Hello my beloved readership,

the way to a man’s heart goes through his stomach. So it is with your guests on your wedding. Apart from the question what you put on your table it is as well important how you serve it. Find out below which is best for your wedding in the comparison menu versus buffet.

One vegan, one vegetarian who does not each fish, two vegetarians, three who do not eat pork, two elders as well as two children that only eat one kind of food… it is always the smallest groups in which agreements are the hardest. Regardless from the size, on your wedding-day you have to conquer the hearts of your all your guests and how could you do that better than with the wedding-meal? But what kind of meal is best suitable for a wedding? Different circumstances demand different meals.

Option 1: Will We Be Replete? The Menu

A menu mainly consists of three to five courses – depending on if the menu offered includes between courses or not. The plates of each course are prepared in the kitchen and served ready to each guest. High cuisines do not only serve prepare delicious meals but as well conjure little pieces of art on your plate which rises your appetite as, so people say, the eyes are eating as well. Nevertheless just in very few cases this art of food is combined with a lot of food on the plate.

• Benefit: Beautiful looking plates + no need for shame as everyone gets the same amount as food on his or rather her plate.
• Drawback: Danger that despite the amount of courses your guests might not get replete + for a second helping you would need to pay extra.
• Suitable for: A small group of 10 to about 50 people (as the food of a whole buffet might be left undone at least to a certain plenty).

Option 2: How Much Should I Put Onto My Plate? The Buffet

Five different kinds of salad, all kinds of meat prepared in different ways… with a buffet you definitely feel like in a land of milk and honey. The meal served on an extra separate table is definitely going to whet your appetite – especially because from an early age the eyes are known to be bigger than the stomach which is not changing as we grow up. It always happens to be that the opening of this meal turns out to be the highlight of the whole event, therefore do not wait too long with this.

Benefit: A huge variety of food which does not let any wish unfulfilled with as much second helping until there is nothing left.
Drawback: Everyone wants to be the first at the buffet in addition to the struggle that you carefully want and need to look what is there to get familiar with the buffet can cause negative sparks and mood between the hungry guests + you need to stand up and get your food yourself.
Suitable for: A bigger group consisting of 50 to 500 people (depending on the room-situation and number of guests you might need to have more buffet-tables on different places of the hall.)

Option 3: Feels Like Home? Served On The Table

From Greek to Chinese restaurants, this kind of meal is mostly known from Eastern countries: a group of 10 to 12 people is sitting together on a table and shares food served on big plates – as if having a buffet on place. With this kind of meal you have to serve yourself at the last step or rather find someone to serve everyone sitting on the table as you are used to it from home. If you are sitting together with guests strange to you this option might be an opportunity for you to break the ice. Something between acquaintance and shyness.

• Benefit: No need to stand up for the food + get as much as you want.
• Drawback: The homelike kind of meal might be misplaced for the fine dressed guests and bridal couple on this noble event + consideration on the others at the same table as the food will not be refilled as quickly and regularly as the big buffet and if necessary only by request other than the buffet.
• Suitable for: A huge amount of guests starting with 500 people however divided into 10 to 12 with their seat order.

Drinking Flat Rate: Necessary Or Not?

This has been the question we have discussed, calculated and brooded over the most. In the end you have to calculate if a flat rate is cheaper than the single prize for the drinks. Therefore you have to know your guests well enough in order to know how much and what they are most likely to drink (because different kind of drinks have different prizes: water, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and hot drinks). What you need to take into consideration is as well that in summer when it is hot people are most likely to drink more especially on a wedding when they are dancing and partying like there is no tomorrow.
Attention: A flat rate does not unconditionally contain the entire variety of drinks. Therefore make sure you have read about the conditions and if they suit your wedding.

I have been on weddings where there has been a gin tonic bar, another wedding had offered a bar with a Coke and cognac mix – these weddings were celebrated in big halls with buffets and a catering rather than a restaurant of the house. Bottles with the common drinks Cola, Fanta and Sprite were refilled frequently but not quick enough.

Although the Novotel Hamburg Alster had offered us a flat rate for drinks we did not take it dividing the prize of the flat rate into the number of drinks you should have taken so that it would have paid off. Apart from that it did not contain everything so that we would have paid extra and twice for the drinks.

The Meal: Something You Will Never Forget

Hungry people are bad tempered people. But be aware that sometimes the eyes might be bigger than the stomach. Otherwise the appetite arises while eating. Factors over factors, but a wedding is not only about eating – apart from that do not forget about the cake which is a one-man-show itself what you need some space for, as well. Furthermore you should not be overeaten as eating actives a hormone that makes you want to lean back and sleep. Eat so much that an after dinner walk will do it, too.

For our wedding in the circle of our closest family we have taken option 1. Our strongest argument for that has been that a buffet would have been too much for the number of people we have been. Apart from that we were lucky to have the liberty of choosing three different meals for the main dish (and a fourth one for our vegan guests). Luckily we all agreed on the starter and dessert.

Love, Johanna