diy Buffet

View Quoted Comment You know if someone get sick at this lovely brides wedding you can be held legally accountable for your advice? It's like taking engineering advice in reddit. Unless you are willing to take the stand as an expert witness (Google definition of not familiar), I'd be keeping quiet.
There is a difference between ma and pa laws (serving large meals to families in your home), and venue self catering...which may not be approved. Most don't due to liability.
Be very careful the advice you dole out, it could come back to haunt you.

If you do anything against the norm for a wedding these ladies will be all over you. Do what you want!! We are doing our own food and I don't see a problem with it unless you plan on having like some fancy meal. We are very laid back people and its family and a few of our friends(75 max). We are doing pizza and veggie trays and chips, etc. literally just party food like you would have at a super bowl party!

View Quoted Comment Read my above advice. I work with a litigator that goes after these kind of cases. It's the reason his kids go to 50k a year private schools. You cannot give out advice when it comes to food safety unless you are willing to face the potiental (COSTLY) consequences when it comes to self catering.
Just because it is "your special day" gives you no right to take away your guests safety and well being.

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My family is laid back, too - but I want to offer them more than a super bowl party menu. "Going against the norm" has nothing to do with improper hosting. Professionally prepped food is the norm, not serving DYI food with a hair in it. (Not saying you do this, it has happened to me)

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^^^^^ I wish I could lift up that last sentence a thousand times.

Your wedding stops being all about you the minute you invite a guest. After you invite someone, their safety and well-being should be your number one priority.

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My FH has a degree in Culinary Arts, graduated top of his class, and I still wouldn't have my wedding self catered.

Cut the guest list if you have to, it is not worth someone getting ill.

Make sure you rent chafing dishes, or buy disposable ones. Keeping things hot is super important. And you'll need to assign someone the position of lighting the candles at the bottom to keep the food hot. Honestly, it would be best if you assigned someone to set up/watch the food all together if you could find someone/pay someone. Amazon has some options for keeping food cold (ice containers, serving bowls with ice in the bottom, etc.). If you're making the food yourself, buffet is the way to go! I would just make sure to have a place to serve it, serving containers to keep the food hot, and someone to monitor when the serving containers get empty/cold.

While I don't think self-catering is always horrible, I do think you should continue to look into affordable catered options. While it is sweet that your brother offered his services, he should get to celebrate with you...and, being in high school, culinary student or not he'll still have a LOT to learn and will possibly be very overwhelmed once he starts cooking for such a large crowd on such an important day.

Have you looked into Olive Garden? Starts at $13/pp. Famous Dave's? They're catering our wedding of 130 people for $1700 AFTER fees, service, and taxes. Boston Market? You could order just chickens and offer it with salad and rolls or something like that which you could make in advance.