Black tie reception dinner

Black tie weddings should really have plated dinners. If you're looking for caterers specific to your region, you can post in local groups or search by location on the vendor resource.

Agreed, you should never have a buffet for a black tie affair. I would suggest reading up on the requirements for a black tie wedding, as it requires a lot of very specific things (elegant plated meals, top tier open bar, live entertainment, extravagant venue and decor, valet parking, etc.). If you are going to tout your wedding as black tie, you need to make sure you meet the requirements, because guests are going to be expecting it.

Black tie by definition means a plated dinner, among many other things, like live band, valet parking, top shelf drinks and a premium venue. It's less a dress code and more of an indication of the formality and hosting to expect.

As PP says, black tie refers to the formality of the event. A formal reception properly includes a dinner that is served to the table by waitstaff among other things. The good news is that there is nothing wrong with a semi-formal wedding, cocktail attire or a buffet.

Black tie is an entire ambiance beyond formal. It includes floor length gowns and tuxes mandatory, coat check, valet parking, plated dinner, live band instead of dj, full flowing bar guests don’t pay for, butler passed appetizers, and more. If one or more are not in that combo, then it’s not black tie. A good example of this is the East Coast/NYC style weddings which are formal at minimum. They have lavish cocktail hours with served food stations and butler passed appetizers, followed by a plated dinner that often is not touched due to the amount of food at the cocktail hour. The plated dinners are frequently made to order at the table as if it’s a restaurant, not picked a month in advance with the reply card.


With a formal dress code, you have more flexibility. Guests can still dress up but they will be less likely to decline because they don’t own a tux or formal gown and don’t have the desire to buy or rent a one-time-wear outfit. Not everyone is excited over a live band and they have limitations which means that you or they won’t get to hear the music you like. With a good caterer, you can have a formal buffet or served food stations without the waste of a plated meal.
Contrary to popular opinion, it can be done to have what you are wanting (buffet, dressing up, etc) with a formal wedding without resorting to the casual vibe that many say is your only option.

You can totally have an elegant wedding with a nice buffet, but "Black Tie" by definition requires a plated meal (among other very expensive things). I'd suggest "cocktail attire" if you're aiming for a buffet. Men will dress in suits and women in elegant dresses