Buffet or Sit Down meal?

[cindygenit]

WHich One would you Pick? Also I will be writing out the menu choices. Hoping you guys can vote on which dishes I should taste!!!

 

[miraclesrule]

I voted sit down because I am a lazy snob who hates lines and food that sits out.

However...I have to say...I have been to some weddings with a buffet that rocked my socks off. I used to work at a hotel that had the best food and saw the best and worst of buffets.

Ultimately, you will have to make the final choice and sometimes it is a cost factor.

Either way, YOU will be the main course.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I voted seated, but it depends on the size of the wedding I think.
My biggest issue with buffets is that it''s really annoying to wait in long lines. I once waited an hour in a wedding buffet line, and when I got there, most of the food was gone and the caterers hadn''t had chance to replenish it..sigh.

If you do a buffet, I''d make sure you can form two lines on both sides of the spread so that it''ll go faster. And maybe have an order to ask people to get food so that not everyone is waiting in line at once.

 

[cindygenit]

Soups and Entrees:

Soup: Pumpkin
Leek and Potato
Tomato and Basil
Chicken and Corn
Minestrone

Entrees:

Prawns with ginger and lime
Grilled prawn skewer served on a bed of mixed lettuce tossed with a ginger and lime vinaigrette

Anti Pasto Plate
A selection of continental meats and cheeses, marinated vegetables, and fetta served with warm turkish bread

Chicken Ceasar Salad

Cajun Chicken
Cajun spiced chicken breast served on a roquette with passionfruit vinaigrette

Penne with Garlic Prawns
Penne pasta with garlic prawns, mushroom, capsicum, onion, bacon tossed in olive oil with a hint of chilli

Chicken Parcel
Chicken breast wrapped in filo pastry with King Island brie topped with mango cream sauce

Garlic Prawns
King Prawns cooked with fresh garlic in cream sauce served on a bed on wild rice and dill

Vegetable Bon Bon
fresh Seasonal Veges sauteed in basil oil wrapped in filo pastry with gruyere cheese on dill and pine nut pesto

Fillet of King Snapper
Fresh from the market grilled and served with champagne and chive sauce

Grilled Field Mushroom
Filled witn a spicy combination of sundried tomatoes, fetta cheese, marinated eggplant and Kalamata olives

 

[cindygenit]

Main courses:

Chicken and Prawn Camembert
Succulent breast of chicken topped with prawns, camembert and cream sauce

Mediterranean Chicken
Chicken breast filled with sundried tomatoes, oregano, mozzarella, and wrapped with parma ham and setved with a sauce of sliced black olives and tomatoes

Beef Tournedos
Tender fillet of beef topped with pepper cream sauce or mustard beamaise

Scotch Fillet
Prime beef topped with avocado and served with brandy cream sauce

Filet Mignon
traditional and topped with field mushrooms and port wine sauce

lamb Wellington
Lamb fillet wrapped with light puff pastry served with seeded mustard abnd mint pesto

Catch of the day
Grilled to perfection and served with pecan nuts and champagne sauce

Snapper Fritata
Grilled King Snapper served on sweet potato and spincah fritata

Seafood medley
Fresh fish, prawns, and scallops served with napolitana sauce, a hint of chilli on a bed of fettucini

Linguine pasta
Chicken, sundried tomatoes, and olives in a light creamy basil dressing topped with shaved parmesan and prosciutto

*All main courses served with gratin potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetables and garden salad

 

[cindygenit]

Dessert:

Contreau Eclair
Filled with custard and contreau and topped with chocolate sauce

Black Forest

Lemon Meringue Tart

Traditional Princess Cake

Mudcake hearts

Profiteroles

Bakes Cheesecake

Apple Crumble

Mixed Fruit Tart

Strawberry or Blueberry Tast

 

[cindygenit]

Ok, i wont type out the buffet menu! Yes, they are different!!!

There are three buffet menu choices, usually there is a cold collation section, hot carvery section, salads, rice, bread rolls and butter curls, desserts (choose 3 from desset menu), cheeseboard, coffee, tea and chocolates

 

[cindygenit]

Thank you for the votes so far! I am leaning towards the sit down option, only because i have been to a buffet wedding, and the line WAS long.

I think a sit down meal seems more elegant and less hectic. Miraclesrule... u r reading my mind. I am also a lazy snob who hates food that has been sitting there for god knows how long Actually i don''t like buffets in general because it encourages over eating! Ah well... it is a more cost effective option i suppose..

 

[trillionaire]

If money is not an issue, definitely opt for a sit-down dinner.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I did a family style dinner of 9 courses, which was a happy medium between buffet and sit down. No line, but you got to pick our your own food, lol.

I''ve heard that there isn''t always a huge price difference since they have to make more food for the buffet option to err on the side of safety, so you never know.

 

[meresal]

We had a buffet because I didn't want to waste 2 hours, of our 4 hr reception, sitting at a table. I wanted EVERY formality done in the first 2 hours and the last 2 were for partying!! That would never have been possible with a sit-down dinner.

ETA: I'm in the south. Buffets are more common.

 

[Londongirl1]

The last 2 weddings I went to were both buffets. They were both fairly large weddings but there wasn''t any long queues or people waiting long to get their food. I would say if money is not an issue then have a sit down but don''t be put off of by having a buffet.


I''ll be having a buffet with plenty of food to choose from.

 

[cindygenit]

Date: 8/27/2009 12:25:44 AM
Author: meresal
We had a buffet because I didn''t want to waste 2 hours, of our 4 hr reception, sitting at a table. I wanted EVERY formality done in the first 2 hours and the last 2 were for partying!! That would never have been possible with a sit-down dinner.

ETA: I''m in the south. Buffets are more common.

Mer, when did your reception officially start?

I am planning to start my reception at 5.30 pm because its winter. I don''t want people hanging around, waiting for us when we are somewhere else taking photos and it gets cold and dark around 5 pm.

i also have chosen the venue specifically because its intimate, and with a buffet table, i''m scared the venue will become too cramped

 

[gwendolyn]

Best wedding food I''ve ever had has been buffet food, and haven''t had the waiting in line problems that other people have. And maybe it''s because of bad luck, but the sit down wedding meals I''ve had are more often than not overcooked yet cold. Buffets have those little warmer things so at least it''s hot, and since there''s lots of stuff, you only have to have a little if something is overcooked. That''s another bonus of a buffet--the choice! I like being able to choose what I feel like eating that day, rather than guessing a couple of months in advance what I will want to eat on a given night. But maybe that''s just me?

 

[bee*]

I love a sit-down dinner. Buffets aren''t common at all where I''m from so I''ve never been to a wedding with one. The sit down menu sounds delicious.

 

[Deelight]

Depends on the choices and the buffet and sometimes they aren't the cheaper option (ours was more then the sit down) we were faced with a similar issue in the end we decided on a buffet (cause the food looks amazing) and in the end you get to pick what you want .

The sit down menu looks scrummmy

 

[cocolaw]

i vote sit down! my wedding will be my first sit-down. we are having a small wedding and i like the idea of everyone being seated together at one long table. i also think it feels more elegant! i have had some bad experiences with buffets that are not done right. many couples use the tall cocktail tables for people to stand around, and they don''t have enough places to sit...i just don''t think it is very considerate, esp if you have older guests. i went to another sit down where i had to try to eat a tough roast beef sandwich sitting on a chair against the back wall, also not very fun. if you do a buffet, just make sure you have enough tables so that guests can rest!!

 

[musincy]

Actually, at our venue the buffet cost slightly more than the sit-down dinner, so cost might not be a factor in deciding.

 

[iheartscience]

I''ve only ever had one good sit down meal at a wedding, but I pretty much always like the buffets and/or stations.

With that said, I think a lot of it depends on the caterer. I had a buffet at my wedding and it was unbelievable, but I''m sure a sit down meal would have been just as delicious. I personally like more options (and I didn''t want to deal with getting people''s entree choices) so I went for the buffet. The price difference wasn''t a factor for me-they were pretty much the same.

 

[purselover]

Definitely sit down, I''ve never been to a buffet wedding before maybe they''re less common by me.

 

[meresal]

Date: 8/27/2009 2:46:40 AM
Author: cindygenit

Date: 8/27/2009 12:25:44 AM
Author: meresal
We had a buffet because I didn't want to waste 2 hours, of our 4 hr reception, sitting at a table. I wanted EVERY formality done in the first 2 hours and the last 2 were for partying!! That would never have been possible with a sit-down dinner.

ETA: I'm in the south. Buffets are more common.

Mer, when did your reception officially start?

I am planning to start my reception at 5.30 pm because its winter. I don't want people hanging around, waiting for us when we are somewhere else taking photos and it gets cold and dark around 5 pm.

i also have chosen the venue specifically because its intimate, and with a buffet table, i'm scared the venue will become too cramped

Ours went from 7:30pm to 11:30pm. It was the end of July, so the days were very long.

Have you asked the venue about the normal room capacity for a buffet vs a sit down? They should know that. It wll also be good to sit down and go over the table set up, that will help you decide how many people you can get in the room.

 

[princessplease]

I voted buffet. I think they allow for more time to socialize and enjoy the party.

 

[Lauren8211]

I prefer sit-down because I have social anxiety and I hate walking around while other people are sitting. I feel like I''m on display. I get panicky!

I had family style at a wedding once, and that worked really well. Its that buffet/sit-down combo. And the food was awesome!

 

[Inanna]

Date: 8/27/2009 4:11:20 AM
Author: gwendolyn
Best wedding food I''ve ever had has been buffet food, and haven''t had the waiting in line problems that other people have. And maybe it''s because of bad luck, but the sit down wedding meals I''ve had are more often than not overcooked yet cold. Buffets have those little warmer things so at least it''s hot, and since there''s lots of stuff, you only have to have a little if something is overcooked. That''s another bonus of a buffet--the choice! I like being able to choose what I feel like eating that day, rather than guessing a couple of months in advance what I will want to eat on a given night. But maybe that''s just me?

YES! I''ve had the same experience. The overcooked yet cold issue is exactly why we''re not having a full sit-down meal. Actually, I''ve only been to one really great sit-down meal at a wedding, and that was a very small wedding (under 50 people). Since I used to work for several caterers in college, I''ve seen first-hand just how long plates often sit out before they''re actually served, especially for huge weddings.

The absolute best wedding I''ve attended (food-wise) had 5 or 6 different stations.

For my reception, I''m doing a combination. While the salad will be plated, the main meal will consist of a buffet with 2 entrees and several side dishes to choose from, plus a pasta station and a dessert station. I think this combination will help break up the crowd a bit so there aren''t annoying lines to wait in.

 

[LadyBlue]

I prefer sit down, because 1. I like that everybody is eatting at the same time, so you have the oportunity to chat. 2. I don''t want to be walking aroung with my plate, I will be worry about crashing with someone else =\

 

[cindygenit]

Thanks for all the replies.. I will have to chat with the wedding coordinator about this more, I am especially concerned about the space issue!! The room I have chosen is for intimate weddings, i am not sure it will have enough space for buffet stations.

Thanks again guys

No comments on the menu? Should I sample all of them?

 

[pocahontas]

I also voted sit down for all the reasons the others posters have mentioned: I''m too lazy, I hate having to wait in long lines for food, and I''m not a fan of food sitting out.

 

[megumic]

NEITHER! I voted sit-down because I prefer it over buffet, but we''re planning on doing family style. That way guests can try a little bit of a variety of foods, it facilitates conversation and everyone is sitting and eating together. Plus, it reflects who we are in that when we go out to eat we always order the whole meal together and share everything.

 

[charbie]

I pick buffet. Sit-down dinners are usually fancier, and in my area, more expensive. The last 5 weddings i went to actually were sit down, and only one had good food. Downside was that it took over an hour for 150 guests JUST TO GET THEIR MEALS! I was in the bridal party, and I was done for 45 minutes before FI got his in the back of the room. The other sit-downs were served pretty fast, but the food was less than desirable. In fact, I would have been upset that I paid that much $$ for a sit-down dinner, and then my guests had to eat what was served.

The buffet option at my venue was about $15/plate less. We tasted the food and LOVED it. They were also able to subsitute a few things in there so we have a really well rounded buffet. There are 2 buffet lines that will be going at once (that are on fun "curvy" tables), so they claim everyone (200 people) will have gone through the buffet in 25 minutes. That way all of the "formal" stuff can be knocked out within an hour and we can get our party STARTED!

 

[mayachel]

I think that sit down dinners are easier on the guests. As said already by others, the lines get long, people end up with their food at waaay different times and things just don''t seem to run as smoothly. If you can afford it-sit down is my vote.