How would you 'serve' food in this case...?

Question

How would you 'serve' food in this case...?

Answer 1

I was thinking about the same thing as I am getting married in April this year. Money is tight and when you add the cost of the location, food, catering, etc. it can really add up. The best cost places could give me was around $2000. Then you add entertainment, flowers, etc. and then my head started to spin, lol. The best solution I found was to go to a bowling ally. The reason is there were 60 people showing up, 50 of them are actually bowling, there is an arcade, food court, bar, and in my package I got food being catered by them, 2 rounds of bowling, and they do all the cleanup. If anyone doesn't like bowling then they can either sit there or use the arcade. If they want to drink, they can use the bar and you will not be held liable for underage drinking, they will and it wouldn't cost you anything. The total cost for me was $1,050 which included the tax and gratuities.



However, if you already have a location setup, and entertainment for everyone and only need the food then a buffet style would work great. Have multiple tables with what is needed on those table so you don't have lines piling up. One line has plates, forks, knifes, napkins, and the appitiesers. the second line has plates, forks, knifes, napkins, and the main meal. The third line has cups and drinks, and the fourth line has plates, and the cake and/or deserts. Another thing is italian food is cheap and goes a long way. With this setup, you don't need to hire anyone, everyone knows how to get their own food or has an adult with them to help.



Good luck and I hope your wedding goes well.

Answer 2

Making buffet style is fine. I did this for my daughter but hire a cater friend to do it. One the day of the wedding you don't have time to mess with the food. It really didn't cost much more for her and it took all the work off our shoulders. If your mom has friends they might help you cater it. We had one hot meal and one sandwich meal with fresh veggies. It worked out fine. She wanted the best wedding we could afford. We got kegs of beer and set them out for self serve. Had a DJ and a friend was the photographer. I had wine and cokes set out for self serve. The cater made sure she set out fresh food and drinks during the evening. Everyone was happy and loved the dancing. I would make sure your DJ is good that is the part most people remember. Everyone said it was one of the best parties they had ever attended.

Answer 3

A buffet is the best idea. Have the beef and chicken as your meat choices, then have the sides you want, as well as a variety of salads, along with a hot veggie dish maybe, and veggie/fruit trays, along with cheeses and pickles.

Answer 4

We're doing a buffet style thing too, we're down to earth people and we don't really care about how "fancy" this or that is because being fancy isn't what it's about. Plus a buffet gives people Choices. I wouldn't want to go to a place where you sat down and didn't have a choice of what was coming your way...



Planning my wedding is definitely my element, and I'm Definitely a DIY person. So I'm making my own meat trays(4lbs orf 3 meats, 4 lbs of 2 cheeses), I'm ordering 10 lbs of bbq chicken bites, and 10lbs of general tso's type chicken bites, I'm buying about 3 veggie and 3 fruit trays to go with everything, and instead of a chocolate fountain, I'm putting coolwhip out there with it for people to scoop out(instead of double dip in chocolate which is nasty). We're buying sodapop in cases and they will be refrigerated or kept in a cooler for anybody to grab if they need a drink.



You can go to www.allrecipes.com or www.kraftfoods.com and find some simple, SIMPLE recipes for appetizers even. I am getting help from some aunts and cousins though, a few have offered to make a side or desert, so I'm fine with that and will help if they need me.



I would suggest getting the oreo truffle recipe, it's very low cost, but VERY yummy and will be a big hit. you can drizzle chocolate to look gourmet-ish even...



I think a self serve idea would be the best. people will eat what they want, when they want, and all you have to do is enjoy the night while everything flows. ^_^

Answer 5

I think putting everything out buffet style would be the best idea. You might need to make a little more food this way, but at least your guests will be happy to have more choices.



What about guests who are vegetarian? Putting all the food out can be an easy way to accommodate those people because they can load up on the veggie side dishes.

Answer 6

I am doing a buffet style dinner with 2 meat choices. I decided to put meal choices on my RSVP so that I could have a count of how much of each meat I will need. I plan on having extra for the people that decide they need to eat both, but having a little extra was better than ordering too much food not knowing what everyone would decide to eat. I have been to A LOT of weddings that have pretty much what you are describing and I don't think it is ridiculous to have a buffet like that. It is the easiest and cheapest way to go!

Answer 7

You need to rethink this scheme. It would almost be better just to serve Girl Scout cookies than to have a buffet line with cheap food.

No offense, but ask yourself: do I know anybody who would rather go out for beef tips, noodles & broccoli instead of staying home with a cheese sandwich?

Answer 8

I think that your bridesmaids should serve the food.Wouldn't it be easier,original,and free???But thats only my opinion.

any ways hope it helps.=]

Answer 9

Definitely buffet! You can rent chafing dishes or perhaps borrow them from somewhere like a church.



Have you ever seen Top Chef? "Plating" the dishes seems like one of the most stressful parts of the challenge. Not only would your servers need extra space to work, they have to move quickly to get that food on and out to your guests. Thats a difficult task and huge responsibility. I would not leave that some teenagers that have never worked in a restaurant before. Plus, you would need lots of servers and several in the kitchen plating.



Lots of weddings these days have buffets... even if there is only one choice of entree. People get through the line quickly enough, so dont worry about that. Just provide the proper serving dishes and utensils, and it will be great.



If you have self-serve beverages, put that off to the side away from the food so that you dont have a traffic jam between the food and beverages.