How to compromise between buffet and plated lunch

[AllThingsMickey4]

Hello everyone!

Basically the only thing my fiancé has requested at our wedding is a buffet. He thinks a plated meal automatically means the portions are small and wants to be able to go back for seconds. I would rather have a plated meal because I don't like how a buffet looks in the venue and I think it makes the event feel and look more "upscale"

Has anyone ever done a plated lunch or dinner and then also have additional action stations or a mashed potato bar? Is this even allowed?

How are the portion sizes on a plated lunch? We are thinking of doing a duo entree of beef and chicken.

Also, is it weird to have a plated lunch and not do assigned seating? (that is one thing I do not want to deal with!!)

TIA!!

 

[lorimay]

I will tell you that my daughter had a buffet at Atlantic Dance Hall in 2008 and it was great, they put the buffet and stations out very nicely and removed them when dinner was over. We thought we wanted a plated meal at first too, but ADH doesn't have kitchen so buffet is the only option. They wanted the venue more so they went ahead with the buffet. Everyone loved it and said everything was so good, favorite station burgers and fries (go figure) we also did a sorbet station when the cake was served and it was a huge hit too.

I don't know see why they wouldn't let you add a station or 2 as well, if you're willing to pay for it, why wouldn't they. But you will have to pay for meals per person and then each station per person , may get pricey.

Good Luck!

 

[Traveliz]

I will also say that due to some bad wedding buffet experiences (not at Disney) my daughter also wanted a plated meal. Her issue was food running out. Then she went to a Disney wedding with a buffet and was so impressed. The wedding planner also recommended a buffet for our size group. At any rate with a buffet you get an hour and half of food service. Just like any Disney buffet the food is constantly being refilled.

Liz

 

[nigel-bigel]

OK, I'm going to give you my opinion about something you weren't intending to discuss, so you can go tell me to go jump off a cliff. But I am only adding this to try and help you start on the right foot.

Give your fiancé' his buffet. It seems you are trying to find a way to compromise so he gets part of what he wants and you get part of what you want. When you do that, then no one is happy with the solution. If you were trying to find a happy medium on every aspect of your wedding, that might work. But this is all he cares about. Give him something he can own, so when he looks back on this wonderful and very fun reception, he will think of that buffet and remember how bountiful and delicious everything looked. Don't leave him with memories of a potato bar.

I agree with you and am not a fan of buffets, either. But give him this, and you still will have the flowers your way, and the invites, and the music, and the favors, and the clothes for the wedding party, and the honeymoon, and on and on. You are lucky to have found an easygoing guy! He loves you so much he wants you to have whatever you want. Show him your love and give him what he wants, too.

Nicole

 

[UpstartCrow]

We’d wanted to “compromise” too (we were both drawn to the increased options of a buffet, but were worried about it not feeling formal enough). Unfortunately, our sales coordinator told us that adding buffet stations to a plated meal would disrupt the service if you had people getting up and down to get food. I think the issue was that it makes it harder for the servers to know when to clear plates/bring out next courses, or something. So, she didn’t advise it, though she didn’t say we couldn’t do it.

I also don't think you’d be able to do a plated meal without assigned seating. We were told that for a plated meal, it would be up to us to indicate each guest’s entree preference on their place card so the servers would know exactly where to bring each dish (so they don’t have to stand there going “okay, who had the chicken???” at every table ). I’m guessing they’d want to know in advance which tables are getting which combinations of entrees, so you’d have to do assigned seating.

 

[MrsDuck]

Remember that a plated meal is far more work on your end. You'll need to configure a way to do pre-picked selections without a seating chart (given your OP) which is probably manageable but may not be something you want to deal with.

 

[lpizzuro123]

We also did a buffet in Atlantic Dance Hall in 2008 and everyone enjoyed it. We were married in Epcot so had an early morning ceremony and our reception was a breakfast buffet with other items besides just breakfast foods. We had 50 people at our wedding so there was not a long line of people waiting and they could go up for more. I highly recommend a buffet.

 

[AllThingsMickey4]

OK, I'm going to give you my opinion about something you weren't intending to discuss, so you can go tell me to go jump off a cliff. But I am only adding this to try and help you start on the right foot.

Give your fiancé' his buffet. It seems you are trying to find a way to compromise so he gets part of what he wants and you get part of what you want. When you do that, then no one is happy with the solution. If you were trying to find a happy medium on every aspect of your wedding, that might work. But this is all he cares about. Give him something he can own, so when he looks back on this wonderful and very fun reception, he will think of that buffet and remember how bountiful and delicious everything looked. Don't leave him with memories of a potato bar.

I agree with you and am not a fan of buffets, either. But give him this, and you still will have the flowers your way, and the invites, and the music, and the favors, and the clothes for the wedding party, and the honeymoon, and on and on. You are lucky to have found an easygoing guy! He loves you so much he wants you to have whatever you want. Show him your love and give him what he wants, too.

Nicole

I'm open to any and all advice and suggestions as my family hasn't really helped me with much of the planning. I'm used to it.. I've been planning our family Disney trips since I was 17. And my fiancé is "along for the ride" as he calls it LOL. He would be fine going to the courthouse

We originally talked about a buffet, so I will probably end up going with that, but when I looked at the prices and menus for a plated meal I saw that we could get pretty much everything we were getting with the buffet as a plated menu for $4 more. I thought I'd ask everyone's opinion, and it looks like a buffet is the better choice.

In the end you are completely right. My fiancé has only been to Disney twice (and once was with me this past May). I've "grown up" in Disney, so it means a lot to me. He probably never imagined getting married in Disney before he met me 8 years ago but it's been a lifelong dream of mine. I appreciate the tough love and reality check

 

[AllThingsMickey4]

We also did a buffet in Atlantic Dance Hall in 2008 and everyone enjoyed it. We were married in Epcot so had an early morning ceremony and our reception was a breakfast buffet with other items besides just breakfast foods. We had 50 people at our wedding so there was not a long line of people waiting and they could go up for more. I highly recommend a buffet.

Thanks for the advice! Our maximum is 50 people, so it's good to hear you had a good experience with a group that size

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We had a buffet. My husband really wanted one. He wanted what he wanted to eat and as much of it. I had a small wedding, 20 people, and we had A LOT of food. Even the chef wrote "too much" of the paper of all the different selections we had. We had steamers, king crab legs, prime rib, chicken franchaise, pasta station, two soups, salad, some vegetarian options (because I had some vegetarians at my wedding, at least two veggie sides and rice. That's all I can remember. But it's all the things my husband loves and like he said "he wants what he wants." I will say all my guests were very pleased with the food and loved the different choices. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[AllThingsMickey4]

We’d wanted to “compromise” too (we were both drawn to the increased options of a buffet, but were worried about it not feeling formal enough). Unfortunately, our sales coordinator told us that adding buffet stations to a plated meal would disrupt the service if you had people getting up and down to get food. I think the issue was that it makes it harder for the servers to know when to clear plates/bring out next courses, or something. So, she didn’t advise it, though she didn’t say we couldn’t do it.

I also don't think you’d be able to do a plated meal without assigned seating. We were told that for a plated meal, it would be up to us to indicate each guest’s entree preference on their place card so the servers would know exactly where to bring each dish (so they don’t have to stand there going “okay, who had the chicken???” at every table ). I’m guessing they’d want to know in advance which tables are getting which combinations of entrees, so you’d have to do assigned seating.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has thought about adding buffet to a plated meal! I definitely didn't think about how it would affect the pacing of the plated meal, and it makes perfect sense that it would make things a little too chaotic for the servers.

I would never want to deal with giving the guests an option for the plated meal.. I'll be lucky if I can get everyone that's coming to RSVP much less tell me what they want to eat If I did a plated meal it would be the one that comes with chicken and beef (not a choice between the two). I think they call them "duo entrees."

I really appreciate you sharing your experience with this!! Looks like it will be a lot easier to just do all buffet

 

[AllThingsMickey4]

I will tell you that my daughter had a buffet at Atlantic Dance Hall in 2008 and it was great, they put the buffet and stations out very nicely and removed them when dinner was over. We thought we wanted a plated meal at first too, but ADH doesn't have kitchen so buffet is the only option. They wanted the venue more so they went ahead with the buffet. Everyone loved it and said everything was so good, favorite station burgers and fries (go figure) we also did a sorbet station when the cake was served and it was a huge hit too.

I don't know see why they wouldn't let you add a station or 2 as well, if you're willing to pay for it, why wouldn't they. But you will have to pay for meals per person and then each station per person , may get pricey.

Good Luck!

It's good to know that they remove the stations after dinner! I don't want a line of buffet stations sitting there the whole time (mainly because of pictures). And the sorbet station sounds like a great idea!

 

[AllThingsMickey4]

We had a buffet. My husband really wanted one. He wanted what he wanted to eat and as much of it. I had a small wedding, 20 people, and we had A LOT of food. Even the chef wrote "too much" of the paper of all the different selections we had. We had steamers, king crab legs, prime rib, chicken franchaise, pasta station, two soups, salad, some vegetarian options (because I had some vegetarians at my wedding, at least two veggie sides and rice. That's all I can remember. But it's all the things my husband loves and like he said "he wants what he wants." I will say all my guests were very pleased with the food and loved the different choices. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Sounds like my fiancé!! We went to Disney for the first time as a couple in May and did the Deluxe Dining Plan with a signature restaurant almost every night. He still talks about how good Disney food is.. so he wants to be able to eat as much as he wants! All of my guests are traveling from at least 550 miles away, so I wanted to give them something different than just another wedding buffet. Hopefully they will appreciate the variety of food and the quality will set it apart from other buffets

 

[WDWLover75]

We had a brunch buffet at The Attic and it was AWESOME. Our party was only 20 people but among just those had several with special dietary needs. There was no much variety, everyone was really happy and the food delicious.

 

[loves to dive]

Didn't do the whole big wedding thing but I can tell you from weddings I've attended that I dislike plated meals. Normally I'm anti-buffet and don't eat at them but I'm not a huge fan of eating at events so a buffet allows people like me to maybe get a plate with a few veggies and dip so as not to be rude while everyone else is eating but not to feel like we have to eat a plate of food or be rude and leave it untouched.

 

[AllThingsMickey4]

Didn't do the whole big wedding thing but I can tell you from weddings I've attended that I dislike plated meals. Normally I'm anti-buffet and don't eat at them but I'm not a huge fan of eating at events so a buffet allows people like me to maybe get a plate with a few veggies and dip so as not to be rude while everyone else is eating but not to feel like we have to eat a plate of food or be rude and leave it untouched.

That is one benefit to a buffet I did think of.. I like that it will (hopefully) get people to mingle instead of sitting at their table the whole time. And as you mentioned, it does allow people to eat as much or as little as they want.