Buffet vs. Plated Dishes???

katelyn26 · December 2010

So I have my reception venue booked but am torn on whether or not to do buffet or plated meals. My sister works at the restaurant that we're having our reception and says the buffets are really nice there. I know it's cheaper (and of course we're on a budget) but I've always been iffy about a buffet. Does it look as nice to do buffet? Help!

mica178 · December 2010

I think buffets are more casual than plated meals, and I think the look is more casual as well. It all depends on how you want your reception to feel.

ivyrose13 · December 2010

Do your homework on this one, sometimes plated meals cost the same amount per person as a buffet.

We are having a seated buffet, which is like a family style meal. It is the best of both worlds because guests can have the portions that they want, but it still has the formality of a plated dinner.

katelyn26 · December 2010

how does the seated buffet work? I want my wedding and reception to be formal yet fun and intimate

MMRoberts11 · December 2010

Seated buffets work per table. It is also called "family style". All the food for the table is placed in the center and everyone at the table shares.

ivyrose13 · December 2010

Just as the PP said, it's like a holiday dinner when each dinner item is brought out and guests pass it around the table. Our guests have the choice of three meat options, a vegetarian option, mashed potatoes, vegetable, and bread. If they want to take two meat portions they are more than welcome to.

fallbride1109 · December 2010

We did a buffet but it was set up in stations--carving station, potato bar, cheese display, etc. It was still a buffet in that the guests served themselves but it was a little nicer set up and the guests moved around the room freely instead of lining up cafeteria style. We had a formal hotel wedding and it worked fine for us. My husband did not want the formality of a seated dinner so this was a good compromise.

I recently attended another hotel wedding that was very fancy and the food was served family style and I really liked it.

topchef33 · December 2010

I like plated dinners. Usually it's a little nicer, and you won't have your guests walking around during dinner or having to wait in a long line for food.

flamingtwig72 · December 2010

I much prefer plated dinners. It's so much nicer to be served than to have to get up, stand in line, serve yourself, and walk around carrying food. I think it's mostly the line thing that irritates me. It reminds me too much of grade school cafeterias, while plated dinners feel like guests are at a nice restaurant.
The cost difference will depend on the specific venue and the food selections.

colourz · December 2010

If you can afford plated you should go with this, especially if you have older relatives. It makes it more formal.

Simply Fated · December 2010

I prefer plated...
I hate standing in lines...
you can't always make it so the whole table is eating at the same time, so it's annoying when everyone at your table is done eating and you are just sitting down, especially since I'm a slow eater.
The elderly people might need help with their plates.
There is a big chance of dropped plates... and all sorts of messy mishaps.
I also have the problem where I like my food hot and by the time I sit down, the food I first put on my plate is always cold by that time.

Having said that, I love buffets... but not at functions like weddings. Family style might be a better alternative to cut costs.

teachermegs · December 2010

We are doing a buffet (we are also doing it on the beach). My dad really wanted this so it doesn't limit how much food someone will have. We are paying for it and are told that food will not run out.

nannewmur · December 2010

I really dislike buffet style for several reasons. Plated are more formal and you feel special when someone brings your food to you. When I go through a buffet line, I always wonder about all the germs and who all have touched the utensil before I did. My husband is in the hotel business and usually buffets end up costing more and a lot of food is wasted.

You know your guests best and good luck with your decision.

PlutosMom · December 2010

At our venue, plated meals are actually less expensive than the buffet which we thought was weird. We ended up going with the buffet anyways just because we were able to have more entree options. If you do end up going with a buffet, make sure it can be set up so that your guests can line up on both sides to keep the lines/wait time shorter. I think that as long as the food is exceptional, most people don't mind having a buffet instead of a plated meal.

RebeccaB88 · December 2010

I can't stand plated meals. Stodgy, stuffy, takes way too long to serve (first tables served are always finished eating before the last ones get their food), not enough choice (I always leave hungry at plated dinners), and the food is always, always cold. I've never had a good experience with them, and I will not have that at my wedding too.

I love the choices that are available at buffets, the creativity, there is more food available (quantity), guests can eat their fill (seconds, thirds, etc), choose what they want or don't want, a little of everything, etc. We will have staff available to help those who need it. To me it's a no-brainer, a buffet is the only way to go. I've found good reasons to be unhappy with all weddings I've been to that have plated meals, but not with buffets.

K10Byrd · December 2010

I like the idea of a family style meal for my wedding, but how is there enough room at the tables for bowls of food? Don't centerpieces and candles and stemware take up a lot of the table???

ehathewa · December 2010

I would definitely do a buffet if it costs less than plated. I don't think that they seem that much less formal.

I had a plated dinner, but that was largely for cost reasons ($10 less for plated). I think we would have rather had a buffet.

Another factor might be space. Will having a big buffet table make the room too crowded?

colstj · December 2010

It really depends on whether or not you want to have a more casuel reception or one where your guests and sit and be served. If it's not too much more, I would go with the plated meal.

jpickering8 · December 2010

I will most definitely be doing plated dinners. I have worked weddings before and I have seen all different ways of dinner done. Family style definitely takes up the table. There is not enough room, ever. The centerpieces were lost, people were eating on the ends of the table and in order to clear the tables we were reaching over the people much more than we should have. Buffets leave really long lines and never work out. The people in the front of hte line are done eating before people are even through the lines. Carving stations or different serving stations aren't bad but people usually end up in long lines at those also. Plated dinners really seem like the best idea to me. They are plated right before they are served so there really shouldn't be ANY reason for them to be cold and people should be served much more quickly than a buffet line. We are doing a duet plate where everyone will have 2 meat choices, a veg & a starch on the plate so we don't have to keep track of what meals people want. This way the plates are all the same and can get out quickly. Having worked it and seen it all this is definitely my favorite choice. Also the buffets I've looked at are more expensive because they're are more options and more food but a lot is wasted.

SuMmErKuTiE · December 2010

I prefer buffet/stations at weddings because as a pp mentioned you get a lot more variety and you won't leave feeling hungry. DH and I are always hungry after a plated dinner because they don't give you much and it's not always fresh and hot once it hits the table so we pick at what's there.

We had stations at our wedding and everyone loved the variety and the ability to go back up for more. We had a carving station with prime rib, turkey, and pork loin, a tuscan station, a pasta station, and a summer grille station. It definitely didn't look cheap and there were no issues with people waiting in lines. It was presented beautifully and the food was delish.

mrshump · December 2010

at my venue plated is actually cheaper than buffet. we originally were going to do buffet but we wanted to allow more money towards our bar. and we also want things to be happen in a timely fashion so we figure if everyone is being served dinner around the same time then the sooner we can start the party

courtney1188 · December 2010

I didn't have a choice on this - our venue only offers a buffet. But I have heard good things about their food so hopefully everything will go well, PPS make me a bit nervous though!

phebeb · January 2011

That's what we're doing too. I think it's going to work really well. Sometimes you have to wait ages for a plated meal so buffet does have that advantage - your guests may get their meal quicker.

phebeb · January 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_buffet-vs-plated-dishes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:489c20ea-1a69-4276-922d-6012aff0e460Post:c9eb5413-32a3-4d79-9143-c4579c55ec79">Re: Buffet vs. Plated Dishes???</a>:
[QUOTE]I prefer plated... I hate standing in lines... you can't always make it so the whole table is eating at the same time, so it's annoying when everyone at your table is done eating and you are just sitting down, especially since I'm a slow eater. The elderly people might need help with their plates. There is a big chance of dropped plates... and all sorts of messy mishaps. I also have the problem where I like my food hot and by the time I sit down, the food I first put on my plate is always cold by that time. Having said that, I love buffets... but not at functions like weddings. Family style might be a better alternative to cut costs. :)
Posted by Simply Fated[/QUOT<div>
</div><div>You don't have a long line if you do it table by table and you have it so that guests can go both sides of the table. That way everyone at each table gets their food at the same time, and you just swap it for dessert so that the last people to get their main meal are the first table to get dessert. That keeps everyone happy.
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jglod170 · January 2011

If you have a lot of picky eaters coming to your wedding...go with "Family-Style" or buffet. I can't stand the stuff that I end up with when I have a plated dinner...I'm too picky...

Buffet vs. Plated Dishes???

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