Buffet style reception dinner?

Question

I am recently engaged and I am trying to plan. I would like a buffet style meal that will still be classy. About how much will this cost. my wedding will be in northern indiana.

Answer 1

I don't know the prices in Indiana, but when I was arranging my reception in California, I found that a sit down meal was less expensive than a buffet. The reason is, they have to make more food for a buffet, since there really isn't any portion control with a buffet. My sit-down meal cost $28 per person (Chicken Jerusalem), and with everything else thrown in (cake, drinks, a bottle of champagne per table, tax, tip) it ended up being $40 per person. We had our reception at a restaurant banquet room next to the Queen Mary, with a beautiful ocean view of the coastline of Long Beach. Good luck to you, and congrats on the wedding!

Answer 2

If you are comparing the price of the buffet style meal to a plated meal, the caterer might charge you slightly more for the buffet style. The reasoning behind this is that it costs caterers and restaurants and hotels and banquet halls more to put on a buffet than a plated meal because there is no portion control. However, if you are comparing this to a wide variety of hors d'ouevres and desserts, the buffet make be cheaper. Another possibility is food stations which could be comparible in cost. The bottom line is you are going to check with caterers in your area to find out what there prices are.

Answer 3

I don't know if your budget is an issue, but if it is this is an inexpensive way to have dinner. I am doing a buffet style, but we are doing finger foods..it costs less than having a sit down dinner.

As far as the cost? That depends on what types of foods you will be serving and how many people will be attending..Most caterers charge per head. Your best is to choose your menu and have a caterer work up an estimate for you...congrats on the wedding.

Answer 4

The food cost depends on where you hold the reception. Some places will not allow other caterers to come in. I am in Southern Illinois and the place I am having my reception is around $23/person for the buffet. If I would have had it some place else that allowed me to choose the caterer it could have been $9/person. And if you shop around you can find a good caterer for descent money. But the venue is usually going to be your issue.

Answer 5

I actual have a education. i've got catered many events and those dishes looks to circulate over the final and is the main low-cost. wish that is on your liking: considering you're doing buffet style - then perhaps you will desire to evaluate a themed buffet - the two Mexican or Italian would paintings nicely. in case you probably did Italian you may desire to furnish various different salads (all finished in improve) - a pair of different pastas, and a few sauces including marina, meat sauce, and a creme sauce (additionally all finished in improve and purely reheated) upload meatballs and probably even a lasagna that became finished in improve and purely heated final minute - upload some garlic bread or rolls and you're finished. Pasta is likewise very low-cost for a crowd. For Mexican, rice and beans circulate alongside way, are truly tasty and occasional-cost. Pulled beef is low-cost and elementary to make besides. lower back, the two would be made in improve and re-heated and salad and rolls would be great accompaniments. wish this helps!

Answer 6

Unfortunately, classy and buffet dont always go together. Call a few caterers and talk to them about different options. You may find that a sit-down dinner will be cheaper than a buffet - and it's much nicer for the guests, IMHO. : )

Answer 7

There's way too many variables here. How many people are you serving, what food are you serving, are you offering different main dishes or not? And on and on and on. You can find caterers at your local grocery store, and many restaurants also will cater. Just call around and ask. The prices are going to vary widely, so have a budget and the approximate number of people you're planning for, and just call. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples, find out what each caterer will include for their price, some will offer different things. Good luck!

Answer 8

Ok...Please take my advice. I was thinking of doing the exact same thing, but after looking at the numbers...it is more expensive and it wastes food. The caterers have to prepare each dish to feed how ever many people you are planning on having there. That means if you have chicken, beef and fish as an option, then they have to prepare each one of those as if all the guests were going to have that one dish. It is ridiculous. Yes, it offers a variety for the guests, but it is not worth it. Trust me. I did a lot of research on this. I am now having synchronized serving....which means that everyone at the table gets served at the exact same time. No one is waiting for their food. It is great!

Answer 9

We hosted a buffet at one daughter's wedding and it was 10.75 per person. 2 meats, potatoes, salad, bread, dessert. We thought that was a great price.

Answer 10

I suggest visiting weddinglenox.com and post your request. Their matching system http://www.weddinglenox.com/membersignup1.php will match you up with local professionals. I tried it and have good result as I only recieved response from vendors according to my request.

One problem I had with my wedding is that it is hard to locate vendors in most website as most likely they group by states and there are too many of them that's too far from me and I have to look at each site to figure out.

The sites I provide above have a easy to use layout to show you pictures, pricing and location in one page plus, you can send out your inquiry for matching vendor to contact you. That save me lots of time to locate the best vendors with the right price.