Figs & Honey Blog

Different Wedding Food Service Styles

With over 16 years of experience in the catering business, we here at Figs & Honey Catering know this about weddings: each wedding is special in its own way, yet each wedding is entirely different from one another.

Just consider the factors: audience size; venue; table layout; entertainment; time of year; and many more. All of those factors play a part in how you decide one of the most important things at your wedding: how the food is served. And knowing the different food service styles beforehand is essential in helping you choose.

Wedding Food Service Style 1: Buffet

There are a number of benefits to having a buffet at your wedding. For starters, the menu cost is significantly lower, since you won’t need a waitstaff. You can also provide more choices, and leave portion sizes up to the guests. A buffet is usually reserved for informal settings, and can give off that sense to those in attendance, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Wedding Food Service Style 2: Plated

The plated style is opposite of a buffet. It’s for more elegant, formal affairs; not necessarily weddings with a rustic, or laid back, feel. The plated option has its pros: guests will know what they’re eating beforehand, and can plan ahead. It also cuts the time that guests are up and looking for food and food waste.

Then again, plated style is typically more time-consuming and costly, as it requires a waitstaff. It also means that you’ll need food options that a majority of people will like, leaving you little room to experiment.

Wedding Food Service Style 3: Family Style

The third way is family style, which can be a compromise between buffet and plated. In this setting, waiters bring large plates of food to a table, allowing guests to pick and choose what they want to eat. This style can satisfy different taste buds, and allow guests to talk to one another at different tables. Again—it’s about being part of a family.

But also, like plated events, family style can be expensive. Caterers will have to bring bigger platters and make additional meal servings to accommodate varying audience sizes. It also requires some degree of a waitstaff, albeit limited.

Whatever you decide for your next wedding, Figs & Honey Catering will come up with the perfect plan to address all of your needs, and concerns. It’s the most important day of your life—so let us do the work!