Plated vs Buffet

Buffet is much more affordable usually, but plated is much more formal.

I've been to plenty of weddings with buffets and didn't have any issue with it. The weddings were still absolutely beautiful, they just weren't super formal sit down dinners. I've also been to weddings with formal sit down dinners and those were lovely also.

I think this mostly depends on your budget, venue, etc.

This is also totally preference sometimes and as a guest I'm not bothered either way. I don't care how I will get my food, I just don't want to wait a long time to eat.

I think buffets work well for couples who want to keep the cost down and have a smaller amount of guests attending! I haven't been to many weddings, but the most recent two had buffets and less than 100 guests, so it worked out fine. I'm having a buffet at mine, and we've invited 104 people but we expect a lot less since they're all out of town and state.

I always thought buffet was cheaper, but I got 5 quotes from catering vendors (our venue has required caterers) and two came back saying plated was cheaper. They said they can pre-portion that way, and sometimes people take more in buffets and they get two proteins. We are doing a pre-plated salad and a buffet dinner!

Most people say that buffets are more cost effective but 9/10 venues we looked at the buffet was actually more expensive because they had to make more food in case people DID request more than one entree, or a second scoop of the serving or whatnot so you cannot always count on the buffet to be less expensive.

We decided early on we wanted a plated meal. All the buffets weddings we have been to it takes forever to get your food. In our experience its frustrating to wait for what seems like forever for your table to called, then to have to get up and wait in a slow moving line, and then when you get to the food its either cold or its at the end of pan or the pan is empty and you have to do that awkward thing where you either take something else or you awkwardly hold up the line and wait as people move around you.

We found that plated was a much better option for us. Everyone gets served mostly together, you are ensured hot food, people can pick exactly what they would like to eat from your meal selections (we had three with a silent vegetarian/vegan and children's options ) and its more elegant IMO.

It all depends on what you like and works for you though.

I am going for the more elegant theme for our wedding. That’s why I am choosing a plated meal. Our guest list is about 250... and other large weddings I’ve been to that did a buffet the line takes forever. And I hate tables being called to go eat. That’s my opinion 😊

Buffet to me says the wedding is more casual, plated dinner would be more formal. Like PPs said, buffet is usually cheaper! So find out what works for your budget and go with that. As long as you are feeding your guests well, no one will care!

If it's in your budget, then I think it's nice to have a plated meal. As others have said, in some cases it can take a longer time for everyone to get their meals and eat (less time for dancing), and, as a guest, I personally would rather not have to juggle a dinner plate and a salad plate while wearing heels and nice clothes.

But, I know others like the choices that buffets offer your guests, and that if they don't like what they chose, they can always get something else.

For our wedding, the buffet and the plated meals were pretty close in cost, and we didn't like the limitations of how the buffet stations were offered, so plated was the obvious way for us to go.

Hi Jazzmine! How many guests are you expecting to attend your wedding? I would say if you have 100 or less, buffet would definitely be doable and work well! Once you get into the 100s, it can lead to long lines and guests getting impatient! Either way, I think both options have their pros and cons, so it's up to you and what kind of budget you have!

This is not the last meal these people are ever going to have. If you’re having some kind of snacks at cocktail hour, a salad, bread, and meal with some kind of dessert after, most people will have plenty to eat.

i found that a duet plate with a heavy cocktail hour was the same price as three entrees on a buffet with a cheese and crackers cocktail hour.

We are having a formal reception and will be doing a plated meal. I think it depends on on how formal your reception is and how many guests you're having. I personally don't like buffet just because it usually takes forever to get your food, and by the time your table is called the food could easily be cold. But that's just me. Do what works for you and your budget.

I prefer plated because i don't want to be carrying food around in a dress and heels. I've been to buffet wedding where it was self serve and folks loaded up and they ran out of food. And then o was ar one were the servers dished, and skimped, so then everyone went up for 2nds. Plated just seems easier to me. And fancier. Worth the extra cost.

Personally, I prefer a plated meal. We had the option of a buffet with manned carving stations, etc. While buffets allow guests to potentially get seconds, they also run the risk of some taking large portions and the food running out.

We are having a relatively formal event but actually decided to go with a buffet. I have always preferred them as a guest. I think you get to choose and taste so many more options and you're not limited to the one entree you selected a month ago if that's not what sounds good at the moment. We are also getting a carving station included in ours which I love because we can offer prime rib along with three other entrees, sides, salads, and rolls. Since we're having about 200 people we already confirmed before booking that our venue will open up multiple buffet lines and carving stations so we can get people moving quickly. Also, the buffet was actually a touch more expensive than the plated meals at our venue so they're not always cheaper. But it definitely still be just as nice and doesn't have to equate to Golden Corral at all!

I personally prefer buffet style. It’s not as fancy, but I find the food tends to be better. Only been to a few plates weddings admittedly, but one had food I hated, and I don’t think it was the fault of the caterers or anyone really. Just that my palette is very different to whoever chose the meals.

My guest list is right around 100 and I'm doing buffet. I've gotten several quotes and for me buffet was cheaper and I was able to get more options to serve so it was the best option for me. The plated quotes I got wasn't too much more than the buffet but they all offered less options.

I've been to weddings with both plated and buffet and plated was always nice because your being served but the food was always really small portions. The like the buffet because you can pick what you want to have on your plate but you have to get it yourself. Choose which you think works best for you type of wedding and your guest.

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We will have about 125-150 as on now!

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Very true! I think I tend to think into the details much more than my guests probably will. Especially after they begin drinking. Delicious hot food will satisfy no matter the style.

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I'm having 125-150 guests so I was concerned about the lines becoming long. I will speak with the venue we decide on in order to determine whether they are able to have multiple lines to expedite the process. Ultimately, if the buffet has food choices that I like and believe will be plentiful for the guests, I will probably go with that option if it saves money.

I'm having plated just so my guests dont have to stand in line and risk having their food cold by the time they get back to their seats. It is going to be more work and they are going to have to pick their entree but I feel for me it's going to be better.