Ok ladies, lay it on me! Thoughts on a buffet?

I don't like buffets only because there are so any people on lines forever! Also girls wear high shoes no one wants to b standing on line in heals. Also for the amount of money ur spending u want to get the best for money u want ur guest and ur self to feel special amd be served. But if it's alot cheaper then do it. It could give guest a chance to socialize. But have the dj call up one table at a time to avoid the rush

We also will be having 200+ guests and we are doing a buffet. Since we need to use our venue's caterer it was the only way we could afford to feed everybody. I was worried about the wait also but our venue will have 2 buffet lines set up so it won't be hopefully as long as I thought it would be.

Buffets are definitely not the norm, in my social circle. I've only attended 2 weddings with buffets, and there were 2 meats (I'm a vegetarian), potato, vegetable, roll and salad. It was pretty awkward, for those who took every dish, to balance all the food on one plate. Staff dished out 4 of the items, so it wasn't like you could get a larger serving, if you wanted to. After the last table was called up, the staff left-out whatever was there, and didn't add to it, so generally no seconds.

We had a buffet for the cheese/cracker and fresh fruit display, during our cocktail hour, along with butlered hors d'oeuvres. Then we had 4 plated courses. The venue didn't offer a buffet, if we wanted the smaller room designated for the cocktail hour and bar. I don't know where the bar would have been put, if we had a buffet, but then we would had to have all butlered hors d'oeuvres, and not the cheese/fruit displays, and it would have cost more. Also guests would have been in the reception room, and we didn't want them going in there until after cocktail hour.

I think family style is a good compromise. My parents attended a wedding with family style and they only gave 8 servings, for a table of 8, with no replenishment. People were going from table to table, looking for something that wasn't gone, so they could have seconds. My father went to a wedding with stations (business associate) and they ended up with one, long line. The MOB had told them they chose stations so guests could go up to the types of food they were interested in. They didn't and it took forever.

I think buffet can still be elegant depending on what food is served. BBQ or taco buffets, while delicious, are going to be more casual. But we're serving prime rib, chicken with choice of tarragon cream or marsala sauce, and spinach ricotta ravioli as the entrees, with grilled asparagus and roasted potato trio as sides. I agree it will not be as formal as full-service, plated dinner, but I still think buffet can be very nice. Our buffet is $37/person, but does not include hors d'oerves or beverages.

Lmao @ golden coral. I feel the same. I hate buffets. It makes me feel like I'm waiting on a lunch line. I didn't want to make my guests wait in line for a meal so we chose a plated dinner.

I love buffets. You get a bigger variety of food, and generally bigger portions - you can try a little of everything and arent stuck with some vague interpretation of 'chicken or beef' that you selected 4 months ago. Nobody is sitting at the table staring at the dudes plate across the table, wishing they had picked that entree instead.

Our buffet is $38/pp, plus $100 per chef for attended stations. The cheapest plated meals start at $33 for a vegetarian pasta, with most meals in the $35-40/pp range save for the really pricey surf and turf, lobster based options.

With a guestlist as large as yours, definitely do plated salads and bread served on the table beforehand to give people something to munch on while they wait.

We're also doing a chef attended station with made to order pasta - our venue asks that we have one chef per 50 guests to keep the line moving.

A good caterer should be able to coordinate these things to keep it running smoothly - double sided buffet, extra chefs/servers, stations set up in different areas, etc. Express your concerns to them regarding wait time and see what they recommend.

We are doing buffet for my daughters wedding. Looking at the options, buffet had more food to offer than a sit down reception. Buffet is $90 a person vs. sit down at $100.00 . Having a lot of variety was more important than a choice of 3 plates. I just don't want people sitting there like on Four Weddings complaining the food is cold, dry, under-cooked, over-cooked, bland, spicy, ect.

We're doing buffet with multiple stations to get people through quickly. We like this because 1) his family can EAT, and we'd rather they can control their own portions or get seconds so we don't have hangry guests 2) it lets people control their meal according to their own preferences and dietary needs. For instance, at our BBQ buffet I'll be skipping the corn on the cob and my fiance will double up on brisket and skip the chicken (I predict)

I also have disliked the weddings I've been to with plated dinners - often 1 or more of the items is something I don't care for, and there's no way to replace it with the stuff I like, so sometimes I would not have enough to eat. And sitting there while other tables are served first, not knowing when yours will be, is much worse to me than waiting on a buffet line where you can see the line moving and mix with different people while you wait.

Action stations are great, if the lines are short and people go to several. But at my cousins' weddings, there was always 1 station with a long line. People waited so long in that one line that they were really hungry, heaped their plate there, sat down and ate, and then were too full to go to the other stations. There was a LOT of uneaten risotto at the end of the night!

We're doing plated since we've never liked buffets for formal events. I'm sure it can totally be done well but it wasn't for us. Plus while our venue (barn) is meant for around 90 guests and we have 50ish, we picture it being claustrophobic for guests waiting in line. Again, this is a total personal preference and I'm sure its been done well. It was a $20 difference between buffet and plated for us.

We did stations and had so much fun with it. People loved all the different choices and the food was phenomenal.

I don't consider buffets tacky at all, simply another option.

I love buffets. I get exactly what I want and eat it all!!!!! lovelovelove LOVE buffets!

We are having a small wedding with 70-100 guests total and having a buffet. It's a little more per person but we feel we get a better value in it. I have been a BM in a wedding with a plated meal and thought the food was amazing! Then I went and talked to some family and friends and it was very mixed reviews. My parents table didn't like it at all because their food was cold while the next table said their meal was semi-warm. There was 250 people there so I'm sure a bunch were plated early so they could all come out at once so that's the main reason we went with a buffet.

ETA- we are paying about $35/plate for a buffet of beef brisket/herb crusted chicken, potatoes, vegetables, freshly made rolls, and salads along with Coffee and Tea. That includes tax & gratuity. Alcohol will be charged on a consumption basis so at this point I'm not sure what that will be per person

We're doing a buffet. It's about $5 cheaper per person, but we get to give everyone more options. We have vegetarians, birditarians (don't eat an bird ever-we coined it for FH's grandmother), those who don't eat pork. It made it much easier to offer things that everyone can eat-and i'm having one special plated meal for the one guest we have who has celiacs and is vegetarian. I wouldn't have been able to be flexible if we did plated food.

It's really up to you and what you want, but the food at most wedding buffets is better than the plated dinners at weddings I've had.

Most of the weddings I've been to have been buffet style. I agree with the others. There's nothing tacky and it doesn't have to seem cheap if you have a good caterer. With everyone's food restrictions-- gluten, milk, meat-- on and on-- i can't imagine trying to serve everyone a plated meal! I say, have a buffet and everyone can put on her plate what she wants to eat.

And, honestly, I'm a picky eater, so I like being able to double up on what looks good (read 'food with no mushrooms') and skip what doesn't (aforementioned mushrooms).

We'll you get more food with a buffet. If it was both sides it could go quick. Guests could go for 2nd's. Places I looked it was no difference or a $20 difference between plated or buffet. It's really up to you two

Thanks for the feedback, I am surprised to hear most of you are pro buffet!

I talked to my parents and they are super against it..

It's not the norm in our culture (we are Romanian, FH Is Irish/American) we've only ever been to Romanian plated style weddings or family style and we have literally been to one buffet . My grandma called to yell at me about a buffet after my dad told her. Eekkk !! LOL

All of you have had some wonderful highlights and lowlights about buffets and really helped us get a valid idea of what is best for our guests.

Guess our wedding is going to be a glorified Golden Corral! I can't wait!!!! (Insert dueling banjo music here)

@ AlexisMO82 Please don't be offended it was a joke.

Buffets are not the norm for my family/culture but obviously I was willing to consider it and ask for advice.

Insulting what a lot of us are doing isn't funny, nor do I think that you were trying to joke about it. Especially after calling it "tacky". You know what I think is tacky? Serving cold plated food to people. Doesn't mean I'm going to make a post about it.

@AlexisMO82 Now you are acting like a child. Note*** I am not calling you a child, even though you are acting as such. See the difference?

I clearly debated on having a buffet myself and asked everyone for their thoughts. You are the only one offended. I asked a question about IF it would be tacky, note the question mark. I did not make a statement that is, which would end in a period. Learn to read things in proper context befor getting offended.

For the record I have had plenty of HOT plated food at many weddings with no problems of cold food. The pros and cons are out there for a buffet style. You choose what is best for your wedding and I will continue to deliberate what is best for mine with brides who are here to be helpful, kind, and respectful.