Buffets - how many options?

We're have roast chicken, meatballs in marinara, fettuccine alfredo, a hot veg, 2 salads, cheeses and breads. Which is either totally ghetto or being good hosts to a crowd that likes simple hearty food and plenty of it. Potato potahto.

@Rebecca F. Now I'm laying in bed craving crab legs with Mac and cheese. Sounds amazing! I mean "cough" so ghetto nobody will come cause you know. It's buffet

Yeah... Mmmm crab legs........

Eta: you say potato I say tomato.

OP- I had two meats, salad, rolls, three starches, three veggies, and four desserts on my buffet. Every single thing was delicious.

Karen is having a plated top shelf lunch! Nothing against lunch, but don't brag when you too found a way to save money! Also your poor venue must have sucky jobs because they work on weekends. Along with cops, hospital staff, libraries, fireman, EMT, etc. You know, community staples that keep your town running.

I'm not having a buffet, but I think a steak, chicken, fish, and veggie option is awesome for one.

By the way, before you call me cheap Karen, I'm getting married at gorgeous old summer resort outside NYC. 175 people are invited. We are having full cocktail hour with lots of passed appetizers, a Mashtini station, three course farm to table plated meal, champagne toast, top shelf open bar, French pour, white glove service, Viennese Table, chocolate fountain, and cake. There are two DJs, photo booth, and uplighting. Flowers are grown on site and everywhere. We're bringing up one of the best photographers in NYC for the pictures. Videography wasn't as important to us't, so we hired locally. Oh and the wedding coordinator comes free of charge. FH and I are already starting to look at buying a home after the wedding.

Also, I went to the Amalfi coast multiple times as a child. While lovely, its not brag worthy.

By the way, it was almost impossible to write that because those truly "well raised" never brag or insult others.

I'm doing a buffet and my caterer has a package that includes two, 3 sides a salad and bread.

Oh, I also forgot my cocktail hour and ceremony has two musicians.

This might be ghetto of me, but I love a buffet. Mostly because I love food, and I love to eat... And I love the ability to choose the things I want to eat.

Especially as a vegetarian, often times plated meals aren't always great (eggplant can be difficult to cook correctly, I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms and that's in a lot of item) so I can choose to stock up on salad or sides, or a whole plate of pasta if I choose.

I love food, so much.

We are doing a buffet with two meats and a vegetarian, pasta and potatoes sides, salad and we have appetizers passed at cocktail hours.

@Karen I'm posting this from work on a Saturday (gasp!). I run a small business. I'm not an hourly worker, this is my business. I earn enough of a salary to purchase a home and pay for my own wedding. So next time you go shopping on a Saturday, you can thank people like me for being there when you aren't at work.

I'm working right now ;-)

I would offer a chicken, beef and seafood option for the protein. The vegans can make a plate from sides. I would offer 3 vegetables and your starches (potatoes/pasta) and your breads. Just my opinion, not sure what your budget or caterer offer.

I sure hope Karen doesn't need emergency surgery on the weekend.

Our buffet will have 3 meats, 3 sides, and cornbread. (It's at a BBQ restaurant so we're doing brisket, pulled pork, and grilled chicken breast. Our sides are cajun corn, salt potatoes, and salad) Prior to that we will have cocktail hour with 2 appetizers(grilled skewered shrimp and we're undecided on the other). For dessert we will have peanut butter pie, fresh baked cookies, cupcakes, and cake. We are including an open bar.

As far as quality, I have been to plated weddings with really lousy food (I know how much one bride and groom paid for their food because we had looked into the venue and it was inedible.) I've also been to really lousy buffets. I don't think it's about how the food is served, but who is providing it. I know with 100% certainty that the food at my wedding will be amazing (and not the usually beef, chicken, or fish options), it will be presented well, and my guests will be happy.

I assume Karen's wedding is on a weekend...hope all of her vendors choose not to work.

We're doing 1 meat, 3 sides, and salad bar. Our group is really easy to please, no vegetarians or anything.

I guess Karen hid her comment? I was really curious as to what it said lol

Buffets are the bomb.

My caterer is doing bread baskets on the tables and salads served to the tables first, then the buffet. We're having 2 proteins (prime rib and chicken Marsala), a mushroom pasta, twice baked potato bar and mixed grilled veggies. We figured the mushroom pasta works great for an entree for the few vegetarians and then as a side for the chicken Marsala.

We are thinking about a buffet too. Our venue offers caesar salad, garden salad, pasta primavera, a choice of soup, a starch side, seasonal vegetable, 3 entree choices, rolls with butter and a dessert spread with their buffets. We are leaning toward parmesan encrusted chicken, burgundy beef tips and seared butternut squash ravioli (for our vegetarian guests!).

Two meats. One veggie and 2-3 sides is plenty