Once the date is chosen, church is booked, reception hall decided, you’ll be faced with another big decision. One of the first questions the caterer is going to ask you is “Sit down dinner or buffet?” There is a lot to think about when making this choice. Let’s give you some pros & cons.

First, let’s think about the type of wedding reception you are planning. Elegant? Casual? Traditional? A sit down dinner is more elegant. Your guests will be served at their tables all the food courses that you previously planned. The other side is they do not have a choice of the food selection. On a buffet they can make their own choices. Usually a dinner buffet has two main entrees. However, your guests would serve themselves at the buffet table.

The other side of this dilemma is the cost. Some venues the buffet is less, but in most of your reception halls the buffet is more expensive than a sit down dinner. The main reason for this is that a served meal is cost out or portion controled. This means on a sit down plated meal, the chef knows what the guarantee of guest is 3 days prior and orders the food accordingly. A buffet has no controls on it so there is a lot more food prepared, hence a more expensive meal.

Some of your reception sites have incorporated a “ combo meal.” This is usually a combination of a grilled chicken breast and beef on the same plate. This is an advantage for the bride in her planning. It prevents the worry of “ what if someone doesn’t like chicken?” This option is becoming very popular for weddings.

Another meal choice is to do a hors d’ oeuvres buffet. This is generally “finger food”. There are a lot of things to think about when planning this for your guest.

• Beginning time of reception
  
• Time the buffet will be open
  
• How long will the buffet be up
  
• How many pieces to plan per person
  
• What size plate to use
  

This choice is thought of as an alternative to a dinner buffet, less expensive and easier to plan. However, it is the opposite. If the guest will be at the reception over lunch or dinner they will expect to “eat” or I call it “graze”. Most guests will come to the reception eat and leave. If this were the case your amount of food ordered would depend on how many pieces you will need to provide per person. I always ask my Brides “How many meatballs would you put on your plate?” Usual answer is 3. Then I ask the Groom. His answer is 8. Between the two you have 11 meatballs. Divide by 2 for the average couple. You now are looking at 5/6 per person. When 200 guests are attending you need to order 1200 meatballs. This doesn’t include all the other items you are wanting on the buffet. If your hors d’ oeuvres buffet falls over the dinner hour, you’ll need to order 15-18 pieces per person to be safe. Lunches are lighter, around 10-12. Afternoons or late evenings you could possible get by with 6-9 per person. It all depends on what you want to provide, your budget and your family. Some families have “heavy eaters”. If doing this type of lite finger foods put on the invitations – Lite Hors d’ oeuvres served. This will inform your guest that it is not a full meal.

The plate size also plays an important part in this planning. If you are on a limited budget and need to go lighter, provide smaller plates to help control the amount of food that can be taken. Another way is to have the reception hall provide a staff person to “dish out” the meatballs as the guest goes to the buffet table. That sounds very controlling which it is, but also lends a look of elegance to have the staff person helping the guest.

Understanding these choices and your options will help your planning a little easier. Remember that all families are different with different needs so you need to plan accordingly. Most important though remember – It’s your wedding!!!

Happy Planning!