Best way to serve ur food at the wedding

I'm doing plated meals.

I've been to about a dozen weddings (including my own) and my experience with plated meals is that the food is cold or has obviously been sitting out for a while. It's just too hard to serve that many people all at once. I can't imaging having 14 platings for 450 people...if you have a HUGE budget, and a ton of staff, it might be possible...good luck!

Holy Cow 450 is a lot of guests! ... I would not do a buffet style because your guest will be waiting the whole night just to get food one time. I would do a seated plated meal or family style sit down meal.

I would assume that if you are having 14 dishes you'd need to have it plated over multiple courses as 14 dishes on one plate going through the buffet sounds like a disaster. Also with 450 people the logistics of a buffet sound insane, the wait could be quite a while for the last of the guests.

Sounds like a good idea @ Sami B i know it seems a whole lot on buffet and i hate the idea that pple have to walk around it takes away the attn of the bride and groom...

Are you the first to get married? Have you been to any other weddings that had 14 dishes? How did they do it?

I not sure how many courses that is, or if you just have lots of items to go with the main dish. Are any of these 14 dishes something you can serve during cocktails?

Do you have a venue yet? Have you talked to them about your menu?

Maybe you can do your 3 or 4 courses and have some of the main items plated for each individual, but then have a few family style plates in the center of the table that people can pass around?

Must be some budget, that is going to be a big dinner bill

~ happy planning ~

A plated dinner with that many people is going to result in someone getting cold food. I use to work as a banquet server and all of the plated meals are made at once, in one kitchen, so a lot of them sit out for a little bit before being served.

Maybe have a buffet, but set up different stations. Like several of them.

I don't think guests walking around to get their food will take any attention off the couple. Even if it does, you aren't going to die from it.

This is typical of a nigerian wedding it is big and a lot of food.. 99 % of the food are main courses the side dishes already are involved in the cocktail hr already those r mostly snacks...All the time nigerian weddings are done buffet style but i want sthg different i do not like to be among the norm.. i wanted to know if there is another way i can make it work with plated setting...

@ Miss Tattoo ~ I was thinking someone would get cold food too. And you would need a TON of servers to try to get the food out relatively at the same time. They can do it on a cruise ship, but they have a whole deck of the ship designated just for the kitchen - so they have a big enough kitchen and staff to do it.

Also, with plated dinners and that many people, you will have people done with their food before the last tables even get served.

The stations do sound like a good idea. I'm sure your venue will have ideas if you sit down and talk to them about the size of your guest list and what you want on the menu.

The food are already cooked buffet style or not now what i was thinking is instead of the guest walking to come get their food. i could have a 3 courses but instead of the appetizers and all that i could just do 3 main menus of main courses.. lol

I think having plated courses served and a few dishes set on the table family style is a great solution. if they have enough staff they can make it happen... just make sure your venue can handle it!

good luck!

I think having plated courses served and a few dishes set on the table family style is a great solution. if they have enough staff they can make it happen... just make sure your venue can handle it!

good luck!

The only advice I can offer for buffet is to have two buffet Xs. If you put the long tables in the shape of an "X", you can serve twice as many people as they walk inside their "X".

http://www.banquettables.pro/index.php?&Itemid=204 <-- See the T or X serving styles. It's an easy way to get a lot of people through a buffet at once.

I am allowed to bring outside caterers and servers

I would think that family style would be the best option for that many guests. I couldn't imagine the nightmare a buffet would be for 450 people! You could do the main course plated and then have family style for the others?

I really like the idea of the family-style serving. Plus, that will encourage your guests to mingle and make the day more personal.

I know you said you really wanted a plated meal, but I just can't fathom that. I would be sooo unhappy if I was one of the last people to get my food and then everyone's up and dancing before I even take my first bite...and if everyone waits, then you have the opposite problem of people's food getting cold.

I think you should look into having a stations reception (also called a cocktail style reception)...it's kind of like a buffet, but there are multiple stations...so 14, for example, in your case

I agree with having the family-style. Plated dinners seem out of the question as the food will get cold and a buffet would be a nightmare as how long would it take for the last person in line to get their meal (20 minutes?). To me, family-style is the only real option.

I do not like the buffet option either. We are doing family style. Offering 3 different dishes a salad and some bread. However we are no where near 450 guests. But I think family style may be the way to go

I love family style; I just wrote a blog about it on www.500greatweddingideas.com. It is a great idea! Maybe you could do the side dishes as family style and have the entrees plates, BUT  a sit down dinner for 450 guests is not a job for the faint of heart. You really need a staff that is ery good at this.

I like the sound of the family style and also the many stations those are things i can look into.... Thanks i appreciate u all