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Are you recently engaged and trying to figure out this whole wedding planning “thing?” It can be tricky. Especially when figuring out whether to do a buffet or a plated meal.

Living in the South, I find that buffets at weddings are super popular. Brides like the idea of giving their guests multiple meal choices and not having to track the number of guests having beef vs. the number of guests having chicken. And, of course, many brides prefer buffets as a way to save money. But are buffets REALLY money savers?

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Not always. While there are always exceptions, buffets usually cost you more money. Why? Plated meals are pre-portioned. A caterer can figure out exactly how many pieces of chicken or beef to purchase for your event. It’s not that simple with a buffet. Also, many guests approach a wedding buffet as an “all you can eat” opportunity. As a result, people tend to take way more food than they would have if the meal were plated. In addition to these factors, there are some other things to consider with a buffet.

Many brides want a simple, elegant wedding. But it’s usually difficult to pull off an elegant event when guests are dressed to the nines and standing in a line to go through a buffet. Another thing to consider when you want to pull off an elegant wedding is that it’s not usually ideal to have guests standing in line. This usually can’t be avoided with a buffet. And, no, a double-sided buffet doesn’t help because it just creates TWO lines. And, again, you lose the elegant feel when you have someone dismissing tables one by one. Read More About Wedding Buffets

 

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