Plated or Buffet?

Budget friendly is a question of how much your wanting to spend for the guests. Buffet style gives you the bang for you buck to variety of food offered at a lower cost. Plated service depends on how many courses and price wise you feel is sufficient to keep your guests full and considering alcohol consumption.

Buffet is great for large weddings to feed all your guests and not feeling the guilt of down grading from anything. Its a simpler way to give that much more variety of food choices.

From many of the weddings I have attended family wise, buffet has been the way to go budget wise and for over 300 people for 2 functions or more.

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That is a really good point! I definitely didn’t consider that part of it!

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Totally agree with this! Gotta be careful for the line-up, it can be brutal when it’s not planned right

I don’t love buffets personally, mostly because I don’t get my money’s worth when I pay for them, and I find myself running into bad luck with getting something cold or stale. It is also a little bit of an annoying moment when it comes to people serving themselves. There has to be some kind of system or else its chaos.

This is based on buffets I’ve been to, the caterer you choose might have an amazing buffet. I would check reviews if I were you.

I kinda agree with you though.

I love a good buffet but my FH said no, so we are doing plated. However we went to a wedding on NYE and they had a buffet and the line was painfully long because they didnt have two sides going. So I would just make sure people can get to the buffet from two sides, if possible. Again this depends on the size of the wedding as well.

View quoted message I got married in Alberta!

We had a formal wedding and we still did buffet. As long as the food is good (ours was DEEEELICIOUS), it's fine. The food stays hotter, people can pick what and how much they want, and it saves you a LOT of meal tracking work.

We had gowns and tuxes... and a buffet. And everyone loved it.

View quoted message Thank we will try to work it out with our internal vendors ..

View quoted message Thanks for the info we looking at candles and Mississauga grand...but on a budget...

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Our venue is in Mississauga! And its an internal caterer which makes everything so much easier! We are doing a mixed buffet as we are coming from a mixed background (European and Indian cuisines)

View quoted message We are having our reception at an elegant ballroom. Finding a venue that would provide quality food was on the top of my list. Good luck on your search.

View quoted message Where is ur venue and is it outside caterers. As you mentioned over s dozen different options of food. We are still searching vendors because we want buffet style as well.

Hi stephanie where is your venue and is it outside caterer. Our buffet only offers s few options.

View quoted message Where was your reception we are thinking of a buffet menu too.

I think buffet is a little less formal than plated but I don’t think it’ll completely take away from the formality of it! We did a buffet and I loved it! There was more variety; with plated you chose either beef or chicken or pork, but we had pork and chicken and people could eat both. We had more options for sides as well since there were sides for both entrees. There’s also the opportunity to go up for seconds with a buffet.

View quoted message I hadn’t thought think of it! Thank you. Something to consider:

View quoted message This helps. Thank you greatly!

I personally love family style. which is popular where i am. so its platters/courses of food brought to the table. and people can choose how much or little they want. so its a nice compromise between plated and buffet.

I have been to both casual and formal weddings. The formal wedding I went to had a few courses plated example soup, salad, and then had a buffet style for the main course and desert. It was still very formal and on their invite specified formal attire. I wouldn't think any less formal as people will be dressed for occasion and the decor you will have

I think as long as the food options are what you would give plated - it will be just as formal but cost less (in most cases).

If you are still having roast beef, or chicken, or whatnot then it will still be very formal. If you are doing what me and my FH are doing (BBQ buffet) - it will be for a more laid back wedding and party.

I like the idea of making a pro's and con's list!

We’re doing plated since our venue only offers that.

View quoted message Oooo this is such a good idea!!

We're doing buffet. It was an easy choice for as our venue allows us to invite more people if we do a buffet. We also want it to be a bit more informal and aren't doing place cards and all that, people can sit wherever they want and just walk around for a bit easier when it's a buffet

We're doing plated but we did think about both options. I have a buffet "curse" where whatever table I'm at would be the last one called, or even forgotten about: they called for seconds before we got our firsts!

Also we have some vegetarians/dietary restrictions so we don't want to risk any cross-contamination with anything or having them question if they could eat certain dishes.

Buffets would be more budget-friendly, and people can choose how much they want. There are definitely pros and cons to both!

View quoted message That is true I am planning an additional 30 minutes for dinner to get thru! And then a bit longer than that for past call for those who want seconds! Theres 100% pros and cons to both! It just depends what pros are more important to you! Do you want dinner to wrap up quicker and get to the party? Or do u want a bit extra time to share more amazing food!

View quoted message I am with you! I will have to talk it over with my caterer to help me decide. Thank you.

View quoted message Something to consider. Thank you!

View quoted message That’s what my fiancé wants. He wants everyone to eat until their bellies are content. My concern is having my guest to wait prolonging dinner time.

View quoted message Yes, and that’s what I don’t want. I don’t want my guest having to wait in a line to get their meals.

View quoted message That’s how I see it.

I prefer plated. More classy and I always dislike being all dressed up then having to get up and get my food but that’s just me.

Our venue only does plated, as it is a restaurant, but that was what I wanted. I personally dislike buffets because guests have to wait in lines for their food, and things can get picked over.