(Closed) As a guest which would you prefer?

• somethingaquamarine
• 8 years ago

• sailor
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: April 2010

I’d prefer the buffet so I could choose what I want to eat and how much.  I wouldn’t like the alternating plates because if I didn’t like what I got, I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking anybody (except maybe my husband) to trade.  

• mrsSonthebeach
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: March 2012 - Pelican Grand Beach Resort

Between these options, buffet. Why can’t you get entree choices from the guests and serve a plated meal of what they choose?

• Daisy_Mae
• 8 years ago

@miss-stacie-2013:  I’ve never been to Australia, and never heard of alternate. Even if it’s common there, it still seems so strange to me to just put something in front of someone and then put something else down in front of the person next to them and say “sorry if you hate what you got and are drooling for the other guys meal, sucks to be you.” It’s one thing if people have no choice but everyone has the same thing. But for people to have no choice and have to watch others eating something that they would really really like… that seems cruel. Maybe I take my food too seriously.

• BabyCarat
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: November 1999

Wow, the alternative thing wouldn’t fly here in Canada. I can just see so much potential for squabling at the table. If these are your only 2 options, I’d choose buffet, and I don’t like buffets at all. It’s too bad there wasn’t a traditional plated option.

• MsSparklyBee
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: September 2013

I always go with plated. But I would think alternating dishes was strange. 

• Cyri
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: November 1999

I prefer alternate. There are a lot of people that would prefer chicken for example, and a lot that would prefer beef (and of course a lot that don’t care either way). That way you kind of please both crowds.. Guests can always play swapsies amongst themselves quite easily. Just try to choose 2 great dishes.

Personally I’m not a fan of buffets at weddings because

1) if you’re the last table to get called all the good cuts of meat and all the fresher looking veggies will be gone, the seafood will definitely be gone too because other guests will have taken 20 oysters for themselves and that sucks because you’ve been waiting longer than everyone else and are hungry

2) this set up can be inconsiderate to your older or less mobile guests

3) if it was a formal event I would rather not line up for food as if it were a cafeteria

4) your guests aren’t all ready to eat/mingle at the same time

5) presentation is lacking when food is served in troughs

It sounds like I have a lot of pent up buffet hate, lol.. but I actually can enjoy them. I just vastly prefer plated. 

• W292737
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: July 2013

@miss-stacie-2013:  I like the buffet and that is what I am going with for mine

• KindofCrazy
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: November 1999

Buffet! Then again, I’ve never been familiar with the alternative option but since others have said that it’s common in Australia, I would go with whatever option has more pros than cons.

• sunshinewish15
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: December 2014

I really like buffets. You can choose exactly what you want to eat and how much of it you would like. Some alternate menus are great, but if a guest only likes one meal out of the two they are not 100% certain they will be served the one they like. 

• Bebealways
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: August 2013

I prefer buffets over pretty much everything… so obvious haha. 

• KingsDaughter
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: June 2013

• KoiKove
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: October 2010

Seems to me if the caterer just need to know how much food to order, you can do what we do here– ask for the guests food choice on the RSVP card. Then the day of, use the escort cards to indicate which food the guest wants. We used colored flowers on the escort card– orange for salmon, pink for beef and green for veggie.

• justjade
• 8 years ago

Another AUSSIE weighing in on the alternating plate idea. It is very very common place at weddings or School Formals. It is the norm and really is never a huge deal. Most of the time both meals are stunning and more often then not it works out that people end up with the meal they want anyway. You would be surprised.

• hellosunshine
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: October 2013

I find it amusing that buffets are more the norm in the US! As another Aussie bee weighing in (and as a huge foodie) I have always loved the alternate plate… But I guess that’s just something we’ve grown up with! I would consider a buffet quite unusual actually, all the weddings I’ve been to have been either alternate plate or canapes!

I don’t think it would hurt to ask the venue if your guests could RSVP food choices (obviously to you) and is a great idea that gets the best of both worlds! I agree with the PP that said food quality is often compromised when it’s been put in baine marees, it gets dry and mushed around in my experience of them at parties…

But if you decide on buffet most people will try a bit of each dish, so try to make sure you don’t have unnusual combinations as a whole if you go that way!