Buffet or plated dinner?

I think buffet all the way, I mean to me I know how picky people can be or how some people eat two bites of food and are done whereas some could eat 3 plates of food and still want more lol

I like buffet idea too ! My husband said no to it cause he hates the idea of food waste but that’s what I’d want if it was me

We did plated because our wedding was more formal! Buffet is fine I would just make sure they have servers serving people from the buffet line.

I've actually always preferred plated. I have never had a plated meal and still felt hungry after (and I'm overweight because I like to eat lol). I just feel like they're more elegant. Plus your guests don't have to walk around with plates of food in their nice clothes.

Is stations an option? I’ve always liked that as an alternate to straight buffet. I’ve found stations cut down on the amount of wait time & if someone knows they won’t eat something (i.e. meat or seafood) they can ignore that whole table.


Personally, I like buffets as a vegetarian. And it seems there are plenty of Covid options—served buffets, sneeze guards, requiring masks when getting food.
My partner & I are leaning plated for a few reasons: we have 150 guests & worry buffet will take too long, our venue has an unusual layout with stairs, we like the more formal vibe, & we know our guests would prefer it for Covid reasons.

It depends on how formal you’re going for, a buffet definitely gives a more casual vibe.

I always feel like plated dinners force you to stay in your seat for a prolonged period of time which can dampen the lively party vibe. It is also much more uncomfortable for anyone seated at a table of strangers, and seating assignments never work out perfectly! The food is often not quite hot (or actually cold) and I’ve personally gone hungry several times due to smaller portions or a sauce on the whole plate that I found intolerable (even if other people loved it- sauces are very polarizing).
With a buffet people can linger at cocktail hour longer or eat quickly and then go say hi to other guests. In COVID times plated makes sense because you want people tethered to their table and not mingling, but for our wedding next October we are definitely going buffet!

I've been to buffets hosted at fancier golf clubs and communities before (FH grandparents live there) and they definitely can still be formal and professional. The sides and deserts were self serve whereas meat was like a station with a waiter carving the meat. Drinks were served at the table too.

I think it depends on your timeline of events for the evening.

100 guests = 3 course minimum plated (salad, main, desert) is about 1.5 - 2 hours of eating time. That same meal in buffet could take longer depending on how many stations you have as you would have to feed those 100 people through. So you could be ready to cut the cake, have a dance and people are still eating.

I like buffets because as you noted you provide a greater variety of food. Where as plated you really need to be able to offer and ask in advance of your guests (i.e. chicken, beef or fish) you could do a 2 main protein which does the same, but now increases the price of plated. Plated dinners offer a little more elegance and people LIKE to be waited on versus standing in line waiting to eat. Cost comparative - buffets are more economical but definitely more waste in food.

Based on your venue - I'd probably go plated. A little more formal.

I prefer buffets. I don't like letting people leave hungry, and with buffets they control what they get and how much.

We are also getting married at a winery & we decided on Buffett style. I want everyone to have a choice of what they want

View Quoted Comment I agree with this.

We did buffet, and it was perfectly fine. Looking back, I should have just spent the extra $$ and done plated. It's so much classier. Our plated was going to include both proteins anyway. We ended up doing a plated salad & buffet dinner, so it was a nice combination but I just always prefer plated.

For us we are doing a buffet because my fiancé is a rather picky eater and is not crazy into veggies and sides, so with a buffet he can just go take all the meat he wants. A buffet also gives the person the option to get something else if they don’t like something they grabbed. Seated dinners are elegant and a little more formal, but a buffet can work perfectly if done correctly.

I prefer plated dinners. I feel like it ends up going more smoothly and the food is more attractive. I'm also kind of impatient. I don't mind waiting for someone to bring me food, but I hate waiting in lines, and that was true even before covid. If you're making this decision just to give people options and not because of budget, there are other ways to do make that happen. Most caterers offer a plated option that includes multiple proteins (like a surf & turf thing or a smaller piece of chicken and one of steak) or they'll allow you to order at the wedding instead of on the RSVP. I also really like when there are multiple appetizers (ideally passed, but stations are good too) which is another way to let people try more different things.

Plated is just not my jam for some reason, so we're going to have a served buffet.

If COVID wasn't a thing, we would have been doing family style.

My venue actually now offers an in-between of 'plated buffet' - so it might be worth asking if that's an option. Basically, we would get to select everything from the buffet menu that we wanted, and then each guest would receive a plate with a portion of each item on it.

We really liked that idea! The only reason why we opted for the traditional served buffet instead is because we'll be having fish as an option, and we want to give the guests a little more control over what ends up on their plate.

Lots of fancier establishments offer buffets that are not cheap-looking in the least. Stations help out with this too and most times tend to have hotter food than plated. Cutting down on lines is a big thing they do. Not all buffets are self-serve so portion control and sanitation are taken seriously. Many caterers will package leftover food to for you to take home so there isn't a concern about waste. Buffets/stations are helpful if someone has a food allergy since the dishes can and should be labeled with what they are and any potential allergens. It's still courteous to ask guests ahead if anyone has dietary issues.


A plated meal has the benefit of you being waited on but they have a more formal air like an awards dinner where there is less of a party vibe. If you don't like or can't eat the sides or a sauce, etc, then you're stuck until you get dessert and can go to a drivethru after.
There's no right or wrong and a caterer can be great at keeping buffets hot and running quickly and bad at plated and vice versa. It boils down to personal preference and finding the best caterer to work with what you want.

Have you considered family style? Someone suggested it to us since we hate buffets but also have a decent amount of people with special diets and we fell in love with the idea!

View Quoted Comment Agreed, thanks!

View Quoted Comment Great idea! We looked into options for the caterer we are leaning towards and they have stations. We may do some tradition buffet and some stations. Thanks!