Buffet, Plated or Hors d'ouerves

kates84 · October 2010

Hello Girls!
So, I have gotten a quote from a caterer that I like for a buffet style dinner. But, since I didn't book before the end of August the prices have gone up and for the things I want it's getting to be out of our price range. I have heard from a friend that plated dinners cost less than buffet since less food is needed since they will know exactly what everyone will be eating. Or another option would be to just have hors d'ouerves. The thing with that though is we are having an evening wedding and it would be about dinner time. I would however, put 'hors d'ouerves reception' on the invite.
What would you do?

tamera_03 · October 2010

IDK if this is tru or not I haven't personally checked into but I've been told that hors d'ouerves can actually end up costing you more because of the tedious time they have to put into preparing them. In my expereince I've found that plated dinners tend to cost less. However if you are in my situion where the FI only wants hors d'ouerves you are stuck..... I def think if you have a budget its worth stickin to it.

kaesha · October 2010

Cost is something that depends from situation to situation. Ask how much the plated is and go from there. Hors d'oeuvres receptions tend to be more casual in vibe (not always, of course, but as a general rule), so if that's not something you want, you might want to reconsider that idea.

kates84 · October 2010

Our wedding is going to be casual. We are getting married at a ranch. (So excited!) So the hors d'ouerves could work. I will contact the caterer and ask about the plated dinner and see how that goes! Thanks!

jblswedding · October 2010

My caterer's plated dinner is less expensive than a buffet.

brianabrad · October 2010

Our venue has both the plated and buffet options. For us the plated meal is more expensive because they have to have more staff in for the meal. I would check and see what the price difference is and also make sure you ask and see what a plate will look like that is served to your guest. Hungry guest are not happy guest. I am sure you will do what works best for you and your guest.

vb0000 · October 2010

We didn't like the plated options they had and they were way more expensive. They tried to push a "duet" plated dinner on us, one small steak and one small piece of fish for everyone...."That way if someone doesn't like one of the items they still have the other item! Isn't that great??" Ah....no....then people end up getting only half a dinner. "OH! Then they can ask others if they want to trade!" Trade?!? Like, go around and say "hey are you going to eat that?" I don't think so.

But we wanted more than just appitizers so we're having a buffet of hors d'ouerves, in fact on the contract it's called "heavy hors d'ouerves" where there will be various stations with "themed" hors d'ouerves, (a seafood station, a salad station, a veggie station, a mashed potato bar) and also a carving station with 2 meat options.

This all comes out to be less than a plated dinner, I guess the cost of hiring the extra servers for a seated dinner is very expensive.

Beachy730 · November 2010

I would look into the cost of plated over buffet, and also into other caterers. In order to do an hors d'ouerves reception I think it really needs to be done right. Meaning more than enough for everyone to comprise a full meal. Based on the pricing at our venue, that would be extremely pricey. I've always thought that the plated dinners were more expensive than the buffet, but I guess it just depends on the vendor. Also, look into the different meal options they have. Our venue had full meals that included apps, salad, bread, entrees, and open bar. But you could also build your menu as you wanted and the price was based on what you chose. I would look into all of your options as well as other caterers before deciding.

marissa_claire · November 2010

Yeah our caterer charged more for plated meals (which meant we could have chicken only whereas our buffet will provide two nicer main entrees) and less sides. I didn't think it was a good deal. I would ask for actual quote on these things and then come back with another poll.

I Want Cake · November 2010

A plated dinner with a choice of 2 entrees at my reception venue costs $6/person more than a single item buffet. We're doing a 2 entree buffet for an upcharge of $3/person. It really depends on the place and their policies. For plated meals, they do need to make less food, but there's a higher cost for people to serve it. For buffets, they need to make more, but there's little to no cost to have it served plus people can make second trips to the buffet since it'll all be paid for and would only go to waste.

anna.oskar · November 2010

If it's dinner time, I really recommend actually feeding your guests. You can do a
hors d'ouerves reception, just please have enough apps that constitute a meal. i believe that 15 pieces per person is the current recommended per person for a meal.

Buffet, Plated or Hors d'ouerves

Re: Buffet, Plated or Hors d'ouerves

Choose Another Board

Search Boards