I really like the idea of letting guests choose what they want to eat the day of the wedding, instead of asking them way ahead of time on their RSVP card. Is it generally a lot more expensive?
some venues do tableside in general. My venue does tableside as do most of the venues in my area. But if you are in an area where there's typically no tableside choice, they will probably tack on some money b/c they'll have to have more of each entree in case more people order that one entree. I think the one venue we went to that didn't do tableside choice said it would cost more.
It will definitely cost slightly more because the venue will have to anticipate who will eat what, and order more food to cover all bases. The last thing you want to happen on your wedding day is for a guest to be told, "Sorry, we're out of the fish."
There's two ways you can get around this that might be more cost-effective:
1. Serve family style. We chose 3 entrees (steak, fish & chicken) and had them serve each one on large platters to each table. The sides were also served separately in large bowls.
It was a huge hit. People loved it because they didn't just have to eat the little food that's normally on a plated dinner, but they didn't have to fight the buffet line for a variety of food. (It was also a way to appease my Asian family that I didn't have a wedding in a Chinese restaurant. We served fancy catered American food family style!).
2. Ask if the venue will do "Russian style service". The wait staff comes to each table with a platter of different entrees, then serves each guest based on what entree they'd prefer.
When I asked our caterer this question, she told us that they would need to order 1 of each dish for each guest, so our costs would skyrocket. I would ask your caterer though!
I really like the idea of letting guests choose what they want to eat the day of the wedding, instead of asking them way ahead of time on their RSVP card. Is it generally a lot more expensive?
posted by soysauce 5 posts 5 months agosome venues do tableside in general. My venue does tableside as do most of the venues in my area. But if you are in an area where there's typically no tableside choice, they will probably tack on some money b/c they'll have to have more of each entree in case more people order that one entree. I think the one venue we went to that didn't do tableside choice said it would cost more.
posted by Bride2bee2009 38 posts 5 months agoIt will definitely cost slightly more because the venue will have to anticipate who will eat what, and order more food to cover all bases. The last thing you want to happen on your wedding day is for a guest to be told, "Sorry, we're out of the fish."
There's two ways you can get around this that might be more cost-effective:
1. Serve family style. We chose 3 entrees (steak, fish & chicken) and had them serve each one on large platters to each table. The sides were also served separately in large bowls.
It was a huge hit. People loved it because they didn't just have to eat the little food that's normally on a plated dinner, but they didn't have to fight the buffet line for a variety of food. (It was also a way to appease my Asian family that I didn't have a wedding in a Chinese restaurant. We served fancy catered American food family style!).
2. Ask if the venue will do "Russian style service". The wait staff comes to each table with a platter of different entrees, then serves each guest based on what entree they'd prefer.
Good luck!
posted by SoCalBeachGirl 385 posts 5 months agoWhen I asked our caterer this question, she told us that they would need to order 1 of each dish for each guest, so our costs would skyrocket. I would ask your caterer though!
posted by rebecca 989 posts 5 months ago