Wedding Buffet Menu

So long as there is plenty of tasty food, you should be good - I don't know of any specific etiquette. We had three meats (camembert stuffed chicken breast, lamb shanks and roast beef), roast potatoes, green beans, carrots, and a couple of different salads (as far as I remember!). So long as you cater for any dietary requirements - we had one guest who doesn't eat red meat or seafood, and one coeliac (so we ensured that any gluten-containing sauces were kept separate to avoid cross-contamination) you should be fine.

1) Pork or beef plus chicken is a safe combination. Avoid serving only pork or only beef, but you could serve chicken and fish if you are so inclined or serve only chicken and a veg option.

2) Ensure at least two vegetarian sides and a vegetarian main. Pasta could work well here, but try to offer something more substantial.

3) Get a list of dietary concerns ASAP. If you have a guest with Celiac disease or other gluten intolerance, check the gluten content of your menu and consider asking the caterer to provide a special plated meal if concerns are high about contamination. Same procedure can apply to allergens.

I personally would only offer one salad but offer both a simple vinaigrette and a creamy dressing.

Thanks!!!

I agree with everything @Miss Equality said, and would like to add that if you do decide to offer a fish dish, please make sure it's not a very fragrant fish. All those portions in one place tends to create a fug hanging over the buffet and for those sensitive to fishy smells it can be unappealing.

Im doing it myself within a tight budget, so will prob pass on fish but thank you for the advice

Unless you are a caterer, they are going to tear you apart for cooking for your own wedding.

Who will? Lol

We are doing taco bar, carnitas and veggies. corn and flour tortillas, bean, rice, salsa. cheese on the side. I know it's not fancy, but I have a small budget and lots of family!!

I love that! I'm doing a Weekend Wedding and a Taco Bar is our rehearsal dinner! Yay! I think its a great idea! Congrats!

Please don't cater your own wedding.

As much as I appreciate your advice, this was about the wedding buffet menu, not whether I should or shouldn't. Please no negativity.

Heads up: you are going to get about 46374647337364647378 posts telling you why self catering is a terrible idea. Community guidelines state that you cannot tell other posters how to post so saying "no negativity" isn't going to make a difference.

Don't do it Christy, seriously. I knew what I was doing too (I owned a pro company with pro staff and two pro kitchens) and I didn't have any fun at all. No one died; we're better than that, but it was busy, stressful and just as expensive as hiring someone to do it. Add chaos, lateness and mess to it and you can imagine your wedding day.

And you're going to self cater a whole weekend? I'm sorry, that is an insane idea. That's not negativity, that's honest feedback that you should be grateful to have.

If you're going to do it yourself? Serve water, wine and potato chips. You can't kill anyone with those.

We are only offering one salad, with two types of dressing. But we are offering three main course options in our buffet, roast turkey, sirloin steak, and vegetable lasagna. I personally felt that fish is super hit or miss, so we chose to exclude a fish option.

Please don't self cater. You dont want to make your loved ones work the day of your wedding. Also, almost no venue will allow self catering because its a liability to them. There is a lot of prep and work involved in making sure food is prepared safely and kept at safe temperatures the entire time it is served. Are you prepared to pay for the hospital bills when your guests come down with food poisoning or botulism due to undercooked or too warm/too cold food?

If its a budget issue you have a few options.

1. Cut the guest list.

2. Push the date out and save, save, save

3. Look into Italian and bbq places. Lots of times you can find catering at those places for around 15 dollars per person and that will include 2 meats, sides, salad, and rolls and sometimes even your dinnerware.

Again, please, please dont self cater.

Hi Everyone,

I do appreciate all the advice, but let me explain. First off my wedding is very small, family and close friends only, I've hosted and catered many dinner parties, my menu is simple Italian dishes my family and I've been making for many years and am hiring outside helpers for wedding weekend.... on top of that, I have a very good reason for doing the catering myself (which wasn't my original plan)...my sister and her family, who are caterers, offered to do catering for me and backed out last minute due to family drama....I have no room in my budget and wedding is too close. I understand I can't tell posters how to comment, but I really just wanted advice on menu.

Please don't kill your guests and self cater. Hire someone. I don't care how tight your budget is, cut your guest list.

Why not just ask your catering families what they were going to cook or the etiquette of buffets?

Why did your catering family back out?

Hire a caterer. There is no excuse for self catering.

That is not a good reason.