Any one else having a buffet style wedding?If so,what's your menu?Need ideas..

We are having a gourmet pizza buffet with about 6 different choices, plus tossed salad, pasta salad, mac & cheese (we have a lot of kids), and fruit. We are also having cheesecake for wedding cake with a really small sheetcake for those who don't like wedding cake. The only thing I'm worried about now is that we have 3 people (FH's dad, uncle, and the son of a friend) on the guest list who have a gluten intolerance, so I'm trying to think of ways to make it more gluten free. I know we can get the cake gluten free (they have a mix for that) and I'm going to try and find gluten free pasta for the pasta salad and mac&cheese.

I am in the process of arranging my menu. I want it casual and fun. Grilled hot dogs and burgers with fancy shmancy toppings (like bacon, blue cheese, grilled onions, peppers, chipotle sauces, lime mayos...etc), a mashed potato bar (with mushroom gravy, bacon, green onion, cheese, etc), mac n cheese with breadcrumbs on top, and some veggie burgers. And caesar salad. and taffy apple salad. YAY!

I am having the same dilemma. I am considering asking for my menu to be custom done. I wanted to do a chicken dish and then a pasta dish with shrimp in it. Who is in charge of your food? Is your family cooking, or is it being done by your reception venue? Ask them for suggestion and see what they give you? As for the allergy thing, that you can't avoid, people are allergic to the oddest food. I know someone who is allergic it milk, rice, most fish, peanuts and some other thing, I don't remember. I can't build an entire menu based on his allergies! That would be nuts!!! So just make sure there is an alternative meal aside in case someone is allergic. Ask your guest to let you know of any allergies and I think if you make a basic chicken meal, then you should be ok. I hope this helps

Oh jlacy....that is something I never thought to ask my guests.I love the pizza idea (different- I'm having an ALL adult reception...if there were children I'd definitely do this:-)

@Spanish Bride:I am considering doing the preparation the day before on my own.I have already been researching how to buy bulk salmon fillets..and I know I can get boneless chicken breast from walmart.I was thinking about adding the allergy question in the invites' RSVP slips.(A family friend is making my invites and RSVPs so I'll tell her to add this in the invites)

@Cara L:The veggie burger is a really unique touch...I'm so jealous.lol

We are having an Arabic style buffet, so for the cocktail hour we are doing humus, pita, grape leaves, etc. and this will already be on the table after the ceremony. We are really excited. We are doing lamb and a chicken and rice dish (all Arabic) so I think that is a good menu. We are catering it ourselves, so we are going to buy a lamb and have it "prepared" then the men will put it in the ground the night before the wedding and cook it that way. It is way cheaper to do it yourself.

Beef tips and noodles, herb chicken and mashed potatoes, broiled cod and a side I cannot remember then two choices of veggies and salad and rolls.

We have a smoker and love to smoked pork. We even developed our own bbq sauce. We're having pulled pork, bbq chicken breasts and drumsticks, cole slaw, potato, and macaroni salads, rolls, veggie trays, and corn on the cob. We'll do what we can ahead of time and our friends and family will execute the "catering" on the day of the wedding. Ours is an outdoor wedding at a vineyard, so casual food fits.

Oops! "love smoked pork"

Both sound delicious Gail! Can't go wrong with Salmon. We are having a home cooked meal of a veggie lasagna, meat lasagna, Italian sausages, spring salad and rolls, prepared by our generous groomsmen.

We are doing a station buffet that will be spread across the reception hall- 1) carving station with beef tenderloin and turkey 2) mashed potato martinins-3 types of potatoes and toppings 3) salad bar- with different letuces and toppings including goat cheese, dried fruit 4) spill and flow station w/cheeses, veggies, fruit, aspargus wrapped in ham, marinated mushrooms, tomato kabobs 5) smoked salmon w/ capers and other stuff along with medeteranian (sp?) that has pitas, hummus, olives

All of our food is Italian Just like FH.

Italian beef in an Italian maranade

Chicken parmigiano, with Italian meat sauce.

Lasagna, pasta con brocolli, and rolls, and of course Italian salad

Thanks Mrs Turner...love the pasta and sausages.

@Brooklynneend me an invite!!!!Sounds delicious...

@Ana:Chicken parmigiano sounds really good...do you have a salad or are you skipping that?I am considering not doing it either.

@jlacy1987 can I come to your wedding?! lol. I joke with FH that instead of cutting the cake we are going to cut a pizza!

@Gail - we are having a buffet but haven't narrowed down our choices yet. I'm big on appetizers (I'm a total grazer...) so we are having more than what is normal on those, but we haven't picked the main dishes yet. One thing we are insisting on are sweet potato fries. yum!

We are doing a buffet for my daughters wedding. There will be appetizers prior to the bridal party entering the room. They will be:

Crudites; Selection of Cheeses; Stuffed Mushrooms and Petite Phyllo Cups filled with Goats Cheese and Caramelized Onions.

Then, the main buffet:

London Broil; Chicken Marsala; Baked Salmon.......with.....

Caesar Salad; Spinach Salad with Pancetta; Herbed Rice; Rosemary Red Potatoes; Sliced Fresh Fruit (which is always better than stale fruit....LOL!); Vegetables; Bread and Butter.

Brooklynne,

Your menu sounds great! Lots of fun and imagination. I am in the wine biz, so I am a foodie...and your menu made me smile.

I'm having a spring wedding too in may next year.. so I'm coosing things for the season.. no thick soups or anything heavy.. every thing really light and... well.. spring like...lol

@Kathy R.:For the baked Salmon would it best to do this 12 hours ahead of time?(since I preparing myself)And just keep it warm...

@Fins: I'm still laughing at you being a grazer.....but the sweet potatoe fries sound awesome..never had those before

We are having pizza from Pizza Hut.