• Plated Dinners – The most traditional wedding food style, plated dinners are when the guests are served individual, pre-portioned plates for each course. Generally, guests select their preferred main course dish from a list of options in advance the wedding. There are many good things about plated dinners, such as that they limit food waste, and they have a fancier feel. However, plated dinners can cost more than other styles as they take more staff to make and serve. They also take more planning time as you have to carefully place each guest to make sure they get the food they ordered. 

• Buffet – Usually served on long tables, buffets offer up many food options for guests to self-select, from meat and fish to pastas, salads, and other sides. Buffets are usually popular for weddings with large numbers of guests or those that want to offer lots of different food options. Buffets are great as they cater to many different tastes and are generally cost effective. However, buffet lines can get very long, slowing down the evening. 

• Food Stations – Similar to buffets, food stations are placed all around the reception hall with different sections at each one. You can have a pasta, raw bar, carving, or dessert stations, or any other kind you can think of. People tend to enjoy the ability to mingle and select their own food, and the number of stations keep lines short. However, stations require a large space and lots of staff. 

• Family Style – Family style is a sit-down dinner in which waiters bring large portions of food to the table and guests serve themselves like they would at home. This allows people to select the food they want and the quantity they want, and also makes the dinner feel more social and less formal. However, you do need large tables to accommodate big serving platters, and family style can be expensive. 

• Cocktail Style – Instead of a sit-down meal, you can have small, passed hot and cold items served on platters by waiters. This lends itself to small venues and more intimate weddings, but guests might be disappointed if they were expecting a big meal.

Memorial Event Center, a McAllen, TX event center, offers a range of dining styles to suit your needs and tastes. Call or visit us today to learn more about what we can do for your big day.