Buffet Dinner v.s. Sit-Down Dinner?

Question

We are looking to do a sit down dinner but our venue also offers a buffet style dinner. I have never been to a wedding that had a buffet style dinner so I don't know how it would look. I am just curious to hear your take on a buffet dinner. This will be a formal wedding. Anyone who has seen both of these types and can comment would be great!!

Answer 1

I have been to both a buffet and a sit down dinner wedding.

I personally liked the sit-down dinners much better. You don't have to get on line and deal with crowds of people. You just get to sit there and relax while you are being served. Plus, I know that as a girl wearing heels, a fancy evening gown and carrying your purse it is a hassle to try to carry a plate of food...let alone if you happen to spill something on yourself, or someone bumps you from behind.

I would definitely go with the sit-down dinner...and believe it or not the sit-down dinner is usually cheaper than the buffet. I just think that the buffet adds a lot of unnecessary traffic in a room that is probably already filled to max. capacity.

Answer 2

Buffet dinners are a little cheaper because you don't have to have as many servers bringing out all the plates and such. Also with buffet style leftovers are allowed to be taken home. YOu also have to think about how snooty your guests are. Some people are just that plain selfish that it doesn't matter how beautiful your wedding was, they will still complain. I have performed my fair share of weddings, and I prefer the atmosphere of a buffet dinner. People can get what they like and you dont have a bunch of wasted food on a plate to throw away. Also think about how long your reception will be. If it is only going to be an hour or 2, a sit down meal where you only eat what is put in front of you will be fine. If you are planning to party till the sun is up, the buffet will provide snacking throughout the night. If you do have the buffet, make sure the tables are numbered so the caterer can tell table #1 to go eat, then table 2, table 3 etc.. Makes it go so much smoother. Try to have the older folks and kids go first, gets them settled down for a few minutes. The buffet just makes it a more talkative, active, mingley kind of reception, whereas the sit down nobody moves from there chairs. Like I said, I prefer the buffet style, people seem to have a little more fun.

Answer 3

I would prefer a buffet style. Sit down dinners take longer and it doesn't really give your guests a chance to mingle as much. I don't really think having a sit down dinner is any more formal than a buffet style. All the buffet style weddings I have been to looked really nice when set up. Most places use stainless steel chaffing pans and linens on the tables. Also when you do a buffet style people get what and how much of something they want. Plated meals offer limited choices and I think it is more work on your end. You would have to have seating arrangements, add the meal choice to your rsvp's and keep counts for everything. Buffet style all you need is a total head count. With my buffet style I get, 1 carved meat, 1 additional meat selection, 3 sides which include various pastas and veggies, salad and rolls and drinks. This is where I am having my reception so you can get an idea of what a buffet set up will look like. http://www.receptionsinc.com/photo.asp?ID=119

I would go with the buffet style. Good Luck

Answer 4

We, too, had a formal reception with a buffet dinner. You get the best of both worlds - what style you want comes in the choices of the foods, the presentation and decoration.

Buffet simply allows the choices for your guests - and then you don't have to worry so much about specific dietary restrictions.

Out of the last 20 weddings we have been to, only two were NOT buffet dinners - one was a plated meal, the other family style. Much prefer a buffet - however simple, or grand.

Answer 5

I am also having a formal wedding at a venue that offers both buffet and sit down dinners. I was dead set on having the sit down dinner because it was more elegant...I have been to a wedding and saw it, it is nice when all the food is brought out and stuff. BUT, I read an article online about how having a sit down dinner prevents mingling at the reception, I wish I could find that article again, but if you think about it it really does. People get to talk when they go up and get food. So we opted for the buffet, but we hired attendants to serve the food at the buffet, so it is the best of both worlds!

Answer 6

I've been to both style of weddings - actually, buffet-style seem to be much more popular where I live. Out of 17 weddings, I've only been to four with a plated meal.



I LOVE buffet style dinners. For one thing, I'm quite small and just can't fit a lot of food into me! Plated meals often have a salad, soup, maybe another appie and then the full meal. By the time the entrie comes, I'm completely full and can't even touch it. I went to a plated meal wedding last year and my bf (who's 6 feet and over 200 lbs) couldn't even finish his meal. I didn't see a single empty plate being taken away.



So, with a buffet meal, there's a lot less food left on people's plates. Also, people can pick and choose things they don't like. If someone hates beans and you have beans on your plated meal, they'll be left. But if they're in a buffet, they just don't have to take them.



Another pro with the buffet meal is that the couple can do whatever they like with the leftovers! One of my friends donated the leftovers to a homeless shelter nearby, but most people take them home or share them with friends/family. A few of my friends used the leftovers for lunch the next day during the gift opening. I thought that was a great idea!



So, in all honesty I'd go with the buffet! My brother had a buffet that was *very* elegant and set up beautifully, so they can fit into a formal wedding very easily.

Answer 7

It really depends on how formal your reception is going to be, or how formal you would like it to be. In my opinion, I believe that a buffet-style dinner brings down the formality of the event. There is just something not-so-formal about lining up and waiting to get your food. You also need to keep in mind that your guests will be wearing expensive formal wear (I assume), and hauling food around in stilhettos may be recipe for disaster!



On the other hand, if you are on a budget the buffet-style meal is a good way to save money. You will still be offering your guests a good quality meal, withouth breaking your budget (which im sure your families and friends will understand, and appreciate). If you have the funds to have a nice served meal, I say GO FOR IT, but if not... Buffet is a great alternative!



Enjoy your day!

Answer 8

There are pros and cons either way. In my opinion sit down dinners are more formal than buffets, though many people choose to have buffets at formal weddings. Young people in general seem to prefer buffets (especially kids) but older relatives love receiving their plate from the white gloved waitstaff.



The best reason to have a buffet is that it offers your guests a full meal with the benefit of them being able to choose which foods to eat. Although you might save money on waitstaff (since guests serve themselves), having a buffet is not always less expensive than sit-down service, as you'll need to order more food than you would otherwise. You may also have to rent buffet service equipment. In my case, it was actually cheaper to have a sit down meal and I liked the idea of not wasting a lot of food. However, going with a sit down meal usually means you'll have serve one single option or take reservations with your response cards (beef or chicken?).



If you do opt for a buffet, you'll want a reception manager to carefully monitor the food as it is served. You could also choose to have a T-shaped buffet, so that the line splits and goes into separate directions (to help with traffic through the line). And if you have a large number of people, you may want to consider having two separate buffet lines, to help the line move quickly.



There worst part about the buffets is waiting in line. If you have a lot of people packed into your venue, the sit down dinner is usually a better option so your guests don't spend a lot of time waiting. Sit down dinners are also better for speeches. I've been to buffets where I'm still in line for food, missing the speeches, while the head table is already finished eating.



Hope this helps! Good luck!

Answer 9

I have been to both types of weddings. Sit-down is nice because you dont have to carry your plate while wearing heels. And if the venue is really awesome, the dinner might be great, but in my experience the dinner was average.

Buffet is good because of the variety. You can choose some dishes that are a little more "out there" because they can always choose another if they dont like it.

In my experience, the sit-down dinners are usually very "safe".

Although, sit-down feels more formal.

People have different diets as well. Some are meat and potatoes, others eat lighter. I think a buffet accomodates everyone.

Answer 10

ok, i have worked weddings for years. traditional sit-downs are a waste of food, money and time. chicken or beef gets old. the best ways u have seen it done are:



1) family style

this is great for a smaller party, you choose a few dishes and platters of each are placed on each table, people can pick and choose and there is less waste, plus it will usually offer you a larger variety of dishes than the typical sit down menu



2) buffet

buffet's are great but seem a little low budget for a wedding, this would depend on your venue, gown, etc.



3) stations

this is a great way to get the best menu items, it also forces people to mingle during dinner and is great because there will be something everyone likes, it's like a buffet except each menu item is featured at its own table and often features choose your own ingredients for stir fry, pastas, meats, also you could do two rounds of food this way, a few apps at the start and dinner items afterwards, i think that stations are the best way to go, although if cost is an issue, this may get more expensive, but you get so many choices this way and can choose within your own budget.



GO STATIONS, trust me

Answer 11

I've been two a few weddings and have never seen a sit diwn dinner.



We're choosing to have a buffet for the fact that our guests can choose what they want and how much they want. It is also a lot more cost efficient.



Some of our guests have very "helathy appetites" so I am not worried at all about them being satisfied with their meal. Even if your having a formal wedding I don't think it is tacky to have a buffet for dinner, it will go a lot smoother in my opnion.



good luck!!

Answer 12

I've been to both. Mine was buffet style (so much cheaper and the variety is great too!).



If your wedding is super formal (tuxes for the guests), then a buffet won't work. For any other type of wedding, I think buffet is fine. It's good because then people have a big selection to choose from and aren't stuck with the fish, chicken, or meat dinner that's plated in front of them. Not to mention, guests judge weddings mostly on the cake and the food. Leaving a wedding still hungry is not fun, and let's be honest, most plated meals aren't for those with big appetites. I think so long as your buffet is nicely arranged, it's fine and your guests will appreciate it, too.

Answer 13

I've been to both types, and I actually like the buffet for the simple reason that people end up only getting the food they actually want to eat. I believe the sit-down has a more formal air to it than the buffet, but they're quite common where I live, and I really do prefer them.

Answer 14

My wedding is in June and we decided on Buffet. It was cheaper and this way people could have two meats if they want and seconds if they want.

As long as the place and decorations are formal I don't think anyone would be like "oh my gosh they had a buffet at a formal wedding" It shouldn't affect the formality at all. My reception is going to be pretty formal as well.

Answer 15

We wanted a sit down dinner originally, but luckily, we got an honest caterer who told me it would cost me a lot more money when he could do a nice formal buffet. It saved us almost 40%!!



I have been to weddings with both and now that I think about it, while sit down dinners seem nice, they do take quite a long time and with a buffet picky guests can choose what goes on their plate.



Good luck!

Answer 16

I'm getting married in October, and was having this same problem. I have decided on a "Heavy hors d'oeuvres" served buffet style at different "food stations". I liked this idea, because I didn't want the traditional buffet line. I thought it would be more fancier to do the food stations spread out throughout "the food room". I'm going to have a chef cutting meats at a carving station. In the middle will be a huge spread of cheeses, fruits, vege, and dips. Real artsy, no trays. I'm also doing a variety of cold and hot hors d' oeuvres, stuffed mushrooms, salmon moose, shrimp on ice etc., and my favorite a martini mashed potato bar!! People are free to roam and choose what they want, and I don't believe it will be crowded and so "cafeteria style" as a traditional buffet!! Happy wedding and good eating! :)

Answer 17

I had a formal wedding and did buffet style and it worked out great. Everyone was able to get their food quickly. They had a bunch of stuff to choose from and everyone was happy.



The reason I chose this was I went to my cousin wedding a year earlier and she did sit down style. It took them over an hour to bring us our dinner after the salad. There was some mix up in the kitchen. Everyone had the same thing and the portions were small and the food was cold.



After that I promised myself that if I got married I would not do sit down. I was extremely happy with my decision.

Answer 18

I have been to both and I prefer the buffet because it takes so long to get served at the sit down dinners we usually leave before dessert, so the bride and groom are paying for food no one eats. I also like to choose what I eat. If you have elderly relatives, seat them together and hire an extra waitstaff person to serve them. You will still save a bundle. You can have them pack up the leftovers and serve them at your home or your parents' home the next day for a brunch for the people from out of town.

Answer 19

They both have the good and the bad. The sit-down is considered nicer and more formal. With the buffet, its usually cheaper, and as a guest its nice to control what goes on your plate.

Answer 20

We had a formal wedding with a buffet style dinner. It was quite classy...formal china and silverware, stainless steel chafing dishes, everything looked really good. It saved us nearly $1500 by having buffet instead of sit-down.

Answer 21

As a guest, I like buffet better because I can take what I want and leave what I don't want. Also, for people who are hungry or 1 plate doesn't fill them, buffets are great. And for people who don't eat a lot, they don't leave a plateful of uneaten food. I think it helps cut down on food waste too.

Answer 22

I am a picky eater so I appreciate a buffet style. I can take as much as I want of the things I like and skip the foods I do not like!

Answer 23

Buffet there is usually more

of a variety of food.

Answer 24

well mine will be buffet it so much cheaper but guest get to pick what they want to eat