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Michelle
Champion December 2022

Detailed meal selections on rsvps?

Michelle, on January 8, 2021 at 1:59 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 22
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If you are going the plated meal route, how descriptive are you about presenting choices? Just listing "beef, chicken, vegan" and hoping guests know what you're serving? Or are you listing the full menu? "Prime rib with mashed potatoes and glazed carrots, Chicken parmesan over penne with mixed vegetables, etc" so guests can decide which they like best with all the info? Assuming guests in the first category pick beef since it's safe, they don't realize until the day of that it's covered in sauce they don't like or has sides that don't appeal to them. On the wedding day, they can't change their mind and food goes to waste.

22 Comments

Latest activity by Michelle, on January 11, 2021 at 10:30 PM
  • V
    Champion July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    We didn't do plated, but we have attend weddings that have and they always just did beef, chicken, vegan or whatever they planned on serving. They didn't go into any details. I know for one buffet wedding they had people pick which I thought was odd, but at the actual wedding they had no way of knowing who picked what. Some people took both from the buffet even though they only picked one option. To be honest, I had put chicken, but ended up eating ham instead because I don't like meat with bones and the chicken had bones. Not sure why they bothered asking guests in advance since they weren't making sure people took when they picked.

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  • Violetstorme
    Dedicated October 2022
    Violetstorme ·
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    We are planning to go the plated/served route. Guests will have their generic options (beef, chicken, vegan, vegetarian) and a place to make us aware of any allergies they might have as most vendors will understand and work with any dietary restrictions provided within their allocated time frame.
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  • Michelle
    Champion December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    That is weird. Buffets are a free for all so they shouldn't have asked beforehand for selections.
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  • Violetstorme
    Dedicated October 2022
    Violetstorme ·
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    That doesnt make sense unless you have someone there specifically to serve the guests from the buffet based on what they picked....but in that sense I feel like plated would just be easier and less stressful.
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  • Lisa
    Legend July 2022
    Lisa ·
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    That is odd that they asked everyone to pick. I wonder if they did that just to get an idea of how much of each option to prepare? Not necessarily enforcing that everyone can only take what they picked, but instead checking approximate quantity, like if 80% of guests all pick the same option, they know to prepare more of that option?
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  • V
    Champion July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    It was quiet strange. We had a buffet and so have other friends and this was literally the only buffet wedding I've attended where they asked for selections beforehand. I'm wondering if maybe they were going to do plated then changed their minds.

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  • V
    Champion July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    It made no sense. I was surprised because I expected the meal to be plated, but I was just as glad because I wouldn't have liked my meal.

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  • V
    Champion July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    Maybe but even so a lot of guests ate both and they had tons of each so I think asking beforehand was pointless.

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  • Michelle
    Champion December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    Generally caterers fix enough of each dish so 100% guests can take a portion of each thing. With room for 2nds and 3rds automatically built in. Sounds like no one knew what was going on.
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  • Michelle
    Champion December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    Likely that the couple didn't know how to plan.
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  • V
    Champion July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    That's very possible because their venue was a barn their parents recently built and it wasn't even completed by the time of the wedding. They also told guests to arrive at 4 when the ceremony started at 4:30 and everyone already arrived early because that's what most people do and it was awful because it was so hot and the barn only had two ceiling fans. Guests including myself were miserable.

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  • Jamie
    Dedicated July 2021
    Jamie ·
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    We are doing plated and the RSVP itself won't go into detail and will just say chicken, vegetarian, etc. But I plan on having the full detailed menu available to look at on our website.
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  • M
    Legend June 2019
    Melle ·
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    Listing the full menu sounds so good but you may be limited in terms of spacing
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  • Natalie
    Super November 2020
    Natalie ·
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    I would list the more specific name of the main course but not the side dishes. For example, prime rib, chicken Parmesan, etc. This gives the guest a better idea of exactly what is being served without going into too much detail or being too wordy.
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  • H
    Master July 2019
    Hannah ·
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    I like this suggestion. It gives more explanation but doesn't require you to list everything. I have a shellfish allergy, and I will usually reach out to the couple if they have a generic "beef, chicken, fish" description because I've seen crab and shrimp pop into chicken and beef dishes on more than 1 occasion as a sauce or topping.


    If you are having them RSVP, I would just put the whole thing or at least have it somewhere on the webpage.
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  • Sharonda
    Super January 2021
    Sharonda ·
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    I had a details card in our invitations that included detailed descriptions of the meat options in the main course. I think people could make a more informed decision if they knew what was being served.
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  • Michelle
    Master April 2021
    Michelle ·
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    We didn’t get specific with the sides- just put turn main course. Chicken Marsala or Beef Peppercorn.
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  • M
    Beginner May 2022
    Michelle ·
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    We're doing a plated meal with three options (steak, fish, vegetarian) and we provided a full description of each meal on the RSVP card and the website. I think it's nice for people to know exactly what they're getting, because a sauce or seasoning that you don't like can totally ruin a meal.

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  • Michelle
    Champion December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    Exactly. Or if there is something they may have an allergy or intolerance to they can avoid it but would not able to without prior knowledge
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  • Hanna
    VIP June 2019
    Hanna ·
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    We provided basic descriptions so that guests would know what they were getting. Specifically, we stated salmon and not just "fish." Shellfish is one of the most common allergies and many people are able to eat salmon but not shellfish--therefore, we felt that specifying the type of fish was particularly important.

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