5 Reasons to Have a Buffet at Your Wedding

We can talk about wedding styles, color palettes, and décor for days (and days). But, one of the most important decisions you will make about your wedding is your menu and how your food will be served. There are quite a number of options to consider, but today we're focusing on one the buffet. Here's why we love a good wedding buffet and hope you will too.

As a general rule, buffets are much less costly than a formal plated meal because your caterer does not need to have as many staff members on hand to serve your guests. Buffets with stations are the most common, meaning one or two servers are ready and waiting to meet the needs of each person at your reception.

Whether you substitute, ask for an item to not be included, or opt for a certain food on the side, it’s safe to say everyone has made changes to her meal before. Buffets allow your guests to be in control of what they eat and how much of that item they enjoy. Plus, you avoid asking guests to make their selection long before your wedding, and you’re able to skip the changes that will inevitably need to be corrected when their meal is served. No worrying to be had on your part!

Just because you're having a buffet does not mean you can't be creative with how you serve it! Think about create-your-own bars of any kind: breakfast, sliders, biscuits, tacos, raw fish, and dessert. If you’re expecting a larger guest count, opt for a few traditional selections too.

Buffets often encourage guests to continue to mingle while they eat (standing and talking while eating is very common!). As a result, you may be able to skip assigned seats entirely. (No worrying about making the seating chart!) However, if you imagine your guests sitting at tables, you may want to do assigned seats because the buffet provides a greater need to choose a seat with friends.

A formal plated dinner requires every course to be served individually. While this is definitely a luxury, it can sometimes cause other portions of your reception to feel rushed because your meal simply takes more time. Buffets, on the other hand, allow every course to be served at the same time. As a result, guests are able to eat at their own pace, mingle before you toast and cut your cake, and enjoy much more time on the dance floor.