Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?

amp23 · June 2012

Hello ladies! I'm looking for some opinions here. I just started researching venues and my top pick offers a buffet dinner or a plated dinner. Both options are the same price per person. With the buffet option, there would be a few more entrees to choose from, but I'm not sure how I would feel about guests (and myself) carrying plates of food back to our tables. (Risk of spills, etc.)

Which option would or have you gone with?

aragx6 · June 2012

How many choices would guests have for the plated dinner? I looked at one place that would literally only let me choose one option and a vegetarian dish for the plated menus, which I thought was ludicrous. If there are at least 2 choices + a vegetarian option I'd do the plated.

amp23 · June 2012

The plated dinner is two options and they also offer a vegetarian option that does not count towards my two options.
The buffet comes with sliced sirloin, a chicken option, baked ham with pineapple glaze, salmon, and baked ziti

Ashleigh828 · June 2012

I voted for the plated dinner... The way I see it, if you go with the buffet option, guests will be eating at all different times due to standing in line. You'll have some guests who get their food and finish while other guests are still in line getting their food. I also think that having a plated dinner is a nicer, more formal option that the buffet. Just my opinion.

amp23 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_buffet-dinner-vs-plated-sit-down-dinner?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:cee4489d-e2be-4e5c-86ec-1ae677559f7ePost:968ed6ab-d025-48fb-8a99-f1003f63ad59">Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?</a>:
[QUOTE]I voted for the plated dinner... The way I see it, if you go with the buffet option, guests will be eating at all different times due to standing in line. You'll have some guests who get their food and finish while other guests are still in line getting their food. I also think that having a plated dinner is a nicer, more formal option that the buffet. Just my opinion.
Posted by Ashleigh828[/QUOTE]

Very good point about people waiting for food. I didn't even think of that.

Poppy101212 · June 2012

You also need to know your crowd. Are they big eaters? What are familly dinners for most of them like? Do they get one plate and are satisfied? Or are they 3rd-4th helping kind of people? I know FI comes from a hearty Solvenjian family with hearty Slovenjian appetites, if I did plated there is a great chance that people would be going to MacDonalds before/after the wedding.

heylady87 · June 2012

It may be the same price for plated as buffet, but please double check with your caterer. I was looking at caterers who said the prices were the same, but when we got into the fine details of the contract, they charged $1 per plate for plated dinners, I guess because someone had to carry out the plates, or put food on them or whatever.

Your buffet sounds HUGE and would definitely accommodate picky eaters. Plus, you don't have to worry about including meal orders on your RSVP card.

jennxrocks · June 2012

We had the choice of doing either or for our wedding. With the buffet though it included all fountain drinks, salad, bread, (which was served individually), and waived the cake cutting fee ($1) per person. It was just a better deal all around, plus people would get to chose while they are there versus having to chose when they RSVP. I don't know, that's just what we wanted to do. Heylady is right, there may be a hidden charge in there. I would really take a look at the price breakdown before committing.

JoanE2012 · June 2012

I prefer a plated dinner, especially for a wedding.

alithebride · June 2012

is it table side waiter order or rsvp order for the sit down? i'm not a fan of the rsvp card one because there's never enough info on exactly what the meal is! if it's table side order and tehre are good choices go for it.

i'm not a fan of buffets at all. carrying my own plate of food and serving myself reminds me of my high school cafeteria-but in a gown, and in heels. eek! no offense meant-just my opinion.

AdeleDazeem · June 2012

I think plated dinners are far classier than buffets.

DramaGeek · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_buffet-dinner-vs-plated-sit-down-dinner?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:cee4489d-e2be-4e5c-86ec-1ae677559f7ePost:e0cdaa1c-c247-417b-b340-9070e60db3c6">Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?</a>:
[QUOTE]Personally, I always prefer buffet. I am a very picky eater, partially due to dietary needs and restrictions, and partially because I'm just picky. While I never expect anyone to cater to me specifically, I hate sitting at a reception with a plated meal that I won't or can't eat half of. It makes me feel incredibly self-conscious. If the dinner is buffet, I am able to get what I want and can eat, in poritons I can actually eat, and not worry about looking like a two year old or a snob sitting with a plate of perfectly good food in front of me. It also makes me feel better that I'm not wasting food, especially food someone else paid for.
Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

This. (and I'm starting to believe that Stage and I might be the same person...)

It might be where I live, or it's just the way things roll in my circle, but I've never been to a wedding with a plated dinner. They're always buffet, regardless of how fancy the wedding.

OwningAHome1981 · June 2012

Plated dinner- I wouldn't want to wait on line to get dinner... plus plated dinners are classier, IMO. I would only do a buffet if I was going to do a brunch/lunch type of party.

amp23 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_buffet-dinner-vs-plated-sit-down-dinner?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:cee4489d-e2be-4e5c-86ec-1ae677559f7ePost:566f5f70-7277-41a7-94f5-d5729edc9c42">Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?</a>:
[QUOTE]is it table side waiter order or rsvp order for the sit down? i'm not a fan of the rsvp card one because there's never enough info on exactly what the meal is! if it's table side order and tehre are good choices go for it. i'm not a fan of buffets at all. carrying my own plate of food and serving myself reminds me of my high school cafeteria-but in a gown, and in heels. eek! no offense meant-just my opinion.
Posted by alithebride[/QUOTE]

it would be an rsvp order for dinner.
and no offense taken lol. i was picturing prom myself, rather than the cafeteria vision

Simply Fated · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_buffet-dinner-vs-plated-sit-down-dinner?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:cee4489d-e2be-4e5c-86ec-1ae677559f7ePost:e3864052-4d44-471b-a0f6-ec134a688583">Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner? : it would be an rsvp order for dinner. and no offense taken lol. i was picturing prom myself, rather than the cafeteria vision
Posted by amp23[/QUOTE]
FWIW, I used to work in the catering industry and every single prom we did was plated. This was chosen by the schools because the students would all eat at the same time and because no one wanted to walk around with plates of food in their nice clothes.
Plated dinners also helps the pacing of the party. Dinner could be served faster and students could dance, instead of people standing in lines waiting for food.

futuremrsbruno · June 2012

Would the plated dinner be served per person or family style? We are doing a plated, but family style dinner. Instead of having to find out meal options for each person, each table will be served 3 meats, 2 starches, 2 sides and 1 salad. The servings are large, so there is enough at each table in case someone wants seconds.

I like this because it eliminates having people waiting in the buffet, but also offers more choices. You may choose the beef on your reception card, but are feeling more like chicken the day of the wedding. With a family style plated dinner, it allows each guest to still have choices, without having to get up.

futuremrsbruno · June 2012

Oh, I just realized you're from the same area as me. Have you posted this on our local board? Depending on where you are having your reception, you may find brides who have already had theirs there and can help you with this. It's the PA - Northeastern under the local board section.

amp23 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_buffet-dinner-vs-plated-sit-down-dinner?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:cee4489d-e2be-4e5c-86ec-1ae677559f7ePost:9f88ba9c-1592-4b37-a632-23db9c5e71fa">Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?</a>:
[QUOTE]Would the plated dinner be served per person or family style? We are doing a plated, but family style dinner. Instead of having to find out meal options for each person, each table will be served 3 meats, 2 starches, 2 sides and 1 salad. The servings are large, so there is enough at each table in case someone wants seconds. I like this because it eliminates having people waiting in the buffet, but also offers more choices. You may choose the beef on your reception card, but are feeling more like chicken the day of the wedding. With a family style plated dinner, it allows each guest to still have choices, without having to get up.
Posted by futuremrsbruno[/QUOTE]

it would be served per person

Tami87 · June 2012

I voted for plated just because I have never been to a wedding with a buffet where it went well (I've only been to under 10 weddings though). In my experience, it takes forever for all the guests to get served and dinner seems to drag with a buffet, because either you are waiting to be able to get in line while others are already eating. Or you get served first and have to sit around while everyone else finishes dinner.

If you go with the buffet, make sure you have enough room for people to manuever around tables while carrying food. I would also see if it is possible to do a line on each side so it moves faster. I think buffets can work better when you have less guests (under 100).

We decided on a plated dinner because of the layout of our room and my concern for people having to walk by tables carrying food. Also with the amount of guests we are planning for (170), it seemed the quickest way to get everyone served and make sure dinner didn't drag and there was plenty of time for dancing.

Summer2011Bride · June 2012

We did plated dinner (a duet of fish and chicken with sides and there was also a vegetarian option) and that's the way I prefer it. I have gone to weddings doing buffets though. Personally, maybe it's my bad luck, but I always feel like I'm stuck waiting forever to get up there and eat. Then the lines are long (even when ushers only allow certain tables at a time), and the food never seems totally hot by the time I eat it even after sitting under warmers. However, you do have more options doing it that way, so there's pros and cons to both.

As far as having enough food, I think even with plated dinner, you have plenty. We had passed appetizers, a salad, the entree and cake, and many people were stuffed by the time dessert came around. I just like the idea of being served at a formal/nice affair rather than having to get my own food, I suppose, although I don't side-eye or judge buffets either.

Another option I saw at one wedding was serving food family-style. Large bowls of pasta, potatoes, meat, etc. were placed on the table with serving spoons and you passed the bowls around the table to serve yourself, like you would do at home. Perhaps that's a middle ground of both options?

ETA: Also consider the logistics of your venue. If we did buffet at my venue, it would have had to be in a totally separate room because our room didn't have enough space to facilitate that. I thought it would have been a huge PITA for our guests to have to go to a different area to get food, so that helped us decide to do plated.

DramaGeek · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_buffet-dinner-vs-plated-sit-down-dinner?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:cee4489d-e2be-4e5c-86ec-1ae677559f7ePost:29b43b56-dbc5-4b66-b7a1-3a71e39b1690">Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner? : FWIW, I used to work in the catering industry and every single prom we did was plated. This was chosen by the schools because the students would all eat at the same time and because no one wanted to walk around with plates of food in their nice clothes. Plated dinners also helps the pacing of the party. Dinner could be served faster and students could dance, instead of people standing in lines waiting for food.
Posted by Simply Fated[/QUOTE]

They serve dinner at prom? Mind blown!

futuremrsbruno · June 2012

I think I would still do it plated, even if it is per person. I've been to like I don't even know how many weddings (there were 8 in 2007!) and I've been served all 3 ways. I think I'm most against the buffet. Not because of having to go and get my own food, although I think that is part of it (I'm pretty klutzy), but also because I've already got cold and undercooked food from the buffet. Because there are no servers, it took a long time to resolve the issue. I ended up just eating the cold food that still tasted okay, but the undercooked I didn't. I'm a picky eater, so while there's the appeal of being able to choose my plate, there are so many things that could go wrong.

I think you will have to look at it from the logistics of the hall. Where will the buffet be stationed? Is it in a place easily accessable to every table, or are some guests going to have to walk clear across the room? Is it in a completely different room? Will there be servers helping at the buffet line, or do the guests just fend for themselves?

Also, you know your guests. If they would rather have the plated dinner, go with that, if they would rather have the buffet, there you go.

amp23 · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_buffet-dinner-vs-plated-sit-down-dinner?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:cee4489d-e2be-4e5c-86ec-1ae677559f7ePost:29b43b56-dbc5-4b66-b7a1-3a71e39b1690">Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner? : FWIW, I used to work in the catering industry and every single prom we did was plated. This was chosen by the schools because the students would all eat at the same time and because no one wanted to walk around with plates of food in their nice clothes. Plated dinners also helps the pacing of the party. Dinner could be served faster and students could dance, instead of people standing in lines waiting for food.
Posted by Simply Fated[/QUOTE]

maybe it's just something local to my area to have buffet style proms. but i have been to a buffet dinner prom and also a plated dinner prom. not sure..
I am leaning towards the plated dinner though, especially after reading everyone's helpful comments =)

sparent2010 · June 2012

We are doing a buffet dinner mainly b/c like Stage pointed out people are picky eaters, and our whole wedding is rather relaxed. It would be cheaper to just do plated. All FI wanted was a buffet dinner. I can definitely accomodate.

We may not be as classy but we will be married and well fed.

jennipea382 · June 2012

Both definitely have their advantages and disadvantages. I think one of the big things to think about is the number of people. It's easier and faster for 75 people to go through a buffet then it is for 300.

I'm leaning towards a buffet for my own wedding for a couple reasons. For one, I love buffets. I like being able to get a little bit of everything. I guess I like the variety! For two, I think it's the best way to make sure people get whatever kind of food they would like. The buffet I'm looking at is an Asian buffet, with sweet and sour chicken, beef and broccoli, rice, etc. My vegetarian guests will be fine because there will be rice and stir fry veggies. If someone wants chicken AND beef, they can have it. If they don't like salad (I usually eat a few bites of salad depending on how good it is), they don't have to have it.

But at the same time, it's nice to let my guests sit at their tables and let the food come to them, and not have to worry about spilling, slow lines, etc. Something we'll eventually decide, haha.

Simply_Caitlin · June 2012

I think plated dinners are classier.

That being said, I prefer a buffet. I love picking my own food and having more options. I always hope for a buffet.

ceceibson · June 2012

We're doing a buffet, with open seating. But our wedding, start to finish, will be "informal". We are older, our friends are older, when we gather at social events we tend to socialize, then think about maybe eating.

I've been to 3 weddings so far this summer. The first had 450 guests and a plated dinner with assigned seats. Honestly, it was a nightmare but mosty because the venue seemed overwhelmed. They had far too few servers, etc. We had finished eating and half the hall had yet to be served.

The other 2 weddings had buffets and both went very well. Again, the venues were on top of things. There were several buffet lines, plenty of staff "lurking" to refill food and assist guests, etc.

lyndausvi · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_buffet-dinner-vs-plated-sit-down-dinner?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:cee4489d-e2be-4e5c-86ec-1ae677559f7ePost:e0cdaa1c-c247-417b-b340-9070e60db3c6">Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?</a>:
[QUOTE]Personally, I always prefer buffet. I am a very picky eater, partially due to dietary needs and restrictions, and partially because I'm just picky. While I never expect anyone to cater to me specifically, I hate sitting at a reception with a plated meal that I won't or can't eat half of. It makes me feel incredibly self-conscious. If the dinner is buffet, I am able to get what I want and can eat, in poritons I can actually eat, and not worry about looking like a two year old or a snob sitting with a plate of perfectly good food in front of me. <strong> It also makes me feel better that I'm not wasting food, especially food someone else paid for.</strong>
Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

They waste WAY more food doing buffets than doing plated dinners. You need more labor for sit-downs that's why they cost more, but waste wise buffets cause more waste. You might not being the wasting, but it's true.

Anyway I'm prefer sit-down, but don't mind buffets. I'm not a fan of carrying my food across a room. I alway seem to be as far from the buffet you can get so it's a long trek. DH refuses to eat off a buffet , so there's that.

DramaGeek · June 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_buffet-dinner-vs-plated-sit-down-dinner?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:cee4489d-e2be-4e5c-86ec-1ae677559f7ePost:a3b1a252-5660-4000-8aa5-92d368b01205">Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner? : <strong>They waste WAY more food doing buffets than doing plated dinners. </strong> You need more labor for sit-downs that's why they cost more, but waste wise buffets cause more waste. You might not being the wasting, but it's true. Anyway I'm prefer sit-down, but don't mind buffets. I'm not a fan of carrying my food across a room. I alway seem to be as far from the buffet you can get so it's a long trek. DH refuses to eat off a buffet , so there's that.
Posted by lyndausvi[/QUOTE]

You can take the leftovers home with you though, so it doesn't actually get wasted. We ate ours the day after our wedding.

Simply Fated · June 2012

You can take what ever is left over on your plate home with you, regardless if it's plated or buffet.
Buffet style tends to be more wasteful if there is food left over in the chafing dishes and no one takes it home with them.

And, yes, they served dinner at the proms lol.
Oh, and another reason the school usually goes for plated, they can ensure that each child has a plate of food set in front of them, as opposed to buffet style where the students tend to ignore the food.

DramaGeek · June 2012

The food at prom thing is so strange to me. We had appetizer and desserts, I think - I know there were chocolate covered strawberries - but I've never heard of a school doing a full meal.

Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?

Re: Buffet dinner vs Plated Sit-Down Dinner?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards