A buffet-style wedding service has been a favorite way to serve guests at weddings. There’s a good reason why a buffet style is a popular service style for weddings; they’re economical and more efficient to cater to all your guests and offer them a variety of dietary preferences all at once.

What Is A Buffet-Style Reception?

It’s a food service-style wedding that features one menu that’s set up on a big table in your wedding reception. This kind of reception differs from the station-style reception, which features multiple menu concepts scattered at different displays.

So, what else makes a buffet-style the perfect choice for a wedding? Let’s look at the reasons why a buffet could be a suitable choice for your wedding:

It’s Less Expensive

A buffet dinner can save you a ton of money as it requires fewer servers or even none at all if you compare it to sit-down dinners. You’ll also have less food waste as your guests know their portion size and won’t leave hungry, including those who have a smaller appetite will leave less waste. This is the perfect option, especially if you’re on a budget.

It’s for The Picky Eaters

Serving what every guest wants is a difficult task, so why should you arrange a sit-down menu that you know some of your guests won’t like. This is one of the reasons why a hot buffet is a way to go as it puts together all your foods and dishes, which offers plenty of choice for your guest’s preferences. Today, wedding venues usually provide a buffet package for a wedding and won’t include soggy sandwiches and mini jelly sticks. A buffet can consist of every delicious thing you can think of, which means you can incorporate the classics with new creations and get your guests drooling for more.

It Provides Faster Service

Keep in mind that a wedding day is tiring, not only for the bride and groom but also for guests. You’ll need to get everything ready as early as possible and it often ends up in a long drive. After the main ceremony, guests will start to get hungry, so it’s best not to keep them waiting. A buffet allows them to serve themselves and gets them fuelled up for the late-night after-party.

It’s More Sociable

If you’re not interested in arranging seats for your guests and prefer them to find their own place to sit, then this adds another reason for choosing a buffet style. Your guests will be happy to have the freedom to sit anywhere they want to. This will also encourage them to interact with one another as getting up to choose their food in line offers them time to mingle.

The Cost of A Buffet-Style Wedding Reception

As we’ve mentioned before, the buffet-style is usually one of the most affordable options for event catering compared to the plated, station and family-style. You need to hire more staff to take orders and carry plates for the guests for the plated style catering. In a buffet style, you’ll need half as many people to serve the dishes. Besides needing more staff, the family and station style catering also needs more equipment and serve ware to get everything done, which also increases the cost.

The essential cost per person for a basic buffet-style reception ranges between $16 to $19 per person. However, the pricing highly depends on the menu and selections and other services like passed appetizers for the cocktail hour.

Other Things You Should Know About Wedding Buffets

Besides the general idea of a wedding buffet and its cost, there are other things you should know if you choose a wedding buffet;

What Should and Shouldn’t You Serve in A Wedding Buffet?

For the buffet style, make sure you choose the wedding dishes with a lot of moisture. Things like shrimp and grits, chicken and gravy and other food like sauces like meatballs are excellent choices. These types of catering usually consist of metal plans that use an outer layer of hot water that keeps the food warm and dries out food like salmon and broccoli. A buffet menu usually includes bread, salad, proteins and side dishes. These sides or accompaniments usually include veggies, starches and grains that are perfect additions to the main proteins.

How Many Buffet Tables Will You Need?

Wedding experts recommend one buffet table for every 50 guests so things will move more efficiently. If possible, these tables should be double-sided. Events that include a large guest count can consist of more than one buffet table, including the same dishes.

How Should Your Guests Receive Their Plates and Utensils?

Before the pandemic, we usually stack the plates at the beginning of the buffet line instead of setting them out on tables. Today, it may be best to fill the plates with food and distribute them directly to the guests. You can also expect them to pick up napkins which they will also pick up individually.