Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2016 23:19:44 GMT
From a caterer's view.
Do the buffet! Very few people are going to eat everything on their plate. Stay away from beef or fish. Unless you are doing a lobster bisque or Thermidor. Have a signature drink , not an open bar. Caterers love an open bar. It means that they don't have to cook as much food.
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Post by gar on Jul 2, 2016 23:39:50 GMT
Can you explain what you mean about a signature drink/open bar in regard to cooking leas food...I don't get it.
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Post by giatocj on Jul 2, 2016 23:46:08 GMT
We're having an awesome sounding/looking signature drink that my DD found. We're testing it out at our 4th of July party and I can't wait.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2016 1:12:46 GMT
Can you explain what you mean about a signature drink/open bar in regard to cooking leas food...I don't get it. You serve one special cocktail. No wine, no beer. Cuts your liquor to almost nothing. When people drink, they usually will eat less. Caterers like that. In my case, the owners would sell the leftovers for special lunches. They stilled charge full amount.
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quiltz
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Jun 29, 2014 16:13:28 GMT
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Post by quiltz on Jul 3, 2016 1:40:09 GMT
I have gone to weddings where the food is served "family style". Larger bowls / platters are shared amongst those at the table. I know of arrangements with the caterers that the leftover food is wrapped & the hosts take it home. The caterers use a system of portion control & are trusted. Dessert is wedding cake or cheesecake that is individually served. Beer & wine, water & fruit punch is served along with coffee & tea.
I dislike buffets. The food is cold, the line is long & it is difficult to balance the plate.
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Post by padresfan619 on Jul 3, 2016 1:48:15 GMT
I like wedding buffets as long as there is some order to lining up. I hate having to wait in a long line and end up with hardly any food because the bride's 6 uncles cleared the stations before me.
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Post by lumo on Jul 3, 2016 1:50:05 GMT
We served heavy hors d'oeuvres, and it worked great (mid-afternoon reception). Open bar...I really dislike the idea of making people pay for drinks at a party you're throwing.
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Post by myshelly on Jul 3, 2016 1:53:29 GMT
Can you explain what you mean about a signature drink/open bar in regard to cooking leas food...I don't get it. You serve one special cocktail. No wine, no beer. Cuts your liquor to almost nothing. When people drink, they usually will eat less. Caterers like that. In my case, the owners would sell the leftovers for special lunches. They stilled charge full amount. Wait, the people who paid for the food don't keep the leftovers?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2016 2:06:14 GMT
You serve one special cocktail. No wine, no beer. Cuts your liquor to almost nothing. When people drink, they usually will eat less. Caterers like that. In my case, the owners would sell the leftovers for special lunches. They stilled charge full amount. Wait, the people who paid for the food don't keep the leftovers? Nope. Most people don't realize how much food is leftover. BUT we did do a wedding where the bride did. OMG she went postal. Yes, the bride was cheated. And we ended up throwing a lot of the leftovers out because there any lunches that week. You should see the food left over/ thrown out at sit down dinners. One wedding I started saving the roast beef from the plates that had not been touch. I took home over 4 maybe five pounds of beef maybe more. No matter how trust worthy you think a caterer is, they are a business trying to make the most profit.
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Post by krcrafts on Jul 3, 2016 2:06:29 GMT
My dd just had her wedding and had a taco bar catered by a local Mexican restaurant. They served the food to the guests, it was hot and fresh and we offered food to go. It was a hit even if it wasn't traditional.
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Post by padresfan619 on Jul 3, 2016 2:17:01 GMT
My dd just had her wedding and had a taco bar catered by a local Mexican restaurant. They served the food to the guests, it was hot and fresh and we offered food to go. It was a hit even if it wasn't traditional. This is what my husband and I did at our wedding 5 years ago and I still hear about how awesome it was from guests. We were in the thick of our friends getting married and I couldn't stand the thought of another plated chicken, beef, or veggie dinner for ours.
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julieb
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Post by julieb on Jul 3, 2016 2:23:46 GMT
My dd & her fiance are serving filet mignon with a skewer of shrimp at their wedding. I know so much is going to be wasted. It was really the only thing that the groom requested, so they are going with it. They are having open bar with beer, wine and mixed cocktails. Who the hell charges their guests for drinks??
I can't say I have ever been to a wedding that was buffet. They have all been sit down.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2016 6:03:00 GMT
The last wedding I went to, you had a pre-selected choice of beef or chicken. I chose the chicken so I'm not sure what the beef selection was - sirloin or prime rib, I think. Anyway, the servers brought out the carts loaded with the plated dinners and set them out for the seated guests. One guy at our table noticed they still had plates of the beef dish on the cart and were heading back to the kitchen with them. With not of an ounce of shyness, he went after them and asked to have those plates boxed up for him.
He came back to the table a few minutes later with a big bag of steaks/prime rib to take home and feed himself for a week.
We were flummoxed.
With that said, give me an open bar. I'm not into fancy drinks and would much prefer having a beer or two during the hours and hours that I'm there. One frou-frou drink just isn't going to cut it. Sorry.
L
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2016 6:45:42 GMT
My dd & her fiance are serving filet mignon with a skewer of shrimp at their wedding. I know so much is going to be wasted. It was really the only thing that the groom requested, so they are going with it. They are having open bar with beer, wine and mixed cocktails. Who the hell charges their guests for drinks?? I can't say I have ever been to a wedding that was buffet. They have all been sit down. Go for the smallest portion you can get with and option for seconds if the guest wants it. It may cut down on your waste.
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Post by scrapsuzy on Jul 3, 2016 7:37:44 GMT
My first two sons, we did a buffet. Third son I think will also be a buffet, but they're talking about having 3 food tables and 1 drink table around the room vs everyone lining up. I've seen this done at corporate events and it seemed to work well.
Most of the weddings I've been to have had a buffet reception. In fact, I think I've only been to maybe 3 that weren't.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2016 10:56:23 GMT
Can you explain what you mean about a signature drink/open bar in regard to cooking leas food...I don't get it. You serve one special cocktail. No wine, no beer. Cuts your liquor to almost nothing. When people drink, they usually will eat less. Caterers like that. In my case, the owners would sell the leftovers for special lunches. They stilled charge full amount. So you are saying the caterers actually got paid twice for the same exact food that they only prepared once?
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jul 3, 2016 11:26:48 GMT
I dislike buffets. The food is cold, the line is long & it is difficult to balance the plate. That's often true. But plated meals at large weddings can have similar issues. The food is often cold as the plates have been sitting around waiting to be served. Someone's table has to be last -- usually after the first tables have finished eating. But... no plate to balance! I'll give you that.
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Post by mommaho on Jul 3, 2016 12:12:20 GMT
DD did a buffet for wedding and the caterer boxed up everything in coolers for us to take home, just had to return the coolers before their next event.
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Post by Really Red on Jul 3, 2016 12:33:38 GMT
Can you explain what you mean about a signature drink/open bar in regard to cooking leas food...I don't get it. You serve one special cocktail. No wine, no beer. Cuts your liquor to almost nothing. When people drink, they usually will eat less. Caterers like that. In my case, the owners would sell the leftovers for special lunches. They stilled charge full amount. I don't drink cocktails and I wouldn't appreciate a wedding with no wine or beer and most people I know wouldn't either. I think (depending on the crowd) fewer people like cocktails than wine/beer. But maybe that's your point? I agree about the food though. Such a shame.
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mallie
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Jul 3, 2014 18:13:13 GMT
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Post by mallie on Jul 3, 2016 13:31:44 GMT
Can you explain what you mean about a signature drink/open bar in regard to cooking leas food...I don't get it. You serve one special cocktail. No wine, no beer. Cuts your liquor to almost nothing. When people drink, they usually will eat less. Caterers like that. In my case, the owners would sell the leftovers for special lunches. They stilled charge full amount. If all you have is a signature drink, honestly, I think that's so lacking in hospitality. What if I don't like or can't drink the ONE drink you're serving? Very rude, IMO, especially if the point is to serve what people don't want so you don't have to spend money. If you can't afford to be hospitable, then don't host an event. I am also not a big fan of buffets. Too many times, I've gotten cold food or by the time I've gotten there, everything is so picked over. Very unappetizing. OTOH, the last plated meal wedding I attended, everyone at our table ended up not eating (other than the four asparagus spears on our plates) because the meat we were served was RAW. Not rare. Raw. The caterer came out and apologized and said that they had burned the "first" set of meat cooked and didn't have time to cook it again, so they served it raw. They had browned the outside and hoped it would "pass". Unbelievable. The bride and groom ended up with a huge refund. But that didn't help that night when the wedding was in a rural area (barn wedding) with no other options. The only thing that saved it was that they had way over bought on the desserts. But if you couldn't eat dessert for dinner, you were SOL. Long story short: some caterers are horrible. Some are wonderful. The OP's caterer sounds less than wonderful, IMO.
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Post by anxiousmom on Jul 3, 2016 13:57:01 GMT
We had a buffet when I got married. We got married in college, in between semesters-we were poor, we were busy and we had the sensibilities of a couple of broke college students. We did the buffet ourselves though-bbq from our favorite bbq place in the backyard. A couple of coolers of beer and wine and cokes. All leftovers were ours. These days I am old and a bit more sophisticated and think that both buffets and served meals all have their draw backs and secretly wish more people would have bbq in the backyard.
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Post by shescrafty on Jul 3, 2016 14:07:15 GMT
We had a kind of buffet-we had a pasta station with "chefs" there that were sautéing guests choice of pasta with 3 different sauce choices. It was very cheap (meatless) and tasty and everyone could choose what they liked. We also had carving stations and appetizers set up around so people could get some meat, lol our wedding was at 8 and are reception from 9-1am so most people had dinner beforehand, but we,wanted to make sure there was food available as needed. There was no set buffet time and people could just go to whatever station they wanted when they wanted to-they were open pretty much the whole reception.
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Post by auntkelly on Jul 3, 2016 14:56:52 GMT
Around here, it's becoming a trend to have a signature drink together w/ an open bar. Everyone has a different way of looking at things, but I'd cut my guest list to save money before I'd limit the choice of alcoholic beverages to just one drink.
I have no problem w/ the food being served buffet style. I think that is a regional thing. Most of the weddings I have attended have been in Texas and Oklahoma and regardless of the budget, all but a few were buffet style.
I would talk to the caterer in advance about what would be done w/ leftovers.
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TankTop
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Post by TankTop on Jul 3, 2016 15:11:16 GMT
My first two sons, we did a buffet. Third son I think will also be a buffet, but they're talking about having 3 food tables and 1 drink table around the room vs everyone lining up. I've seen this done at corporate events and it seemed to work well. Most of the weddings I've been to have had a buffet reception. In fact, I think I've only been to maybe 3 that weren't. I love the idea of multiple buffet stations.
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Post by chaosisapony on Jul 3, 2016 15:18:18 GMT
I think the buffet/plated thing is pretty regional. I'm in California and have been photographing weddings for about 12 years now. Out of all of those weddings, plus weddings I've attended as a guest, 2 have been plated dinners. And those two were pretty nasty and I didn't like not being able to choose what was on my plate. The buffets have been very well done, are attended to by staff so they don't run out of food, aren't cold, etc. They're very well done.
The venue my best friend chose for her wedding did not allow outside caterers so she had no options when it came to who did the food. There was chicken cordon bleu or tri tip for the meat. I chose the chicken and it was raw inside. I talked to many other guests who also had raw chicken. It was so disappointing! And the caterers refused to box up the leftover food for the bride and groom. The offered to make two sandwiches for them since they didn't get a chance to eat much but said that due to food safety they don't supply the leftovers. I guarantee you those left overs were for sale the next day.
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basketdiva
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Post by basketdiva on Jul 3, 2016 15:28:19 GMT
In my case, the owners would sell the leftovers for special lunches. They stilled charge full amount.
If you have paid for 100 meals and only 90-95 people show up, that food is still yours-you paid for it. Ann Landers always says have the cater box it up. To me, the caterer selling it and not discounting your bill is unethical. I would make sure the contract stated I got the leftovers I piad for.
Went to a graduation party at a restaurant. The family paid for a small buffet (beef and salmon with a few sides). There was steak and salmon leftover-the parents asked for it to be boxed up. Only thing they had to do was sign a waiver stating the restaurant wasn't responsible for any illness once the food left the place.
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Post by myshelly on Jul 3, 2016 15:43:16 GMT
In my case, the owners would sell the leftovers for special lunches. They stilled charge full amount. If you have paid for 100 meals and only 90-95 people show up, that food is still yours-you paid for it. Ann Landers always says have the cater box it up. To me, the caterer selling it and not discounting your bill is unethical. I would make sure the contract stated I got the leftovers I piad for. Went to a graduation party at a restaurant. The family paid for a small buffet (beef and salmon with a few sides). There was steak and salmon leftover-the parents asked for it to be boxed up. Only thing they had to do was sign a waiver stating the restaurant wasn't responsible for any illness once the food left the place. I totally agree. Leftover food should be boxed up and offered to the couple first, then to guests. The couple has paid for it. It belongs to them.
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Post by leftturnonly on Jul 3, 2016 15:43:21 GMT
I dislike buffets. The food is cold, the line is long & it is difficult to balance the plate. That's often true. But plated meals at large weddings can have similar issues. The food is often cold as the plates have been sitting around waiting to be served. Someone's table has to be last -- usually after the first tables have finished eating. But... no plate to balance! I'll give you that. I had an open buffet at my reception - a hundred years ago. It was presented by the hotel and it was actually beautifully done, with the hotel staffing it and handling the food. We paid so much per person, the food was good, and this is the first time I've thought about it in a very long time! I think we served champagne. There was a bar two steps down the hall for those who wanted something else.... at least that's the way I remember it. In any case, we didn't make a big deal out of the menu. There were several options for guests and I bet there was food left, but since we paid per person served I didn't feel like it was mine any more than I would at a regular restaurant. I haven't ever thought about it again until now. I still think it was a fair deal for us, but I could see how it would not be with different caterers. I guess I forgot that it actually was buffet because we all did sit down to eat at tables just like we would have if served, and people were able to get their food faster than if they were waiting on waiters to bring it to them. Oh, that's right! I remember more..... my family had to travel 1500 miles to attend and we liked to have a meal at receptions. My MIL thought that was unheard of! Receptions have snacks and cake! At the most! It was the perfect compromise between the two families. The food was pretty much the highlight of the reception, come to think about it.
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Post by coaliesquirrel on Jul 3, 2016 15:45:52 GMT
We had a buffet, and it worked great. Our guests ranged from DH's firefighter friends to my mom's petite older lady friends, so there's no way we could have plated portions to satisfy everyone without a ton of waste. Our caterer packaged up the leftovers for us, which we served the next day to close family during a present-opening brunch.
If I'd been told "food safety" was the reason I couldn't have leftovers, I'd have had someone in my wedding party or family insist they dump them uncontained (so they couldn't be grabbed right back out) into the trash bin or dumpster while I watched.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2016 19:08:28 GMT
The worst resell:
We did a dessert party and what was left over was the pastry cream desserts. Well, a woman I knew had order a pastry tray for a tea party she was having. Guess where those pastries went!
Omg she was flaming when she returned the tray. Somebody at her party was at the dessert party and recognized the pastries. I must say I was almost laughing at my boss , trying to squirm her way out of that!
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