Buffet or plated dinner?

Plated is more classy, and personally I would feel less worry about getting covid.

We're doing a plated dinner! Our venue layout isn't super ideal for buffets, and we like the idea of plated a little more (especially now that COVID has temporarily eliminated the buffet option at our venue).

We are doing plated also. As a guest I always preferred plated meals over buffet. It’s definitely classier, plus I hate the idea of tons of people touching or breathing over my food on a buffet 😖

We were initially going to do buffet so that everyone could choose what and how much they wanted, but with COVID it is not really an option anymore, so we are doing plated. Which is also fine, plus our venue has a lot of options for cocktail hour, so I'm not worried about people going hungry.

I initially really wanted a buffet But my husband really dislikes food waste so we ended up doing family style. My culture the venues allow you to actually take the food home to go if you don’t finish it so whenever it’s not finished people at the tables just take it home

I would've preferred plated, but we wouldn't have been able to afford the venue we loved had we gone with plated so we had a buffet. Plated is definitely more formal which is why I liked it better. A lot of places aren't even offering buffets right now because of Covid so for safety reasons I think plated would be a better option for the foreseeable future.

We signed our contract for a buffet. It was the middle of the price options for the buffet choices and was still cheaper than the cheapest plated option.
That being said, I’m not sure what that’s going to look like in November. 🤷🏼‍♀️

We are doing buffet but it’s being served to them! I think it saves money doing it buffet style.

I am a buffet fan but during COVID plated would be the way to go.

I agree that plated is more formal. As a wedding guest (and pretty much any time) I hate a buffet -- standing in line, then carrying my full plate across the room while dressed up and wearing heels -- ugh! I'd much prefer to remain seated and be served -- I don't mind there being fewer choices. Also, everything I've read lists a buffet as a bad idea (or just plain forbidden) during the pandemic -- so many more logistical details and potential points of contamination. Even with servers, guests have to go stand in a socially distanced line. (Also, pre-Covid, some venues daughter considered charged less or the same for plated, because it's much easier to plan/budget the amounts of food needed; a buffet almost always requires more food because it's harder to calculate what and how much guests will choose.)

Right now / this year my guess is few and far will offer a true buffet. Buffets are a little less formal than a plated dinner.
The plus side of a buffet is people tend to eat a little quicker and you can continue with wedding activities sooner and not worry about interrupting people eating while a plated dinner expect at least an hour to hour and half of full service - people could still be eating while their are toasts going on.

We did plated. I prefer plated for sanitary reasons and because almost every wedding buffet I’ve every been to, the food was lukewarm. Also, a plated dinner is more formal where a buffet gives off a more casual vibe.

We are having plated. Our venue typically only does plated for weddings. Before Covid, they had mentioned we could have it set up as a buffet if we wanted to make dinner a bit faster, but the price would essentially be the same. While I don’t mind buffers in more casual situations, I agree with PP who’ve mentioned it’s difficult to carry silverware, a salad plate, and a dinner plate across a room of people while wearing high heels! If you decide to go with a buffet, make sure people use hand sanitizer and wear masks for safety purposes!

In my experience with catered meals, the food tends to be tastier and hotter with a buffet. It depends on what you can afford and what they offer.

We did plated (more formal, less food waste, much easier to accommodate food allergies, etc.). I've been to plenty of weddings with buffets and thoroughly enjoyed them, but would not recommend one any time soon due to Covid.

We're doing buffet. We love to eat and I'd hate to monitor anyone else's food consumption. Knock yourself out cause Lord I know will lol.

I think plated is easier for guest and for you

We are doing a BBQ buffet. I've always liked buffet style better. You get more food and more options. And it's way easier because you don't have to ask a hundred people if they want this or that, and then you won't have to worry about possibly messing up when you put the order in. I've been to weddings with seated dinner and got something completely different from what I put on my rsvps because the bride messed up. I've also been to weddings with seated dinners where they ran out of one of the options the guests had chosen and had to start giving people the other option. This was probably do to the fact that when the bride and groom made mistakes when ordering the food and people got something they didn't order they sent it back and got what they did originally order but then the catering company or venue didn't end up having enough because of the mishap.

Plated. I don’t want to stand and wait for food. And also most venues require now

We'll Be Having A Buffet With Serving Attendants.