Choosing The Perfect Serving Style For Your Receptions

Food has always been a great way to bring all people together and tighten relationships’ boundaries. So, you can’t host guests on the most romantic occasion, your wedding, without the presence of one of the most vital elements, wedding food.

The love aroma is prominent in such events, and intimate vibes are all around. But, your special ceremonies and celebrations will last at least three hours. So, there will be some stomach rumblings among guests.

The wedding reception menu varies depending on the hall and the hosts. You can provide different styles of food, and in distinct ways.

Accordingly, there are many aspects to consider before settling for a food style and banquet food. For example, formality, preparations, space, and time. Here are the six different styles of food for you to choose from:

The plated style is one of the most high-class and formal kinds of food servings. Guests will be sitting at their table, enjoying the event entirely and chattering with everyone around them. Effortlessly, their favorite meal will be served next to them, hot, fresh, and ready to eat. They won’t bother to rise and mess up their suits and dresses in an attempt to attain or order what they want to eat.

In addition, this food style saves time and doesn’t blow the event’s schedule. The table style is limited and doesn’t provide different styles of food. The main dish is the only meal guests will taste, other than the desserts, for sure. Though, this style needs a little more communication with guests before the event to get an idea about what they would like to have and discuss the wedding reception food menu.

How would guests prefer their main course? Fish, meat, chicken, or vegetarian. But, if you went for the plated style, make sure the venue you’re hosting your wedding in has enough staffing. The table food style needs a significant number of servers to provide meals at the exact same time before it gets cold or messy.

The abundance of food is what buffet style is. It’s an economical food banquet if you host a significant number of guests. In such cases, buffet food style is more reasonable than plated or family-style wedding dinners. The buffet food will contain all kinds of pleasures to meet everyone’s flavors and tastes. But, you have to find a great catering company or make sure your venue has a wedding reception food menu for the buffet.

What’s particular about this serving style is that it provides different styles of food. So, everyone will get the chance to taste a little of the buffet food. But, this food banquet is a little informal. Because guests should walk and mingle around the hall until they fill up the plate with the buffet food they crave to eat, then get back to their seats.

Most guests will be happy and satisfied with this food banquet. But, on the other hand, this banquet food will cause a lot of food waste, as no matter how hungry guests are, they won’t be able to finish the excess buffet food. 

A family-style wedding dinner is a mix of plated and buffet styles. Guests won’t move or go anywhere. Instead, a variety of banquet food will be served right at their table. This family-style wedding dinner is as intimate as its name suggests. Guests at the same table will be helping each other and passing plates to one another, just like a family gathering.

Consequently, the servers’ task ends the minute dishes and plates are served on the table. Then, guests will be their own servers. If you go for a family-style wedding dinner, you must remember that table decoration should be simple to facilitate sharing and distributing of dishes. Family style is informal compared to the plated style, but it’s a great option if you want to offer your guests a food banquet without disturbing them. Go for a family-style wedding dinner whenever you’re puzzled between a buffet style and a plated style. 

Do you think that a huge buffet is excessive? So, how about you divide the buffet food into mini versions? 

The food station style is a distinctive banquet food, where you’ll be providing different styles of food. You’ll need tremendous preparations for the wedding reception food menu, but this is the best way if you’re more into a casual, friendly wedding style.

Your wedding reception food menu is unlimited, and you can be as creative as you want and as generous as possible. So, you’re free to serve one or many food stations. You can have one for snacks and appetizers and another for cake and other desserts. Actually, many food banquets would be sumptuous if designed and prepared nicely. But, don’t exaggerate, as the wedding will turn into a food carnival. Finally, when talking about a casual wedding, guests should make themselves at home and fill up their plates without the help of servers.

Cake and appetizers are one of the most budget-friendly food styles. This style doesn’t blow or mess up the ceremony’s schedule, as appetizers will be served and devoured without chaos. The wedding reception food menu of hors d’oeuvres has both options, cold and hot; go for a mix of both.

Guests won’t be fully stuffed as there’s no banquet food, yet they will get a chance to enjoy a tasty appetizer. Actually, it would be upsetting for some guests who were picturing a fancy meal all the way to the venue. So, make sure to serve pleasant and tasty appetizers. Telling guests about the food style in advance would be a good idea. 

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” Ernestine Ulmer once said. The cake will be the dessert before or after serving all appetizers. So, the only dessert, the cake, has to be mouthwatering.

The cocktail style is the best serving style for a tight budget. There’s no formal meal or a food banquet; only beverages and appetizers are provided. Though, it would help if you had various options for hors d’oeuvres, hot and cold.

In addition to different drinks options, for example, whisky, wine, vodka, and definitely champagne. By that, every guest will get the chance to eat and drink what they prefer. But, this process needs many servers, which should be present all through the party, as guests will keep asking for refills. Actually, this serving style doesn’t require seats and tables. So, it works perfectly for small venues. Guests will be mingling in the venue and dance floor while enjoying drinks and appetizers.

Yet, several different length chairs would add an elegant touch to the venue and a comfortable sitting to tired dancers.

The Regency venue might be a great fit for such a reception style. Again, make sure to let guests know that it’s a cocktail reception to be prepared.

Your wedding is a lifetime event that deserves all the attention for the smallest detail. Although you will get tired of preparations and planning, the day will be remarkably magnificent, and you won’t forget it.

Spend some time thinking about the best serving style based on your budget, venue, guests, and your own perception of the wedding. Most importantly, when you choose, be confident about it, and your wedding party will be everything you ever dreamed about.