Buffet Dinner Game idea?

As a guest, I'd be annoyed by a game. I'd rather chat with my husband and friends at the table and wait my turn than have to answer trivia questions with a DJ yelling them over the mic every few minutes. And what if all 15 tables know your favorite hockey team?

Your DOC/venue staff or DJ can assist with releasing tables so people aren't waiting a long time at the buffet and eat in a normal amount of time.

Well, that basically goes in the same line as traditional service. your closest friends and family will know the most about you... so they would go first. Likewise, your coworkers or 2nd and third cousins won't know as much. Its just a different way for them being served in the way they would probably be anyways.

Having a trivia game WHILE they wait to be called to the buffet would work way better. It would help keep people content.

I have done it many times for my brides & grooms. Easy to do if you give your DJ some fun questions. Sometimes I ask if there are any veterans or active-duty in the house, or a birthday that day or close by, anniversaries etc. Who traveled the farthest. Who got their RSVP in the soonest. Lots of fun ways to do it without being cheesy.

Have fun with it! Your guests will too.

Good luck and congrats in advance!

Have your DJ call tables. Don't make adults play games to get dinner.

I agree with Stephanie. I wouldn't like the game, there would still be a lot of dead time between people/tables. Most people are kind of "with it" enough to know that buffet lines take a while and usually behave accordingly.

You could always suggest this time to be used for signing the guest book, working on other activities, or playing games, but I wouldn't associate the games with eating.

I like the game idea to kill time. Nothing is worse sitting hungry watching what feels like everyone but your table go get food.

I likes KC's suggestions. I would start with the table with the couple who has been married longest- this allows the old people to go first. Maybe the table with the person who has been married the most # of times. The table with someone who has the most kids. Someone who knows where you went on your first date. What is your dog's name? etc.

I wouldn't like a game..

And if you do one definitely don't ask who has been married the most times....

I guess the type of questions depend on the type of crowd. I have an uncle who is on his 4th marriage. We joke about it all the time.

I appreciate what you're trying to do -- you don't want people to think you're playing favorites (since some table is going to be last). However, everyone is right. Just let it play out the conventional way.

I am sorry, but this idea is ridiculous and very childish and I do not think most guests would be happy with this at all. Just have tables go up by number.

OUR MC (who is one of our groomsmen) is doing the "game". I agreed with someone when they said that the DJ's job is to just provide the music and not feed people. It's just that I have been to a wedding where they did the game of trivia about the couple and everyone was having such a good time, ringing their bells and shouting out answers, keeping everyone in a light mood because the tables were so mixed that there was at least 2-3 people at every table who knew the couple well enough to answer the questions. Then they would get determined to get the next answer and everyone was talking amongst themselves about us and getting entertained.

that's why I thought it would have been a cool idea. I was just wondering if there was another fun-light hearted way to get the guests to interact with other and the MC during the buffet table time.

I do appreciate everyone's suggestions though! Keep them coming! I could still use some ideas!

Sounds like the hunger games...lol

@Ashleigh: Exactly what I was thinking

If I were a guest, I would find this game cutesy and annoying.

Generally, at a wedding I'm very excited to see friends and family who have traveled from all over the place. And, if the couple planned well, then my table is full of people I care about. So given the choice to catch up with my college buddy who I haven't seen in years, or playing a trivia game that would probably take up more time than you think, I'm going to want to talk with my buddy.

You don't have to program every minute of the reception - just have the waitstaff efficiently call up tables, and let adults talk amongst themselves.

I think there is a misunderstanding on the time necessary for something like this. In the typical buffet line, depending on the length, if it is double-sided or not, and the contents of the buffet (a taco bar takes more time than a traditional chicken/beef/potatoes etc) I am probably calling a table every 2-3 minutes. The time it takes to say "table 11" is minimal but so is the question I'd pose. The tables have a moment to answer and then the background music starts up again. It's not like the table is huddling together for the answer and spending a lot of time with it. Something like who has travelled the farthest takes a few seconds for me to ascertain the answers, provides some interest to the various guests, and then that table is up headed for the buffet. The guests are back talking to one another seconds later.

One thing to consider. Your guests have been talking for an hour plus usually at this point with the ceremony, cocktails and now having been seated. They will continue to converse throughout the evening. A few extra seconds won't disrupt that, unless the MC is very amateurish or overly intrusive. Lots of times the questions spark conversation, like "wow they came from Australia" or "I didn't know they met while skiing" etc. Many times the acknowledgement that a couple receives for being married the longest or a veteran gets thanking him/her for their service really means a lot to those guests.

One more point. If you have a schedule of which tables go when, that is easy on your MC however the tables that come at the end kind of know where they are in the hierarchy of your invitees. Most won't mind but it is a nice thing to show that you have no favorites- beyond family and the BP of course.

Finally doing something like this is a personal choice. Does it seem right to you? Fun? Then go for it! Does it seem tacky? Will your crowd not enjoy it? Then don't. There is no right or wrong, only what you envision for your day & evening. It is like a money dance. Some of my clients shudder at the thought of one while for others it is a must do. Again, no right or wrong choice- what you decide is the right choice.

Personally, I love weddings that are personal and unique. Hearing a table number called is fine, but you won't remember it amongst other weddings. That you recognized someone's anniversary through a simple game will resonate through those people and the rest of your guests, and many will remember that...

Whatever you all decide, know it is the right choice for your wedding! Congrats and have a blast!

We went to a wedding that did this and I liked it! They kinda played the purse game - whoever can show me a tissue first, who has Chapstick, fastest person to hold up a cell phone.

It was waaaaaay better than sitting there waiting our turn in order of table numbers like I have at other weddings. Kept everyone engaged and made the wait more "fun."

15 tables isn't too many....but when you're at a wedding with 20+ tables and waiting an hour to be called, snore.

And you know, those people who think it's silly? No one is forcing them to play! If they're content to wait then they don't have to do anything but carry on.

I think that sounds fun. At my sister's wedding I was with cousins from my mom's side and dad's side. I knew everyone but not everyone knew each other so when we were sitting there it was a bit awkward and it would have been nice to have somewhat of an ice breaker. Plus I'm not that close to them. That is the reason we're also doing a trivia game. We're going to have cards printed with 12 multiple choice questions, then everyone at the table can work on the questions together and whoever gets the most right will get an extra favor (like some chocolate covered macadamia nuts or something, we're not doing a buffet but if we were I'd probably do something similar to you). Trivia questions help get people comfortable talking at the table and the random +1 that your cousin brought will actually feel like they got to know you and your groom beyond the 5 minutes you got to talk to them. I say go for it!

I would find this really annoying as a guest. I want to talk to the people at my table, not have to come up with answers to trivia questions for food.

We had 18 tables at our buffet and everyone had food within 20 minutes tops. We had 2 buffets and the DJ just called like 3 tables at a time and spaced it out by like 5 minutes or so. It was very quick and efficient and people didn't have to sit there forever waiting to get in line.

Of all the suggestions I like Munkos's the best. I've seen a game similar to this played at a wedding, but more like musical chairs with it. 12 people play, but only 11 seats. Every contestant has to go find chapstick, whoever comes back last is out of the game. Using a game like this to call table numbers seems like a good compromise between too much of a childish game. I think it also depends on your crowd, I think my family would like it but FH says he doesn't think his family would. It also depends on the formality of your wedding--I don't think it would be appropriate at a black tie wedding, but at a more casual one it might work.

I think it's a cute idea, but make sure the questions are things that more than your immediate family will know otherwise it may be annoying as a guest. I like the idea of the first person to hold up different items like chap stick and tissues.