Buffet OR Sit Down Dinner Reception

[rhomarie]

Hi There!

 

I'm getting married at the Westin Maui in October and torn about whether we should have a formal sit down or a buffet style reception... Any thoughts?

[meli122]

I'm still undecided on this too. Hmmm, how many people are attending?

[rhomarie]

Hi there! There will be about 50 people. I'm just concerned with a plated dinner, that everyone will be hungry by the end of the night!

[Jacilynda]

I am not a fan of buffet. But we are having a sit down dinner, we don't have enough people for a buffet. I think a buffet gives people more options and plenty of food. We had to come up w/ a menu for people to choose what they want to eat and i feel like they will end up wanting something other than what they've ordered and w/ a buffet they can have some of everything!

[primandpixie]

Well, one thing to consider is how formal you want your event to feel. A sit down dinner is generally considered to be more formal while a buffet is more casual. Although a buffet can still be very elegant. I had a buffet at my wedding and it was great, people were up and mixing and mingling. The room had a great energy to it. I also did not assign seating which I think helps with people feeling comfortable. Just a thought.

[MarieSam]

I am having a buffet reception, mostly because we've got 60+ attending and because our families are a bunch of foodies AKA pigs, lol We LOVE to eat and culturally (my family is Filipino, FI's family is black) we enjoy spreads of food with lots of options.

 

It really depends on what you like best and of course what you think would be most appropriate for the crowd that will be attending your wedding. While I think sit-down dinners are generally more formal, buffet style can be equally classy and vice versa, sit-downs can be casual also. Also think about the setting of your reception ~ envision it both ways and figure out what you think would be better.

 

Hope that helps!

[Jen_S]

We had a sit down dinner bc my DH does not like buffets. I agree it is a bit more formal. We had 32 people so it was perfect.

[Alyssa]

We got married at Kona Village on the Big Island and we had a Buffet - it was actually more $$ to have a Buffet than a sit down dinner but we prefer it for many reasons...

1. hate 'having' to eat at a certain time
2. what if you want more or less or something?
3. some people have bigger / smaller appetites
4. more selection of what you like
5. less uptight feeling at reception
6. as for us - we wanted to work the crowd (had about 40 people) and not have our food sitting there cold
7. we took lots of leftovers back to our Hale

here is our menu - it was FABULOUS!

 

 

The Raw Bar

Tahitian Style Poisson Cru with Avocado, Coconut & Lime

Ahi Poke with Red Ogo and Hawaiian Chiles

Chilled New Zealand Mussels

Fresh Caught Sashimi

 

 

Salad Station

Traditional Caesar Salad with Hirabara Baby Romaine

Waimea Tomato Sunrise Cucumber Salad

Accompanied by, White Balsamic Dressing

Waimea Baby Greens w/ Garden Vegetables

Accompanied by, Assorted Dressings

 

 

Entrée Station

Soy Glazed Free Range Filet of Beef

Hawaiian Style Barbequed Chicken

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Pineapple Relish

Sweet & Sour Japanese Eggplant

Coconut Scented Forbidden Black Rice

Roast Fingerling Potatoes with Ahualoa Rosemary

Baby Bok Choy with Ginger & Shitake Mushroom Ragout

 

 

Dessert & “Wedding Cake”

Assortment of Specialty Desserts

Chocolate Truffles & Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

 

“Coconut Cake with Chocolate Butter Cream

Icing and Shaved Coconut Shreds”

 

 

on another note - i know that a lot of people like the 'idea' of a sit down dinner better but IMO as a guest it sucks - i prefer sit down dinners for dinner parties - think 10 to 12 people max. just my opinion

[prettymaylea]

Buffet is more casual and your guests have more room to socialize with others. A sit-down dinner is more formal but then again its more organized... To choose whether to go for buffet or sit-down all depends the kind of feel you are aiming for...

[sdnative222]

I was on the fence for months before I decided on a sit-down dinner. One reason was the cost. The second reason was time management. I only had 24 guests. It was very easy to coordinate the reception timeline. Many of the guests did have leftovers and took doggy bags home. The food was so good, my DH and I returned to the restaurant for dinner 2 more times during our honeymoon.