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I haven't personally attended a wedding with family-style dinner, but I love the idea of it! I think it will go down really well with your guests! The one long table idea isn't really my cup of tea, but depending on the room layout, this could work well too.
We're doing family style in August. I like the idea of guests eating as much as they like (too many times, I've left a wedding still hungry), but you still have the formality of a sit-down dinner.
Sounds great! We are going to our first family style in May, and from what I have heard it seems like a good option.
we're having a family style wedding in july- i love the idea of the guests being able to choose their own portions without having to stand in line for a buffet!
We're having family style!! I think our family will love it! :)
I had a friend who did a family style dinner last June -- it was great! It also helped us interact with the other people at our table :)
I went to a family style wedding reception years ago. I loved it! It is the best of both worlds between being served and buffet. You don't have to wait in long buffet lines and you can pick and choose what you want to eat (and what you don't want to eat) right at the table. I think family style is the absolute best way to go! I really wish it was more common.
I just attended a wedding that had family style and I wasn't a fan of it. I think it could have been fine but the waitress literally just plopped the plate down and walked away - she didn't tell us what any of the dishes were. I was also the one that was given all these huge dishes first so I kept getting interrupted while eating (but I'm a slow eater). I think it can work if you tell the servers to tell the guests what's in the dish and that it is family style. My whole table was so confused!
Ok, here's the bad (my honest opinion):
I went to a wedding like this. While I like the idea in theory, I thought the pace of it was very odd and didn't like the execution at all. I also thought it made the dinner go on forever, and we ended up leaving the wedding only a half hour or so after dinner ended because it was late and we had a long drive. I was disappointed to have missed the dancing.
Also, I am a mixer when I eat, so I wasn't too big on the idea of only getting one course at a time. It seemed strange to me to just get a piece of chicken parm without anything to eat on the side. And by the time the second entree came out (after 2 apps, 2 pastas, and 1 entree), I was too stuffed (and it happened to be the bet part of the meal)... it's really difficult to pace yourself when you don't see what's coming next, so I think they ended up having a lot of wasted food.
EDIT: I just realized guests would serve themselves. That would work! My experience was based on a server coming around and plopping us servings from a big bowl. It was odd. My one suggestion to you is to maybe group the courses together (ex: put all of the entrees out at the same time) so that guests can see all of their options and pace themselves accordingly.
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i Beez! We are considering having a family-style dinner at our wedding. I am part Italian, and we are very used to large family dinners, and I think it would create a fun atmosphere for the meal. For those who are not familiar, this would be a sit down meal, with each course brought to the table on several sharing platters (maybe one platter for every 6 guests or so), and guests pass the food around and help themselves. I've been to a few family-style dinners at restaurants and they have been wonderful. We expect about 50 guests, making this a manageable option, I think... I imagine something like this:
Course 1: Antipasto Platter (hot and cold appetizers)
Course 2: Salad
Course 3: 2 kinds of Pasta
Course 4: Main Course (likely tenderloin and/or fish) with starch and vegetables
Course 5: Dessert & Cheese
If our venue suits, we like the idea of having one long table. Have any of you Beez hosted this style of dinner or been to one at a wedding? Please give me your feedback on what the experience was like... good, and bad. Thanks everyone!