Plated, Buffet, Stations, or Family Style?

Alko726 · September 2009

Ohhh, the options.... What's your preference? Any particular reason why? Is your answer any different as a guest or as a bride planning the wedding (due to cost, convenience, food choices, etc.)? Sorry if this exactly question/poll was posted before, I didn't run into it while lurking lately! TIA

Jamilynn627 · September 2009

My answer as a bride is the same as a guest because it was really important to me to put our guests first and make our guests as comfortable as possible. Obviously you have to do what your budget allows, but I always prefer plated meals. In my area, every reception is a sit down dinner with 3-4 entree choices and is preceded by a cocktail hour with tons of hors d' oeuvres and stations. I always feel like there is plenty of variety (especially between the cocktail hour, the pasta course, salad course, and entrees). I don't want guests to have to get up and balance a plate and try to serve themselves or hold their plates while they're served (I'm clumsy and bound to drop something on myself!). I like that guests can just relax and be served. In my area, tableside ordering is common so there's no need to select the entree beforehand. The style I hate the most is family style. It's called family style because it's the style used at most immediate family dinners. It sucks when you know few people at your table and you have to keep bugging strangers to pass plates. Furthermore, no one ever takes as much as they really want because they fear there won't be enough for everyone else. It sucks :-(

futuremrsdawes · September 2009

I really prefer plated, they just seem more elegant to me. That being said we are doing Buffet because of cost concerns and because FI has his heart set on BBQ for our reception.

fallbride1109 · September 2009

A plated meal was not an option for us because of cost so we did a "buffet"--however, ours is set up in stations in a separate room from the ballroom so it's not one big line but people are free to roam around from station to station. It is supposed to go much faster than the traditional buffet line and also it looks nicer to me.I have been to weddings with the plated meal and to me it seemed to take a long time with a lot of waiting between courses. I would have preferred it however if it wasn't more expensive because it's more elegant.

LesPaul · September 2009

We did buffet because of the venue and the cost pp. Plated for 85 guests at our venue (a B&B) would have been very difficult logistically, and more than my budget would really allow. So we did a heavy h'd buffet with a mixture of round tables and cafe tables on the first floor of the house, along with patio/garden seating. Worked out fine, and everyone raved about the food. Depends on your venue, caterer, and budget. Also think about weddings you have attended - were you really impressed with that plated chicken dinner? I wasn't.

ffmaid · September 2009

I always prefer plated. I like being served as if out at a nice resturant. Buffet and stations for family weddings always mean I barely eat getting food for eldery relatives. I hate them as a result plus in my klutzy self I usually spill at some point between all teh different plates. Family style is not as nice as plated but nicer then buffet

[Deleted User] · September 2009

A plated dinner definitely looks more elegant, but in my experience, elegant often means less food. Since our priority is to make sure everyone gets as much food as they want, we will probably be doing a buffet (the lower cost is an added bonus). As for elderly relatives' preferences, we always have buffets at holiday gatherings, and getting everyone food has never been a problem. Maybe this would be different for a very large group though...

sunflowerbride5 · September 2009

We are having a pretty formal wedding but are having food stations for dinner. We didn't want a long, drawn-out meal and we wanted a good variety, so this works well for us. I like that people can get up, get more food, pick what they want on their salad, etc. I'm hoping it will make the dinner more social. As a guest, I actually prefer buffets because at every plated meal I've ever been to my soups and salads either get taken away before I'm ready or when I get up to get a drink/dance/go to the restroom!

alithebride · September 2009

you need to differentiate the different kinds of plated: rsvp food choice, all one entree, table-side order. my preference: table side order plated. most places in my area offer 2nds of what you chose as well as the other entrees so there's no 'no variety' issue. buffets remind me of high school cafeterias, no matter how fancy they are. stations are just a small step above them. rsvp choice plated are pretty stinky unless the choices are very specific as to the entree, sides, etc.. for example: grilled boneless breast of chicken with steamed green beans and gorgonzola mashed potatoes is SO much better than just writing 'chicken'. you know what I mean? family style is great if you have the room and if there are servers.

rands09 · September 2009

There are definite pros and cons to both options (I am not considering family style a real option here), so in the end, it depends on your preference. My thoughts: Plated certainly seems to be the more "elegant" of the two, but it's not without drawbacks: I agree with the earlier poster who noted that they seem to take longer. That has been my experience. It looks nice, but as a guest, it's a lot of waiting for others to be served, the food is not always the hottest (as it is often plated ahead of time and covered to speed up the service), and you get what you get. With buffet/stations, yes, guests may have to get up and go get their meals, but you can often offer several options with something sure to please most everyone, and I agree, it does promote a more social gathering. Guests often mingle and chat while moving about,and the servers are usually uniformed with gloves, so it can have an elegant look as well. And, the food is typically warmer, is brought out fresher, and it just seems to me that I don't have to wait as long.I would however, note that for a "formal" evening wedding, it still seems like plated would be the way to go.That having been said, we are going with a buffet style. Cost is not really the driving factor; rather, our guests and the overall mood of our event is. But I'm not one to knock either style. I have never left a wedding complaining about the meal. Anyone fortunate enough to recieve an invite should know that either one comes with a significant price tag...

flutgrl1 · September 2009

anything but plated. boring and usually gross !

Alko726 · September 2009

Thanks for the replies! I just wanted to gather others' opinions on the pros and cons of each. We haven't decided on any one in particular yet, but those were the options given to us by our reception site. We'll have about 150 people expected. Sorry I was MIA during most of these replies -- we were on vacation overseas for the last five days and just got back!

Plated, Buffet, Stations, or Family Style?

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