Family Style Wedding reception

Is that your food budget, or whole wedding budget?

That's $20 per person, including tax and tip? I'm not sure you can do that.

Typically around here (Chicago), buffets are more costly than a plated meal. If you are having the reception at meal time, hors d'oeuvres are not sufficient.

In my area, family style tends to be more expensive than plated or buffet, with buffet being the most affordable option. We are doing several courses family style and paying about $75 per person.

$1,000.00 is for food only. Thanks ladies oh and the wedding and reception is outside if that matters.

If we do plated she charges $10 a plate Im in Oklahoma that's pretty normal around here.

That's not enough money to do this, and it will cost more than plated.

Costs vary a lot by location. Your best bet is to start contacting some caterers and getting quotes for family style vs stations vs plated meal. Once you have actual quotes, you can start thinking about which type of meal fits your budget.

Family style is typically the most expensive option. It has all the need for servers of a plated dinner plus the extra portion sizes of a buffet.

I don't care where you are, $1,000 is not enough money to feed 50 people a decent meal. You can't even get out of a low-end chain restaurant for that price per person.

Cut your guest list in half and make sure you have a plan for rain if you are outside.

$10 per plate? What kind of food is it?

ETA: Just re-read....I find it really hard to believe that your caterer can basically do ANY kind of food for $10pp.

The money is not the issue here lol. The question here is what is a appropriate menu for a family style dinner. Thanks. Just need menu ideas I guess me putting my budget out there was confusing to some sorry about that.

Starla, does your caterer not know this though?

Most legit caterers can give suggestions on your menu.

Well if money is no longer an issue, you can do one beef dish, one chicken dish, one fish dish, and one vegetarian dish. Plus a nice plated salad to start, 3-5 sides, and a few desserts. Personally, I would do prime rib for the beef, since you can easily select the doneness you want. Roast chicken with lemon and herbs is a classic...perhaps a little boring, but always a safe choice. Fish would be sea bass. And for vegetarian, perhaps a portobello Wellington.

...but I have a feeling I am wasting my breath here. You're not getting that for a thousand dollars unless you cut the guest list to parents and maybe siblings.

Preparing for "oh, she's a friend that's cooking for us so she can make whatever we tell her to" in 3...2...1...

I think it should be full courses if you're wanting to have a "dinner". Otherwise, it may feel like a super long cocktail hour (some may be waiting for the main course). If you are of a different ethnicity I would understand including your food in the mix, but if I go to a wedding where my choices are sag paneer (Indian), and lasagna--- eh, I think it would be strange. You definitely want to have cohesiveness to your meal. You can still have a colorful meal with a variety of vegetables- red peppers look great, or you can always garnish your dish. Not to mention, not all caterers can master such a variety of food. Either way make sure you taste test before you agree to anything. I would go with what has been stated: a meat option, chicken option, fish option if possible and at least 3 sides. I added more sides to my menu because my brother and his friends are vegan so they would not partake in the meats. I checked with him for a good suggestion on ideas for sides- he wanted choices that would fill him up. He suggested a pasta dish (no meat), potato dish, beans or some sort of high protein veggie, and salad. I think these are concerns you should discuss with your caterer too. With family style, every table will likely have some sort of leftover food. I'm not sure how pricing compares to buffet vs plated because I never asked. I never asked because family style works best I think when you know the people at your table. We had a couple with kids- and between the kid picking his buggers, sneezing everywhere and reaching for food, I really wished for a different style. I'm also a little bit of a germaphobe and other people who are trained in food handling digging in isn't always appealing- It was not a good experience for me. You're having a small wedding so that may not be a factor, but I thought I'd share. Sorry for the long post... good luck!

That's exactly what I was thinking, Lindsey.

At the beginning of my wedding planning, my aunt suggested we hire her friend to cater. I asked what kinds of foods she specialized in. My aunt was like "oh, she'll make whatever you want!"

When I pressed her for more info on what kind of caterer just makes "anything" for one set price, it turned out she just cooks in her home and delivers...oh and she didn't have any food prep/service licenses. Lol.

You could do Italian. A big salad with meats and cheeses. Garlic bread. Pasta with red and white sauce. Meat balls sausage and chicken parm.

Weddings are hard enough to plan. Lets not be so brash ladies. I genuinely wanted help not criticism.

Yes she is a legit cater with her own company, and not a family friend or relative. Things are just cheaper in Oklahoma period. Yes theres plenty of restaurants that you can get a decent meal for $20 bucks. Olive Garden etc.. At any rate thank you for those with helpful words. Congratulations to you all!!

Family style meals is pretty expensive. Iwould know. We're estimating $20k-30k for a 6-8 course meal for 500 guests!

I would ask them to give you a quote on how much it would be for family style, what options they can provide to work w/ your budget and go from there. If you're not happy with the family style menu then go with the buffet/hors d'oeuvres