BUFFET OR A SITTING DINNER?

Just personal, but I consider weddings to be formal events and I'm way dressed up. I hate standing in line and having all of my food dumped on my plate and mixed together, and I am absolutely no good at trying to juggle two plates. Then, there is the attempt to walk back to the table, in heels, while navigating between tables and avoiding people as they are getting up to get another drink, go to the bathroom, etc. UGH! I've always thought buffet at a wedding equaled cheap.

When we married, we got married in a restaurant, and the entire menu was available to our guests to order from. Satisfied picky eaters, children, vegetarians - and no buffet.

It doesn't have to depend on the number of people. I will have somewhere around 225 people or so and we are doing 4 buffet lines (2 buffet tables with lines on each side). Should go quick.

I am serving the head table family style so I don't have to be a bumpis in my big dress.

@IndianBride- I wish I could have an Indian Food buffet, but probably only about 10 of my meat-and-potato Midwest guest list would probably appreciate it.

Sitting, we have booked a Brazillian Steak House, guest will have many choices to choose from.

Buffet. We had the choice between either but RSVP is hard enough without asking people to decide chicken or beef and mail that too. So buffet was easy and less headache.

We are having a sit down dinner as I think it is more formal. One thing that stood out to me when going to one venue (one we didn't choose) the woman explained the buffet as we would go up one table at a time and we (my FH and I) would go first....I just had a vision of me standing in my lovely gown at a buffet getting food and was like oh HECK no. But that's just me. So sit down dinner it is for us!

I've been a guest who has had experience with both. I never minded the sit down meal, but I find it frustrating when you get not enough of something you like, or it's stuff you tried and didn't like, and leave hungry, not to mention the few plated receptions I've been to, never offered options for an entree, everyone got the same. For the buffet, guests can take as much of what they want of what ever. Which is always nice.

Price out both and see what works within your budget.

SIT DOWN dinner for us. Less time in line waiting to eat and more time to enjoy the wedding. It's probably more cost effective to go with buffet, but it depends on the type of wedding you're having.

CrystalS, perhaps it was just that venue in particular, but I didn't like that idea at all. I didn't ask my current venue because I just assumed it was all the same generally. Maybe that's something I will look into. Thanks!

@Pumpkin Sunshine - I wish I could have a past and fresh veggies buffet!!! And I plan to do the same thing as you - have 2 buffet lines, with people going down both sides but with 400-500 people...

I plan to eat privately during the cocktail hour, because my reception will be spent schmoozing.

We did a buffet. Our reception was casual (open seating in a pub with great food). We had vegetarians, meat-and-potatoes folks, diabetics, and people with food allergies. We had a big variety, and everyone got a little of everything: salad, pasta salad, sliders, crabcakes, salmon steak, chicken skewers, etc.

Also, instead of calling tables, we just had the food out when folks arrived at 6:30, and people sort of helped themselves when they got hungry. The venue replenished the food until about 8:00. Since we had 90 people, at most the line was ten people deep.

I personally prefer buffets because I'm a light eater and prefer to fix my own plate with the stuff I like, vs having some ginormous slab of beef put in front of me. I always feel like I have to clean my plate, and I feel STUFFED and too tired to dance.

My venue did a buffest, we were the first to get food, but they had a server come with each of us to carry the plates. So i just followed my server down the line and told them exactly what I wanted and she filled my plate and followed me back to my seat with it. At the same time, another server asked what i wanted to drink and they got it and brought it straight to my table. it was great.

my venue also had 2 buffet lines for 150 people and they let the tables go one or two at a time so that way no one was standing in a ridiculous line (i think the stupidest thing is when they let everyone go to the buffet at once). Also, the staff at the venue went up to each table and personally released them, which meant their was no obnoxious dj to listen to releasing the tables and the staff knew exactly when to release tables

We're doing a buffet, which also includes a carving station. Personally, I want my guests to be able to pick what they want - and the buffet offers a great variety. Our wedding will be less than 100 people, and if it were more than that I would probably re-evaluate that decision.

Sit Down I Still want formal.

We did a buffet for my daughters wedding. There were 134 guests, no long delay.

We had the choice of that or seated, for almost the same cost. We chose the buffet for ease of all. No need to keep track of who ordered what for dinner, letting the restaurant know how to recognize who was having what, etc. It also meant that people could truly have want they wanted, even if it was a little bit of everything.

Im doing buffet because its easier for a diy dinner

Sit down. Nothing like waiting to eat and watching everyone else get their food and enjoy it while you wait in line or for your table to be called to the buffet. We both loathe buffets too. Jaded by those nasty ones at restaurants. (my mom was a state health inspector, we don't do buffets)

We are doing a buffet. then our guess will have a variety of food and it's also cheaper

I'm torn. I like buffets because of the casual feel and more selection. I am a picky eater, and prefer to have a lot to choose from. However, the last wedding I went to had 150 people or so, and it took FOREVER to get food! We had to stand in line starving for so long. I did not like that feel at all - took away from the atmosphere and by the time I got my food I was really annoyed.

We are doing a sit down plated because i dont want one side of the room to be eating and the others still in line. this way everyone will be eating at the same time.