Mastering the Careful Balance of an Evening Wedding Buffet (2024)

Putting on a wedding buffet can seem like a tough task, especially if you also have the challenge of organising a wedding breakfast for earlier in the day. You can even get confused about when you should have a buffet in the evening and how much food you need to put on for your guests. Getting the balance right is important if you want to delight your guests and give them enough to keep them satisfied, without offering so much food that most of it is wasted at the end of the night.

When Do You Need an Evening Buffet?

Even the question of when to put on an evening wedding buffet isn’t always easy to answer. If you’re not having a buffet for your main wedding meal, you might be unsure about whether a buffet is necessary later in the evening. Is everyone going to be hungry again as the party continues? Whether or not your evening event needs a buffet will depend on a few things, such as when your sit-down meal will be served, and whether you’re inviting evening-only guests. Guests invited just for the evening are likely to expect something to eat, and you don’t want to make your guests go for hours without eating.

How Much Food Do You Need?

Knowing how much food your wedding buffet needs is another challenge. If you work with the right catering company, they will help you get the numbers right, so that you don’t overdo it or leave your guests hungry. Avoiding food waste is important, but you also don’t want grumpy guests who haven’t had enough to eat. If you ask wedding planners and caterers, many will say that you should cater for around 75% of all your guests. Keep in mind that not everyone will be hungry, and many people will just nibble at a buffet. But consider how many of your guests were present for the meal during the day, and how late the party will run.

Put Out Food on a Theme

Coming up with wedding buffet ideas is easy if you work with a caterer who is full of creativity. Together, you can create a buffet that will keep your guests happy and offers a range of flavours, going beyond the simple offerings of sausage rolls and scotch eggs. You might even want to consider a buffet on a theme, perhaps to match the wider theme of your wedding. Working with Caiger & Co, you can create a delicious buffet using locally-sourced ingredients.

Cater for a Range of Requirements

A successful wedding buffet has food for everyone. So when you’re planning what to serve, don’t forget to consider any dietary requirements. Check with your guests to make sure you can cater for all of them, from vegetarians and vegans to people with allergies, intolerances and sensitivities. Make sure that there’s plenty of choice for any special dietary requirements, and not just one or two items on offer.

Your evening buffet could make or break your guests’ enjoyment at your wedding. Get it right and it could be a wedding to remember.

Mastering the Careful Balance of an Evening Wedding Buffet (2024)

FAQs

Is a buffet a good idea for a wedding? ›

A buffet can be a great choice for weddings where the guests are known to have diverse tastes and food requirements, or if you and your fiancée have conflicting opinions on what food to have. You'll be able to choose multiple dishes for each course, ensuring everyone's left with a full belly.

How does buffet work for weddings? ›

By definition, a buffet style wedding simply means that the meal is served from designated areas and guests are invited up to the buffet to be served an assortment of elegantly arranged dishes from a pre-set menu.

How long does it take for 150 people to go through a buffet line? ›

For a buffet, in order for everyone to get their plates, sit down and eat, you are looking at approximately an hour for around 100 guests. 150 people would take about 1 hour 15 minutes. Toasts – These should be between 2 and 5 minutes per person speaking.

How many evening guests do you cater for? ›

Avoiding food waste is important, but you also don't want grumpy guests who haven't had enough to eat. If you ask wedding planners and caterers, many will say that you should cater for around 75% of all your guests. Keep in mind that not everyone will be hungry, and many people will just nibble at a buffet.

What is the number one rule in buffet? ›

One of his most famous sayings is "Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule No.

Who goes first at wedding buffet? ›

The sweetheart/head table is the first to be released to the buffet, followed by the couples parents' tables or VIPs. Then the DJ or Wedding Planner will walk up to each table to give them permission to head over to the buffet table along with any instructions i.e. needing to bring their plate with them.

What is the rule of buffet? ›

To achieve this, the President has proposed that no millionaire pay less than 30 percent of their income in taxes. This is the “Buffett Rule.” As Warren Buffett has pointed out, his effective tax rate is lower than his secretary's—and that is wrong.

How many side dishes do you need for a wedding buffet? ›

Settling on a menu with 3 side dishes is advised. This means that 113 -170 grams serving is enough for each guest.

What is the cheapest food to serve at a wedding? ›

Snacks are also much easier to eat if there aren't multiple components (no one wants to ruin their fancy wedding clothes!). There are a lot of cheap options that fit into this category: mini corn dogs, chips and salsa, egg rolls, taquitos, potatoes (especially mini), and breakfast foods.

How do you calculate cost per person for a buffet? ›

How Do You Calculate Food Cost per Person? First, cost out how much your ingredients are going to be and find out how many guests are attending. Divide the total ingredient costs by the number of guests.

How many sides should a buffet have? ›

The buffet should include enough for a main entrée for guests, with 2-3 sides per person.

Do evening guests get food? ›

Guests will expect to have some food during the evening. So what sort of evening food is a good idea at a wedding? Simple snack food… Or as we like to call them 'Mini Classics', for instance mini fish and chip cones, mini beef burgers, mini hot dogs and bacon or sausage sandwiches are all really popular choices.

Do you need evening food at wedding? ›

There's always the question as to whether you should provide evening food for your Guests and the answer is more often than not – yes! Your Guests have feasted throughout the day but don't doubt they'll need to refuel once the dancing gets underway and the bar opens!

How do you calculate food to cater? ›

It's pretty simple too: We just determine an appropriate size portion of any dish in ounces per person, the we multiply that times the number of guests and divide by 16 (# of oz in a pound) and just like that you get the number of pounds you'll need.

Can you have a formal wedding with a buffet? ›

Buffet reception and sit down reception do not need to be two different things! Having your buffet reception fully-seated makes for a much more formal feel. It also gives you the upper hand by allowing you to manage some of the chaos through your seating chart.

What is the difference between a buffet and a station at a wedding? ›

A food station can appear to be a mini-buffet as it gives your guests the ability to choose when they want to eat and how much. The difference is that a food station will typically have an attendant who will serve the food to each of your guests.

Do buffets save money? ›

Another way to save is by skipping trendy sit-down restaurants for cost-effective buffets. But even though these establishments are known for their relatively low prices, you still want to make sure you're getting your money's worth when you go.

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