Plated dinner vs buffet?

I prefer buffet. I went to a plated wedding before. I was at table #2 close to the front. We didn't get our food until the cake was being served to others and it was cold. It was at that point FH and I said we were definitely going to do buffet but with at least 2 stations. There are pros and cons with both. I like buffet because i can choose what i want and how much.

We are doing plated. It's cheaper because the caterer doesn't have to prepare as much food--with a buffet you have people going back for seconds. I prefer plated dinners and the "elegance" associated with them. I have never been to one where the food was cold.

A lot of your questions depend on the setup at your venue. For us, plated and buffet were the same price. We went with buffet because it offered more options and people were able to pick and choose whatever they wanted and eat however much they wanted. We had a fairly small wedding (100 people) and two buffet stations, so everyone had their food in like 10 minutes. It went a lot quicker than many plated dinners I've been to that take forever between the salad and entree.

In my neck of the woods, buffet is cheaper per plate and guests get more food. Win win for me. It's a little classier to have plated because it seems more formal. Usually if you are having a more expensive meal it's always plated. We are just having pork and beef.

So I find it strange that your plated meal is cheaper, if that really is the case I'd go with plated all the way.

I prefer buffet because I am picky and that way I don't have to waste food I don't like and I can take more of what I do like. An experienced caterer should be able to serve hot food in a timely manner either way. If your guest count is large a buffet may not work as well.

@annie we have 150 guests!

With my caterer, buffet was cheaper and we got more food options. The servers will be at the buffet stations serving the food, so everything will be streamlined. My guest list is small (60 ppl), so this option works for us.

Our buffet is cheaper than the plated we had chosen. However, that's not why we switched. I was worried that if someone didn't like the way something tasted that was it for them. No other food option. I don't want my guests hungry or thirsty.

WIth people's dietary preferences and restrictions today, I can't imagine trying to do plated. "Is that vegan?" "I have celiac disease-- is there gluten?" "I am lactose intolerant, is there a cheese-free option?" I say, go buffet and let them sort it out for themselves!

As far as warm food is concerned, while buffets are notorious for being cold, i have certainly had my share of cold plated meals.

Our venue charges the same for plated and buffet. I don't really prefer one over the other but FH & I both wanted plated. I think we both didn't want the whole "table 1, table 2... Table 7 wait your turn" thing.

I prefer buffets and am doing one bc I HATE getting food that is not hot (which in my experience happens more often than not with plated dinners for large weddings) and I like to get it myself, but if it was cheaper I would have done plated because that is nice in its own way too!

Buffets for us were more expensive as well. Even if it was cheaper I would have never gone with it. Buffets freak me the fuck out! It just reminds me of old country buffet.

I definitely agree with hating the "table 1 and 2 you may go now." Didn't even think about that.

I wanted to do buffet because it was cheaper, $68 a head. But you had to keep your guest list under 130 because of space restraints. So we had 130 guests. But my mom got a new boyfriend a month ago (dad passed away 3 years ago) and they are already getting really serious, and he's now living here too. I was absolutely going to add him on the guest list, but he and my mom had me add 10 of his relatives on the list, who are absolutely willing to fly from Milwaukee (we're from Sacramento). So we have to get plated which is $72

At most of the venues we looked at plated was cheaper. Because it's less food. So we're doing plated. I also think it fits better with our formal wedding.

I like buffet and the choices. We are going with buffet because it's actually less expensive at my venue plus I have a smaller wedding, 60 guests so I guess it feels more social to me.

The catering at our venue serves buffet unless otherwise requested. Looking at the menu the options for buffet are a lot more limited than some others one here. FH really wants plated. Since we're only inviting 36 (and quite a few probably won't show) plated should be fine. It will cost us $4.50 pp extra.

Plated meals are more formal, and do typically save time. Buffets also tend to be more expensive because you have to account for people taking more food than they are portioned. I prefer plated meals when we are guests at weddings, as long as I get a choice!

I prefer plated.. I've been to a buffet wedding before and by the time it was our turn our food was cold and there weren't as many options ( the other guests stuffed their plates - your eyes are bigger than your stomach) and didn't leave much left over. Depends on the pricing!! I think either would be fine though.. Maybe I just had a bad experience lol

I prefer plated... I'm paying for guests to get served, not serve themselves.