How do you feel about buffet dinners?

I hardly ever see them except as part of a cocktail/hors d'oeuvre wedding that uses that format all night. I LOVE that; the cocktail hour is the most exciting part for most guests.

I would say if you're having a buffet for the middle, don't have a buffet for the cocktail hour. No one wants to stand in line all night.

I like them..fh hates them.i think you get a better variety from a buffet but he says its trough food..but since its way cheaper we are going to do buffet..

I love them! In fact, that's what we are doing for our reception. There will only be about 40 people so no long lines or releasing by tables. If you do a buffet just make sure the tables are set up so that people can serve themselves from both sides of the tables. That will cut down on time spent waiting.

I agree 100% with Amy!

We are having a buffet. Top tip about both sides being accessible Linda, thanks!

Love them. we had one for our wedding. we got more meal choices with the buffet then we did with a sit down...and where Im from the buffet tends to be about $3 cheaper.

They work well if they are done well. By that, I mean, having a really nice selection of salads, entrees and side dishes and making sure that your venue allows for the number of guests you have. If you have a small group, you can do one buffet line. If you have several guests, have a two sided buffet line.

It is also wise to have someone (your DJ if you are having one) announce table numbers so that not everyone gets up at once.

Also, have plates on the buffet table but flatware, napkins and glassware on the table.

I was at a fund raising dinner, last night, that did a great job. There were approx. 300 guests. They did two double sided buffet lines next to each other. They formed "v". Everyone was through the buffet line, literally, in less that 15 minutes.

I have seen both good and bad buffets, family style, and plated dinners at weddings.. so I would honestly say to read up on reviews of your caterer and see what tends to do best! We are doing a buffet because our caterer is known for doing great buffets at our venue (no kitchen on site, so they have to transport food hot). Buffets also tend to be cheaper AND I love them because people get to take as much of whatever item(s) they prefer. Our appetizers, salads, and dessert will be served.

Ok so the 2 most recent weddings i went to were 1 buffet and 1 plated. I hated the plated. We were served last the food was cold and by the time we finished eating the dancing was half over, the cake was cut and the special activities were over....

the buffet was amazing had so many options and i could pig out on salad if i didnt like anything (or potatos) i am a wicked picky eater. the food was warm and we didnt eat first. there were 2 lines and plenty of options.

I will be having a buffet, its cheaper so we can spend more money on booze. the food is amazing and i get 3 or 4 main course options! i mean wow, if some one cant find anything to eat, then they can starve lol

I have no problem with them, just as long s the food is good!!!

My FH and I are planning on having a buffet style dinner at our reception hall to save money, and will be borrowing the following from two weddings we attended recently- assign each table a song that plays when it is their turn to go get food. It is fun to listen for your song and keeps standing in line to a minimum.

We had a buffet and it went great. Both sides were open and all guests were served within 15 minutes and eating. It allowed the food to be hot, many times a plated meal is not hot plus it allowed us more options to serve. We got many compliments on our buffet. I would recommend it for sure.

We are having a buffet dinner! I am so excited!

As long as food is good and well presented, I don't really care about how it's served. The only time it was a problem was when the wedding was in a venue that was really not conducive to a buffet.

The reception was in one room, the buffet was set up 3 rooms away. The passage was really narrow and had sharp corners so it was difficult to navigate. Plus people with full plates were bumping into people who were going to get food. But that was more the issue of the venue setup than buffet.

I'm completely against plated dinners. I've had bad experiences at every single one of them. The food is always bad, cold, no selection, they mess it up...the list goes on.

So, I was either thinking family style or buffet. We are going to end up with less than 100 guests. I think buffet would work fine. My mom has a problem with it, of course. What doesn't she have a problem with though? I think family style might be a little weird for the guests though...since they won't know each other.

I'll probably end up doing buffet style.

For our wedding, we had plated dinner. Personally, I dislike buffet dinners. We had 135 people and everyone got their salads, ate them, got their main meal and eat them in just under an hour. Everyone loved the meal and it came out hot.

Went to a wedding last night and they did buffet dinner. Had around 180 people there and we were the last table to eat. Half the room was finished eating before I got started and half way through eating my meal, they were announcing if anyone wanted seconds to come get it. It was a good meal and it was hot, but I dislike having to wait so long to eat.

I'm doing buffet so people have a choice....but great tip linda for double side table or might even do two tables so their so no line and about tables setup....

We're having a buffet. I'm with Amy V - I've never cared about what type of dinner service there is at weddings I've been to as long as the food is good!

I like buffet dinners! They're less expensive and guests can choose what/how much they want to eat. I agree about having a double sided buffet and releasing by table -- it can become a bit of a clusterf@#& if its not organized.

If your venue handles your catering, they should be very familiar with setting up a buffet and releasing tables. When I worked catering, the catering manager or wedding coordinator for the venue would release tables.

I think they are fine! Honestly, I have one ever been to one wedding where there was plate dinner service. (And I have been to one to two weedings every year, for the past 8 years)

We are having a buffet at ours as well. But I am also getting married in Vegas, buffet capital USA.

I like buffett dinners. Honestly, I've never been to a wedding that wasn't a buffett dinner. They're less expensive. Also, I'm a pretty picky person, so I always know there will be at least one thing there that I like.