Planning the menu for your reception not only entails choosing which courses to have, it also involves deciding on how your food will be served. Table service, buffet, and family style are the most common serving options available, and each approach has its pros and cons. We've prepared a quick guide below to help you pin down which serving style is best for your reception.
Table service
What is means: Waiters serve individual plated meals to your seated guests.
Pros:
- Your guests don't have to line up for their food.
- Serving plated meals is generally cheaper than buffet style.
- There's less chance of wastage, since each guest receives an appropriate serving.
Cons:
- Entails waiting as waiters have to get the guests' orders before food can be served.
- Food options might be limited, making it more challenging to address the needs of vegetarians or guests with allergies.
Buffet
What it means: Guests line up and choose from a table laden with food in serving trays. (In most Pinoy weddings, the couple asks their guests to line up for the buffet after having their photo with the couple taken.)
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Pros:
- Your guests have more food options.
- Your guests can choose what they want to eat and how much they want to eat.
- If there are waiters to assist the guests, there's less chance of wastage since each guest receives an appropriate serving.
Cons:
- If there are no waiters to assist the guests, some guests might take more food than they can actually eat.
- Buffets packages are generally more expensive.
- Buffets are not recommended for large weddings since queuing can be tricky for guests.
Family style
What it means: Waiters place large portions of food on each table, and guests can help themselves--it's like a typical Pinoy meal at home.
Pros:
- Family style meals foster a warmer ambiance since guests will be interacting with each other.
- Your guests can control their food portions since they'll be serving themselves.
- Your guests don't have to line up for their food.
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Con:
- It might be an awkward set-up if the guests seated at one table do not know each other.
Whichever serving style you choose, remember that your reception will be special not just because of the food, but because of the people you'll share your meal with. While guests won't forget their sumptuous meal, you also want them to have fond memories of the warm and happy atmosphere of your big day.
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