Plated, Buffet, or Stations!? What's everyone doing for their wedding?

We are doing a buffet because our venue only does buffet or plated and I think buffet gives guests more flexibility! If they don't want mac n cheese, they don't have to get it! We also will have cocktail hour food, late-night snacks, and a dessert bar.

However, if my venue allowed outside vendors or had it as an option, I would defiantly do stations! I think it makes your wedding unique because it's still not a common thing to have. You should go for it!

My wedding was last year, in my culture we do family style

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Thats something unique also!! i think if i was having a smaller event, that would be an option!

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Definitely! our potential venue just has a list of caterers we choose from, but thats pretty much it! im feeling out on my personal facebook also what friends and family think also! my gut is telling me either stations or buffet, even though i want a more formal event, i still want people to enjoy their food choices! the venue in itself is a formal feel so i hope that plus having a formal cockatil attire makes up for it! i feel like your guaranteed that the food will be hot with a station or buffet too!)

We are having a very formal wedding so we are doing a plated meal with lots and lots of food!! We are having cocktail hour with canapes followed by three courses with extra food on the table and cake on top of dessert. We are also having lots of alcohol so food is a big one for us. Because of picky eaters (us included) we are hoping to pick some very friendly meal options to ensure everyone is catered for.

I do love the idea of food stations, I feel like it would be quite fun and would work out for everyone.

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I definitely understand the plated for a very formal! i still have a formal feel with the venue and attire so hopefully the stations wont take away from that! (still want a fun feel though like you said!) and most likely will have an open bar, so lots of food will be important! i like the idea of late night snacks as people leave as well!

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With an open bar I think everyone will LOVE having late night snacks! I personally love nothing more than a good burger after a big night out. We wanted to do it for our guests but we have already hit budget so it's a no go.

Haha can I come to this wedding?! Sounds like a great night.

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Haha im totally throwing ideas out there! we dont even have a date yet, but the finace wants quotes on so many things before we commit! ive been ready to book our date since we got engaged! lol! holding out til 2022 though, so i know we have time to plan the details! yours sounds like a great night as well!

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Thank you! We just postponed our December 2020 wedding to December 2021, hopefully by 2022 you won’t have to worry about any of that!

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Wow i cant imagine having to postpone a whole year! did everything work out with all your vendors?!

We're doing a buffet. We have 3 different entrees with 2 sides and a dessert table which still came out to be cheaper than their plated options. As far as stations, they had some good options but we're also on a budget but none of them really appealed to the scale of our wedding. One of our entrees is chicken and waffles though because 1. We'll have kids and 2. Why not? lol. I wouldn't be surprised if we have any adults go for it as well. I'm sure my FH will lol.

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The adults will absolutely go for that!! sounds like a great setup though!! im still keeping all options open and having an open mind as I research the different caterers! budget is definitely a concern for us, so anywhere we can save without sacrificing qaulity and selection will be great!

Our wedding isn't until November 2021 but I've always enjoyed family style serving at weddings because I think it is an easy entryway into conversation with whoever is seated with you. It just automatically creates a bit of intimacy and I really like that aspect... that being said talking with a lot of caterers right now and family style is definitely up in the air at the moment what with COVID and all. Hopefully by the time your wedding rolls around things will be an ancient memory, but I think the most important thing is what works well with your budget and what kind of experience you want to create. It sounds like options are really important to you, so I would run with that!

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I do like the intimacy that family style will create, but yes options are definitely important, mainly because i know so many people have different tastes and preference, myself included! Hopefully by your wedding also you can have your perfect vision without worry as well!

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Thanks! I'm pretty excited. Definitely a smart choice to keep an open mind because anything can happen. I'm sure whichever way you go, it's going to be great.

View Quoted Comment Yes definitely! And you should be excited! I always say if I’m doing this once, I’m doing it right, and will enjoy every minute of it, from planning, events, getting ready, and the event!

View Quoted Comment Exactly!! I try to do the same.

We had a served buffet.

You frequently end up with more food for your money, and can customize the meal plan to easily allow for a lot of different dietary needs. (We still needed 2 vegan plates, but gluten-free and vegetarian were included in the buffet options.)

I originally opted for Buffet and that is the contract that we have, but my venue mentioned that if Covid is still as big as it is now then we will have to change to plated! Which is fine with me, she said that we could keep the same contracted options

I’m not sure if it’s technically considered stations or a buffet, but we will be having carving stations (we get to pick 2 meats from the list), pasta with 2 sauce choices, salad, loaded fries, and a mashed potato bar.