Family Style Catering

The only family style wedding I have been to have been Chinese ones where they place the food in the middle but then serve individual portions out on plates and hand them to each guest. At the end of each course they would usually clear all plates and do it again for like 10 courses.

If you are looking for self-serve you'd have to take into account how each guest would get the food. Passing it to each other is weird and can get messy. Putting it in the middle means the centerpieces get in the way unless you have rectangular tables.

I also found that family style prices are actually higher than buffet and sometimes plated due to portions etc. It's sort of like buffet quantity with the staff of plated so it's the expense of both worlds.

Thanks, @SarahM-I'll add the refill question to my list. And that makes sense regarding the need for a heavier staff.

I can answer some of your questions. I've been to one wedding with family style catering and we've decided to go this route for our wedding as well. I do think it's somewhere in between played and buffet in terms of formality. Pros are that people will be able to choose what and how much they want to eat, you don't have to keep track of meal choices, vegetarians don't get less food (in my experience, almost always happens with plated), and the process is faster than buffet (no one is getting up and waiting in line). Cons are it can be a little odd to be passing plates around the table, especially if not everyone at a particular table knows each other.

I can't help much with questions as our caterer is in house at our venue.

We are paying a per person price, which at our venue was the same as the buffet price.

Hope that helps! Good luck finding someone!

Thanks, @VC. We definitely won't be having 10 courses, lol. Ideally, our tables would be long rectangular tables in a U-shape with the head table at the base of the U. Ideally. This is all in my head at this point and my vision for the reception. Once I know if it will be practical and within our budget I'll know if it will come to fruition.

@Ashli - yeah for sure it's not a typical Chinese 10 course wedding meal.

But for cost purposes, the venues I looked at with family style options (regardless of number of courses) were on par with plated or higher due to staff buffet-like quantities.

And yes I believe the ones I saw were quoted per person since it's sort of like a buffet but semi-served.

I love that, @Steph! I am a vegetarian (and lactose intolerant) myself so I know it can be hard to eat more than the salad at a wedding because everything else is off limits. Great points. One of the aspects of buffet service I'm not crazy about is the getting called up by table to get your food part. I'd prefer everyone to eat together anyways. We are expecting around 80-90 to actually show up to our wedding-20 people right off the bat are families of 4-5 with 2-3 small children that live states away and are not likely to make the trek or hire a sitter for the weekend. So most of the guests in attendance will be close friends and immediate family. Therefore I don't foresee the passing being a HUGE issue (hopefully!).

You're best option if you're wanting family style is to find a caterer who does that style often because they are most likely going to already have all the serving platters required. A lot of the caterers we looked at were going to have to rent the platters which drove the price way up.

We love family style meals! One of my daughters is doing a semi-family style. Each guest will receive a plated meal and then pasta platters will be passed family style. Her venue refills the platters as necessary.

ETA: she is paying the regular price per plate plus an additional $5 per head for the pasta platters

Until recently I had only been to family style weddings so this is what I was planning.

Joe mentioned how difficult it was to pass dishes and serve yourself in nice clothes. This made sense so we went with plated.

I am not a fan of buffet as I am lazy.

Thanks, @KCJV! I'll be sure to ask about serving platters.

@OHP-timing is definitely crucial! Thank you for reminding me! I'll ask about that and how many courses would come out at once.

I just went to a wedding were our main dish was served to us and our side dishes were served family style, just put down on the plate to serve ourselves. Personally I wasn't too happy with it. People kept over serving them selves and not leaving enough for other people and then we would have to wait forever to get more.

I can totally see that being an issue, @ShaunaD. That would not be good.

@NonnaT, I feel you! I have always enjoyed plated dinners more than buffet because it made me feel "special." We want our guests to feel special and know their presence is truly appreciated. Because of location, the trip is not going to be a cheap one so we know those who choose to spend the money on airfare + hotels + attire + sitters + maybe gifts, etc. will be shelling out a good bit of money on our behalf.

I haven't been to a family style wedding but we do a family style holiday luncheon at my company and it has always been a hit - the platter refilling is as PPs have mentioned a critical point. I imagine with family style it's kind of a know your crowd scenario in terms of whether your guests will like what is kind of an intimate dining scenario. We plan to serve family style at our wedding! The salad will be plated, and then all entrees and sides will come out at the same time, so there won't be a need to pace yourself for other courses. Cake comes later than a late night snack a few hours after that. I don't want hungry guests!

Great idea, @DesertPolarBear-thank you! I like the idea of plated salad and the main course + sides coming out together. We'd like to do Cajun inspired dishes (maybe with a more modern twist), so many of those dishes are kind of one-plate dishes; not so much protein + veg plates. Hmmm. Lots of things to consider!

I appreciate everyone's feedback and advice!

I've been a guest at a wedding that did family style. IMO it's a step up from buffet (since the guests don't have to get up to get food), but I think is usually less expensive than plated. I thought it worked really well. They did do a plated salad as a PP mentioned.

We are doing family style but our caterer is VERY familiar with it. While searching for caterers it was one of our requirements and most it was actually more expensive. The caterer we chose does this all the time and their price was in between plates and buffet. Just make sure your centerpieces will accommodate! We decided on family style after a couple weddings we went to where they had it and we really liked it. Our venue is too small for a buffet and plated was a bit pricier, so this was our in between that matched our price point. However it is the thing I am most nervous about since it's kind of out of the box, but my day of coordinator has assured me that our caterer does this style very well.

I haven't been to a wedding with family style service, but I did go to a rehearsal dinner at an Italian restaurant with this style. I loved it! I could still pick and choose what I wanted like with a buffet, but I didn't have to get up. Also, it was super easy to get seconds.

I've never been to a family style wedding, but I've been to business dinners that served food this way. Maybe whoever planned them didn't order enough food, but I always felt like I wasn't able to get enough to eat.

Hmmmm. Interesting post-thanks for a new topic! I have never been to a wedding that did this, and I go to quite a few. Is this a regional or cultural thing? Curious. Frankly, I've never even heard of it, and to my knowledge, none of my bride friend's considered it. Is this for informal weddings only? Is there an advantage other than price?