but I think it was more that the receptions were like 6+ hours long and the food was served in the first half.  After drinking and dancing I worked up another appetite.  It's not that the food given to me at the time was not enough.  I only eat so much at one sitting, it's just by the time the event is over it's time for another meal anyway.  Unless it's night wedding.  But I'm known for having late-night snacks after a night out on the town, so theres that. 

Umm.

emplatacis

Hmm... You know, I think I'm starting to lean towards the buffet... I like the idea of the variety, and I can see how if the food is served right and if the lines are organized well it could be a great idea. I'd love to have plenty of endless food on hand haha. Thanks for your advice everyone.

Ljacks87

There are tons of pros and cons to each and there is no right or wrong. Do what is best for you and your FI. 

We chose plated because I wanted it to be a bit more formal and we could afford it. Also, my sister would not touch a buffet (major germaphobe), so I wouldn't do that to her