Reception style/menu

I’ve been to a wedding that dinner was served as stations and it functioned much the same as a buffet! We were still called up by tables for dinner

We did chef stations for dinner and it was awesome! Our reception timeline went like this: intros, first dance (guests were invited to join us on the dance floor after a minute), while guests were on the dance floor salads were served at the tables (this was the only plated part of our menu), then guests sat back down and we had the father/daughter dance, then I sat down and my dad stayed standing and gave his toast, then the BM/MOH got up and gave toasts. Once toasts were done, the DJ announced the dinner stations were open. They stayed open for about 1.5 hours (dance floor open the whole time), then closed, and dessert stations opened a bit later when we cut the cake. It was honestly PERFECT. The night still felt structured but more laid back, and everyone loved the stations for dinner. Just make sure your DJ knows your timeline well and announces to guests when the stations are open. Our guests weren’t called up by table because it was only 10 tables and 3 stations, so our DOC just managed the crowd and made sure they spread out between stations.

View Quoted Comment Your timeline sounds great! Our stations will be open for three hours. The main thing I don’t want is the stations to open and long lines to form turning it into a longer buffet line. Did you do a traditional cocktail hour?

View Quoted Comment It really depends how many guests you have, but we didn’t have the issue with long lines. Are you planning on only two stations? Most station-style dinners I’ve seen have had at least 3, which helps with the demand at any given station. We had a pasta station, carving station, and taco station.

The other issue to consider is how long it will take each guest to get their plate at each station. For example, we did a pasta station - but rather than make-your-own, there were 3 composed pasta dishes guests could choose from, and the chef attendant just plated them and added garnish. So it was pretty quick for each person. Will your pizza and tacos be ready to serve, or require guests to wait?

We did do a pretty heavy cocktail hour with passed apps and 3 food tables, so guests weren’t coming into the reception starving. Some opted to get drinks and dance for a bit before grabbing dinner.

View Quoted Comment We do have the option to add another station so I’m thinking I should look into that if we decide to continue with the station style. They will continuously make the pizza and the tacos will be assembled for each guest which could potentially hold the line up. Unfortunately my venue doesn’t offer passed apps but we will have three displayed appetizers for the cocktail hour.

I’m doing buffet style at my wedding, but my brother did grill and I believe my sister did stations. She didn’t like it, that much I remember. However it was all included with her venue (so she literally paid for the venue and it came with food and her cake). So, she had to kind of go with what they did.