This week’s bridal business is all about CATERING! When planning your wedding expenses, it’s important to set aside approximately 40% for catering. That may seem high, but generally, in addition to the food costs alone, there is the cost of gratuity, taxes, beverages, service fees, etc that all need to be included in the final balance as well. However, gone are the days of having limited options of how best to serve dinner. You can do anything from traditional plated meals and buffets to family-style, hors d’oeuvres only, or even food trucks! I’ll discuss the pros and cons to each below so you can decide which is the best for your affair.

Plated Meal
Pros:
+ Exudes a black-tie ambiance
+ Everyone eats at the same time

Cons:
+Limits choices to 2-3 options only
+Costly option

 

Buffet
Pros:
+ Large variety pleases all guests
+ Less staff required

Cons:
+ Not as elegant having guests carrying plates through the reception area
+ Long lines form easily as some slowly make their way through the line

 

Family-Style
Pros:
+ Guests can have as much as they’d like, without having to wait in line
+ Most efficient of all the options

Cons:
+ Tables will be very crowded as so much space is needed for all the dishes
+ Can get a bit messy, having dishes passed back and forth over the table

 

Passed Hors d’oeuvres
Pros:
+ More time to mingle with your guests as seating doesn’t need to be assigned
+ Budget friendly since no main dish is served

Cons:
+ Guests may not expect to not receive an entree and are left feeling hungry
+ Unassigned seating arrangements often lead to confusion

 

Food Trucks
Pros:
+ Genuinely GOOD food and unique options are available
+ Budget friendly as virtually zero staff is required

Cons:
+ Since all the cooking is done on the truck, service can be very slow
+ Outdoors, so not ideal in extreme heat or cold, or rain

Which option is best for your wedding day? I think only YOU can decide that! But I recommend taking into consideration the atmosphere of your venue and the formality of the day — it simply wouldn’t make sense to have a buffet at a black tie wedding in Washington, DC. That being said, I think there is always a happy medium! Perhaps a formal dinner with dessert from a food truck? The possibilities are endless, so enjoy!