Reception buffet style dinner

You should do whatever meal option works best for you, your venue and your budget. That being said, I personally do not enjoy buffet style meals at weddings. Having people all dressed up and standing in line in heels with a plate, waiting for food is just not something I find appealing, and shouldn’t be done for more formal weddings. Nor is eating food that has been sitting out and hovered over/breathed on by tons of people. The quality of food (and temperature) tends to be less than that of plated meals. And you also need to take into consideration the pandemic- having buffets is prohibited by a lot of places right now. If you choose to have a buffet, I would definitely suggest having a back up plan in case there are restrictions on buffets next November.

Personally I love buffets because I get to eat what I like. I would just be prepared with a backup plan in the event your venue doesn’t allow buffets due to COVID-19

I agree with the above; buffets aren’t allowed right now in many areas. I personally think buffets are gross and we never eat at them, but if that’s what you guys want, then go for it! But again, have a plan B a head of time!

I love buffet style dinners, but just be mindful that COVID will still be around so some venues won't allow it depending on the number of cases

I prefer plated meals over buffets. Making sure there is always enough food out and that the food stays hot is too much of a hassle. With a served meal, you know everyone will be served the food available and it will be at the proper temperature. Also, with Covid, I am not sure guests will want to use the same serving utensils as other guests.

For our wedding, we had buffet style. The only possible concern is Covid. Our wedding was in July 2019 so Covid wasn't a thing. No one knows for sure how long Covid is going to last so I would definitely take that into consideration.

I think under normal circumstances buffets are fine. As long as there are professional servers serving the food and it's not self-serve. Due to COVID though I might be more inclined to do a plated option. Does your venue provide catering? If not, check out local caterers in your area, as many of them have package options!

My bff had a buffet at hers in september this year and it was fine. it was served by servers and they allowed tables to go up one by one

All the weddings we have been to was buffet style, and they were awesome! Personally I prefer that over a plated dinner. I like the fact that I can choose what I want out of the buffet, and usually there are more options than a plated meal. I also like the fact that you don't feel like you have to wait to hit the dance floor until everyone finishes getting their meal plated and eaten.

We're doing a buffet style reception because that works best with our budget, and it makes more sense for us. Ours is semi-formal, and we will have each table come up when called. That way we don't have a giant line of waiting guests. If your wedding is more formal (black tie), then def. opt for a plated meal because it is more appropriate for your wedding style.

I agree with PP about covid restrictions. Make sure your caterer will have the appropriate precautions in place so your guests feel at ease and safe!

I do not like buffets at weddings for all of the reasons Chrysta mentioned.

I would not recommend doing a buffet style reception with COVID going on.

We had a fancy wedding with a buffet, and we loved it and so did our guests. It was actually more expensive than our venue's plated options. The food was absolutely delicious and since we had a small wedding (less that 50 guests), food didn't sit long at all and everyone got their food quickly. Our buffet was served by servers (not self-serve) and there was a carving station with an attendant.

When we were still trying to pick a venue, I poured over catering menus even from places I knew we weren't going to pick just to get an idea of what kind of food we'd like to serve.

During the pandemic, buffets are not offered by most caterers. Under non-pandemic circumstances they're great because they give guests options: if someone doesn't like something or has a food intolerance, they can pick somethin else without medical issues.
With a plated meal, guests may get to pick their entree but are stuck with the sides so that could potentially be wasted food unless everyone loves the starch and vegetables that are chosen.

Personally I like buffet over plated. I’ve never been to a wedding where the buffet food was cold or bad. I hate plated meals at weddings, I feel like you wait just as long to be served your food, and it’s usually nasty. Plus I was served cold food twice, different weddings. However like others have said due to COVID it may not be the best option.

Another option may be stations. Food is cooked on-site and served to them, and guests get to choose what they want at the same time so best of both worlds.

So we are doing buffet style (we’re also wedding date twins!) and our venue has explained to us that in the event covid is still around, which it will most likely be around, they have servers at each food serving guests rather than allowing people to scoop for themselves. We can also change to plated at no additional cost if we want to when the time comes. I personally like both styles....plated seems fancier when it comes out, but you’re stuck with what you get if you don’t like it. Buffets offer more variety in food, but guests have to form a line. So it’s up to you what is more important! For me, I have a lot of picky eaters in my family so the buffet was the better option so they can pick and choose what they want.

Normally buffet stations are fine if your reception isn't particularly formal, but I wouldn't recommend doing one during Covid.

This depends on your budget and your venue and your state's restrictions.

We did buffet, because it offered more food for our money, and allowed us to accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions. Frequently, buffets cost less, but safety concerns may change that.

Check out the "Venues" tab, above, and see what's in your area - many places list the costs of buffets vs plated in their brochures.

Buffet is very informal and many people do not care for that style. Also they do add time to the overall schedule where as plated goes much faster

I’m having my wedding on Black Friday, leading the rehearsal dinner to be on Thanksgiving. We’re just planning on having it on the outside of our neighborhood clubhouse and doing a potluck dinner with the exception of buying meats and probably some other side dishes.


I would suggest calling local neighborhoods to see if you could use their clubhouse if they have one, but COVID-regulations aren’t allowing for most neighborhoods to do that at the moment. You can see about maybe having the event at someone’s house if they have a big enough space or backyard and then just have some food catered to you.