Buffets-YUM or YUCK?

[aljdewey]

I prefer a buffet as well.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 11/21/2007 9:55:31 AM
Author: HollyS

Date: 11/20/2007 8:22:16 PM
Author: TravelingGal
I don''t mind the concept of buffets per se...

What I mind are some of the people who don''t understand it''s not the HOMETOWN BUFFET.

They pack their plates up high...in fact, take multiples. They cut in line and grab the choicest stuff at all costs. Little innocuous grannies turn into mean mother f*$%ers.

OK, so maybe I have bitter memories. I should say this stems from years of Korean church wedding buffets where all the good stuff is taken first and young folks BETTER let the elders go first, or else. People ran out of the ceremony site early to get in line first. Some people would stack multiple plates to take home. I''ve even seen it once where no food was put aside for the wedding party so they had to go without dinner. It''s zany.

So if it''s not a crazy Korean buffet...I might be able to stop the cold sweats and be OK with it.

People actually filled their plates before the bride, groom, and wedding party??!! I must live in a very polite area, or have very *Emily Postish* friends, because I''ve never seen that. Dave and I started the buffet line at our wedding, and all was quiet and serene. We gave away extra cake to family and friends, but no one took a plate home. Sheesh.

Oh no no...it wasn''t THAT crazy...

The bride and groom got their stuff set aside. It was just the bridesmaids and groomsmen who were stuck with rice and dregs.

 

[tberube]

Though I agree buffets can be done poorly, I''ve moreso enjoyed weddings where I could go up and see what''s for dinner, and choose which things I like. That way you please the people who don''t like scalloped potatoes but love butternut squash, while also pleasing the people who don''t like ham. And you can get as much food as you want, nobody goes away hungry!

Our wedding venue offers a buffet that''s mandatory for tent receptions so we have no choice really - but we would have chosen it anyway because of the extra meal choices, more hot hors de ouevres and extra desserts other than just cake.

 

[tberube]

Date: 11/20/2007 9:33:37 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
I have eaten at some very good buffets but for a wedding I MUCH prefer a sit down, here''s why:

If the ceremony is at the same place as the recpetion I have seen people book it out of the ceremony or even leave the ceremony early to get the best place in line

But wait...no cocktail hour between ceremony and dinner?

 

[Independent Gal]

Mmmm... buffet. I''m a fan of a good buffet for sure.

 

[Pandora II]

I''m biased as I''m having a buffet - but with a plated starter and pudding.

I have been to probably equal numbers of buffet/non buffet weddings and on the whole the food quality is better at the buffets.

120 guests is quite a lot for a buffet - but the staff are very experienced in not letting it become a free for all. I''m also catering for kosher, non kosher, a range of allergies, vegetarians - and 2 vegetarians who don''t eat vegetables.

The venue is in a small village so I can''t expect the sort of fancy food you''d get in London etc. The buffet will have locally sourced rare-breed organic meats, a whole poached salmon and a range of salads, vegetables etc So although simple, the ingredients will all be high quality.

Too much rubber chicken with nasty gravy

just put me off seated dinners for good!

 

[joflier]

I''m definately pro buffet! We had the meal part as a buffet, and then did the desserts as a family style....Worked out very well. The buffet is a preference for me because I have bad food allergies and it makes it easier to pick and choose rather than leaving a plate full of uneaten food, which can look embarassing (esp if others around you don''t know the situation) also it works good for people that may have a lot of guests who are vegetarian...

 

[zoebartlett]

Okay, so even though I said earlier that I could see both sides to this, I do love a great buffet. I love all of the options! Food stations seem to be popular now, and I''ve seen a few of those at weddings I''ve been to. So even though we''re not doing a buffet for the meal, we ARE doing a dessert buffet instead of a wedding cake. I''m so excited about this!

 

[Mara]

i agree with whoever said there''s good and bad....same with buffets. i have been to seriously yucky ones and really yummy ones. i think a lot of it is how much volume of food is there, aka if it''s too much then people won''t eat it all and it gets cold and sits there and congeals. the best buffets i have been to in terms of weddings are with really specific food, and only a bit of it...my friend got married this summer and it was the best and easiest meal i have been to..mostly because it was so basic. they had sliced filet, salmon, yummy baguette and wheat breads (fresh), a lovely green salad with feta and tomatoes, grilled veggies and some antipasto meats. it made it easy to choose and you didn''t overeat since there wasn''t SO much going on that you wanted to try it all. it was perfect. and everything was done fresh, light, tasty. i would say make sure quality of the food is top notch, even if it means that you have to do less in terms of options or quantity. and then i would say make sure to have service at tables, even if it is buffet. aka people filling wine glasses, taking plates away etc. that makes it much easier for guests.

 

[partyjewels]

For me it can go either way. I won''t get into it, it''d be way too long of a response! But we''re going to have a buffet (99.9% sure, we haven''t gotten THAT far yet, we just have our deposit down). We''re having a starter salad (I''ll have to find out if thats part of the buffet line or if it''s plated) rotisserie chicken, bbq ribs, garlic mashed potatoes, seasonal veggies.... and... I don''t remember! hehe. I think that even though we have a bigger guest list (200 ppl. is our rooms max and our list exceeds it) we don''t have so many options that people will be standing up there trying to figure out what they want holding up the line. Both our families can be a bit picky too, so I''d much rather have a buffet where they can pick and choose once they see the food instead of trying to figure it out ahead of time and hating whats on their plate. My main problem I''ve had with buffets is standing in line when I''ve got uncomfortable shoes, I''m starving to begin with, and someones Aunt Sue in front of me is taking 10 minutes to decide on what she wants, so that by the time I get back to my table, the only thing on my plate thats still warm/hot is the very last thing I put on it!! (sorry for the run on!) But I can''t really blame that on the bride and groom, can I? However, even when there is a line, I''m alot less likely to be annoyed standing in it for food when it''s delicious!!

 

[LauraSLP07]

I actually do like a good buffet, but when it comes to my wedding next July, FI and I picked a sit-down dinner.

I think that with a good staff, a sit-down dinner can be quicker than having people called by table to wait in line at the buffet!

 

[monarch64]

I didn''t vote...out of the maybe 20 weddings I''ve been to in the last 8 years, only one was a buffet. It was a nice buffet, but very southern style food (the wedding was in Shreveport), so lots of fried food and other sort of finger food type things. The reception was more cocktail oriented, meaning there were just a few actual sit down tables available with mainly cocktail (standing only) tables in the room. As a veggie, I wouldn''t mind a good buffet, though. I think Kim and Mara said it best when they brought up the point that a buffet can be great when it''s done correctly, and I agree with Mara that less is more, don''t offer too many different things--keep it simple--that way people aren''t overwhelmed and won''t feel like they need to go back time and again or that they somehow missed out on some wonderful hidden selection.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

we are doing a buffet mostly for the variety and the option of going up to get some more if you love it! our wedding is also on a sunday afternoon so its not quite sit down dinner time either...

 

[Neveah]

I agree with most everyone on here there are pros and cons but usually what matters is the taste! HOWEVER... Our wedding planner explained that the buffet''s are actually much more expensive than the sit down. Even if the price per head is $10 cheaper (for buffet), you are getting less for your money doing so. She explained that they have to make sure they have more than enough for everyone...and it''s very hard to gauge. So they always err on the side of caution and make WAY more than they think they will need. If you took the buffet food and "plated" it for everyone....what would be left over would probably feed another 30+ guests! So you are basically paying for all that extra food that is more than likely not going to be used. (unless an NFL football team is invited to your wedding, then it might all get eaten!)

**On a side note ladies, we came up w/ an idea about what to do with extra food (we are having a sit down, but more than likely there will be a few RSVP''s who don''t show up) Instead of wasting these meals we wanted to donate them to the homeless. They can''t do it in our state (Ohio) for litigation purposes. But what we can do is donate it to the local firehouse/police station. Would be a nice thing for the guys working the night shift!__ Just a thought. You''ve already paid for them. Don''t let your venue keep them! Not sure how a buffet would work.... but you paid for that food right? Make them box it up and make someone''s night~

 

[MoonWater]

I thought there were legal issues with donating any open food to any organization, not the just the homeless. You definitely should read about the local laws before doing that. The problem is if someone gets food poisoning or anything as a result of the meal (or even think it''s a result of the meal) you have a mess on your hands. You may be better off letting your guests take it home.

 

[Pandora II]

My venue are packing everything up straight after the main course is finished and my parents are taking it home for the brunch the following day.

As long as it hasn''t been out of the kitchen for more than 3 hours then that is legally fine.

Looking at my timings I can''t believe that it will be out on the tables for more than an hour and a half.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/22/2007 1:33:10 PM
Author: Pandora II
My venue are packing everything up straight after the main course is finished and my parents are taking it home for the brunch the following day.


As long as it hasn''t been out of the kitchen for more than 3 hours then that is legally fine.


Looking at my timings I can''t believe that it will be out on the tables for more than an hour and a half.

Laws are probably different in the UK...I know that in most states in the US you can''t donate open food at all...but I''m not sure about the technicalities of what is "open" or "served" and what isn''t...but I''d be careful before donating it to anyone...

 

[goldenstar]

I would rather have a plated dinner because of the service. I don''t like waiting in lines, and all of the buffet style weddings I''ve been to were really disorganized so it was not a smooth process. I feel more pampered at a sit down dinner.

Buffets can be nice. I think if its a smaller wedding it would work well.

I think one compromise between buffet and plated is family style. Not a lot of venues offer this. I was a little skeptical at first, but it was really fun and you can choose what you want to eat. The plates were huge and there was plenty for everyone.

 

[Jas12]

I had a fairly expensive wedding but with a more casual feel (it was by a lake at a resort) so i opted for a buffet so the tone didn''t go too formal----it got raves. The food was prepared very well and was interactive ( 2 food stations in addition to a big spread) so it didn''t look/feel like a typical buffet. I think, like others have mentioned it can go either way and I think the decision should be make based on the tone of your wedding/type of guests you will be inviting