Wedding planning can be confusing if it's your first time planning a large, catered event. Don't worry, it's not as complicated as it seems! Choosing the style of wedding reception you're going to host is a LOT easier if you understand the correct terminology. Here's the breakdown of your options.
Seated/Plated/Served
Seated/plated/served menus are for couples who envision a formal dinner where the guests remained seated while servers bring everything to the table. Although you can bump the costs up tremendously by choosing expensive food, seated/plated is frequently less expensive than other options because the caterers know, in advance, how much of each entrée they need to prepare for the guests. Expect the caterer to require you to submit a complete list of dinner orders 14-30 days ahead of your event so they can plan.
Tip: Strongly consider using placecards (rather than open seating) so the service staff knows who is getting what at which table come dinner time. Otherwise, they'll have to get orders at each table and hope guests remember what they requested.
Buffets
A buffet features long tables with all of the dinner offerings presented in one line. Usually, there are servers behind the buffet to describe each dish (especially for allergy purposes) and to put appropriate portions on each guest's plate. If the wedding is large, it's not uncommon to have two separate buffet tables with the same food to keep things moving. The buffet will remain open for all of the guests to make one trip through, and for extra hungry guests to visit it again, but then it will be shut down rather quickly.
Tip: It's an excellent idea to have the salads (or soup) served at the table before, or immediately after, the guests are seated so that people have something to nibble on as they wait for their turn in the buffet line.
Food Stations
No less satisfying than a seated/plated meal, and open for much longer than a buffet, food stations have become very popular for wedding receptions. The concept breaks up your food displays with different tables offering different things, usually by category. Stations are a great way to incorporate a theme into your food. We've done “around the world” stations where different countries were represented on each table. More traditionally, you'll find entrées in one spot, sides in another, salads in another, etc. They're spread out a bit more to let guests roam around and pick and choose. Not everyone has to stop dancing and eat at the same time. Stations are usually kept open two to three times as long as a regular buffet and have station chefs creating items by requests, much like a traditional omelet stations.
Tip: Although you don't need as many servers as a seated/plated dinner, make sure you have plenty of hands on deck to remove the copious number of empty plates that are likely to be discarded everywhere as people choose their next bite.
This article was written by Sandy Malone for Brides.com.
Photo: Joe Hendricks Photography
