Buffet or Sit Down Menu

[andeegirlxoxo]

My Mom and my Dad said na we'll go for buffet na lang. End of the day, what matters is no one will say they left hungry and that they did not have choices.

[castledoll]

^ ayan yung pinaka nakaka stress sa lahat, yung worried ka sa sasabihin ng tao. hehe we tried na hinde mag matter ang ibang tao sa wedding prep namen pero ayun nga, consider pa din namen para wala sila masabi.

[andeegirlxoxo]

^ True sis. As for me, the guests will always have opinions on every details sa wedding. Pero ang pinaka importante lang for me personally, is walang magsasabi na "nagutom" sila sa kasal ko. I think that's the worst thing I can hear. Sit down looks really elegant though.

[castledoll]

^ correct! may masabi na huwag lang mag sabi na "nagutom" sila. kasi may mga kinasal din dito na kakilala namen na ang comment ng mga tao is tungkol sa food. I felt bad din para sa mga couple na did everything pero may mga ganun comment pa.

[sparklingjewel]

We initially planned to have a buffet but after much consideration, decided on sitdown because fiance's side of the family is used to sitdown wedding receptions (in short, nakakahiya to ask them to stand and lineup in their gowns, baka magcomplain pa). They NEVER attend receptions na buffets; the only time they do is kapag informal family gatherings or birthdays, so i don't want them to feel we were so 'budget' that we had to do a buffet for a formal event. Plus, since we're having more than 200pax i can just imagine the long lines kahit 2-3 buffet tables pa. So sitdown it is; mas mahal ng mga 230php/head and less food.

However, i attended two weddings early this year from their side of the family (both were sitdown, luxurious menus, salmon and steak and all) but what people had to say naman was that mabagal daw yung food interval. Like some were served salmon na sila wala pa, or matagal waiting time between dishes. Now, after spending so much time considering what's best for the guests, im beginning to think that we should just stop thinking about what guests are going to say kasi may masasabi parin sila! Masarap na nga yung food and cost more than 2k per head and everything. Hay. I don't know how to address this, maybe i will have to ask the caterer. Im pretty sure we will have to stick with sitdown parin for the formality and elegance of it, but i hope these feedbacks are addressed.

[astarte]

^ sis I have attended a wedding recently na 200+ pax kasi 10 round guests' tables on each side then sa unahan near the stage may long presidential table I think 24 pax yun. Yung long table sit down dinner sila and kami as guests, sa buffet.

Since 10 round tables each side, dalawang buffet table setup din kaya mabilis lang naman sis and managed buffet din yun, okay naman ang serving pero if we wanted more no problem din naman sinasabi na lang namin sa food attendees. Main dishes lang yung managed then the salad, dessert and drinks kami na bahala.

Okay din na buffet ang guests kasi we had the chance to bump in to old friends and able to have small talk, nagpa photobooth pa kami hehe so ayun baka makatulong sa deciding factor mo, sit down reception is really organized and elegant though kaya gauge mo na lang din talaga yung guests nyo. Pero if isa ko sa guests mo sis at since napost mo na dito ang suppliers list mo, I don't mind lining up at the buffet area. Lol!

[sparklingjewel]

^Sis thank you sa input... pero hindi ko rin alam how to change the mindset or what ng mga relatives nya about a buffet reception.. hindi kasi sila talaga sanay. Ayoko namang may masabi diba, ayokong mapag-usapan in a negative way. But it seems pinoys will just really find something to comment on even when most of the event is so beautiful already (kahit naman ako guilty rin nito).

Logically, i think guests should expect na pag sitdown hindi sabay sabay all tables kasi of course yung cooking and plating and delivery ng plates is going to take some time. I just did not realize it was even a big deal to some people (as its not to me)... i hope i can mitigate this gap somehow.

[astarte]

^ I think sis yung waiting time expected na nila talaga especially 200+ guests kayo. Check mo na lang din kay caterer if sa previous events nila na all guests ang naka sitdown setup, na same or close range din sa number of guests nyo, yung serving and waiting time para lang may idea kayo ni h2b mo sa interval at makapag ready din sila host/wc/band since most probably based sa side ni h2b mo magsitdown setup na nga talaga kayo. May cocktails naman kayo sis so I guess di naman sila tipong waiting in vain or famished na sa tagal hehe. Sure naman na mag eenjoy sila sa food once dumating na sa table. :-D

[sparklingjewel]

^That's the thing! Parang i think yung mga ganung comments are not because gutom na sila... its just the fact na they observed na medyo malaki yung gap. :| Rawr. My caterer isn't used to doing sitdowns often so yes i will have to check (im meeting them tomorrow).

[j.adore]

That's going to be a challenge if your caterer isn't used to serving sit-down but this supplier is the answer to the problem.

You need 1 waiter per 2 tables. If you have the budget and the caterer can accommodate, make it 1 waiter per table to be sure.

If most of the food are going to be cooked at the site, the serving order will depend on the cook time of the food (longest one is served last). Discuss this with the caterer.


Remember there's nothing you can really do with other people someone will ALWAYS have something to say. You're making an effort naman not to "disrespect" their "tradition" so this should be enough.

[sevenstars]

sparklingjewel, I agree with j.adore -- definitely ask the caterer about their setup + staff numbers. My caterer mostly does sit-down and they cook everything on site, so they basically bring in an entire catering kitchen and set it up the day before. If I remember correctly they provide at least two waiters per table.

[janagirl]

Buffet for guests, sit down for VIP. In most weddings that I've attended, this is the set up and okay naman for me. 

[sparklingjewel]

sevenstars and j.adore thanks for the tips. I didn't know i had to ask that pero sige i will. Our mains will be cooked onsite (salmon, risotto, steak) pero the rest i think assembled onsite lang (salad, soup, sorbet, desserts).

[kiracharlie]

^ It would really depend on your preference if you want a buffet setup or sit down. Initially, we wanted to have a sit down menu because we didn't like the idea of having our guests line up at the buffet table. But after much deliberation, we'd rather have them think na there were a lot of food but they had to line up instead of having to sit at their table the whole time but the food is bitin or ang tagal. During our reception, never naman humaba pila sa 2 buffet tables setup namin. As long as you have a good coordination team, this can easily be handled. On the other hand, there's nothing much the coordination team can do if the food is still not cooked during a sit down setup.

Either way, some people will always have something to complain about. It's not your fault and certainly there's no way you can prevent this. Mahirap naman kasi iplease mga tao na ayaw naman, diba?

If you want to go through with the sit down, one way to not make the whole dinner boring (lalo na kung ang tagal in between) is to have parts of the program in between the courses.

[belle_v2g]

I've attended several elegant weddings with buffet set ups and it didn't made the overall look less formal or less elegant even with people lining up. This doesn't necessarily mean that you compromise the sophistication of the event.. it actually will look festive because of the wide selection of food.. and it gives more opportunities for guests to mingle and socialise..remember, regardless of how beautiful the set up is, if the guests namam are left waiting for a couple of hours and come dinner time, still waiting pa rin for the food dahil matagal i-serve-- yun ang maaalala nila forever about the wedding they've attended.

[Chili1113]

^I totally agree sis belle_v2g!! I think it is also best to consider the ff:

1. Caterer capability - What is the caterer is more accustomed to doing? Buffet or Sit-Down? Not all caterers are able to handle sit-down dinners and do it properly.

2.  Buffet table locations - It seems that the norm these days is to have the buffet outside in a seperate room or area. And because of this, even when many people are clustered around the buffet, the guests already dining inside the ballroom aren't bothered and formal atmosphere in the ballroom isn't disturbed.

3. Wedding coordinator competence- It is up to your coordinator to properly queue quests and approach/inform each table that they may proceed to the buffet. A good coordinator will be able to manage a buffet setup very well. If you have a lousy coordinator, you will also have lousy buffet traffic control =)

4. Food presentation -  Some caterers don't plate very well, while some don't have nice buffet setups. For my venue I think that their sit-down dinners look way more elegant in terms of food presentation and look like 5-star hotel plating. However, the buffet while it is nice, is behind in food presentation when compared to buffets at 5-star hotels. For this reason alone, I am leaning towards having a sit-down dinner.

[rm1015]

sparklingjewel, I agree with j.adore -- definitely ask the caterer about their setup + staff numbers. My caterer mostly does sit-down and they cook everything on site, so they basically bring in an entire catering kitchen and set it up the day before. If I remember correctly they provide at least two waiters per table.

hi sis, who's your caterer?

[sparklingjewel]

Thanks for the inputs Chili1113 and belle_v2g. We've confirmed with them to still have sitdown for now but i will definitely still check their capacity amd competence and cross check with Kutchie if she is confident.
While it is very possible to still deliver an elegant buffet setup, parang in my case we think making them line up might have a more negative impact (bec they really expect sitdown as in all weddings in the clan) kaya we will deal with managing the sitdown properly for now.

[ubec.bride]

Still deciding between these two. Need more feedbacks from former brides and guests please. H2B really wants sit down but im concerned of the portions they serve.

[lots-o]

After much consideration with the pros and cons, we have decided to go for buffet. My family and hubby's too are prone to allergies though limited nga choices for the sitdown. Plus we have a mixed crowd so nagdagdag nalang ako sa VIP which i feel should be treated well. Konti lang naman sponsor namin so we still have sits for the VIP. Though the whole setup of the styling will all be the same for all guest.