In brief: what kind of buffet works for a wedding?
A buffet is the most flexible way to feed a wedding: everyone builds their own plate according to their taste, their dietary needs and their appetite. There are four main formats — the cold grazing spread, the buffet eaten seated at table, the hot buffet (ideal in winter) and the dessert table (individual portions or a chocolate fountain). On budget, expect roughly £30 to £60 a head for a drinks reception plus buffet with service included (around €35–70) — figures drawn from the French market, so treat them as indicative only and get quotes locally.
- Most common: the cold grazing spread — varied and sociable.
- Most comfortable: the buffet eaten at table, which keeps everyone seated.
- For a winter wedding: the hot buffet.
- The late-evening essential: a dessert table, with handy individual portions and a chocolate fountain.
Deep in the planning of the biggest day of your life?
Every detail matters and deserves your full attention.
Among the things not to overlook are the drinks reception, the first dance and, of course, the meal.
Some couples opt for a plated meal served at table, but plenty now prefer a buffet — a format that has won over a great many newlyweds.
That said, if you’ve never put one together, a buffet can seem surprisingly hard to get right.
In this article, we’ve gathered our ideas and advice for a buffet your guests will genuinely enjoy.
The wedding buffet: the crowd-pleaser
Catering for a dozen guests — let alone a hundred — can be a real headache.
Between dietary requirements and personal preferences, it can be very hard to land on a menu that suits everyone.
A buffet solves this neatly: it lets you put out a wide choice, so family and friends alike can eat well.
Alongside that variety, a buffet also lets guests eat as much or as little as they like. Unlike a plated meal, where each guest is served a single portion they can’t always adjust — particularly at weddings offering only one menu — a buffet lets people help themselves.
Finally, part of the buffet’s enduring appeal is the cost. Compared with a plated menu, it usually works out cheaper, which is no small consideration given what a wedding involves.
A cold grazing spread to keep everyone happy
Go for a cold buffet — the choice of many couples — and the options are almost endless.
If you enjoy the finer details, you can tie the buffet to the theme of the day.
Chosen a rustic, countryside theme?
Serve canapés built around mushrooms and other vegetables that suit the look.
Canapés and small plates
A cold buffet menu can take in a huge range of items, so there’s something for every taste.
Reliable favourites include tomato and mozzarella skewers, smoked salmon blinis, cheese bites, prawn cocktail glasses, pâtés and terrines, and vol-au-vents or cheese straws.
Put out a good spread of ideas and every guest is bound to find something they like, picking their way through the dishes that appeal.
A buffet eaten at table
Within the cold buffet format, you still have choices to make.
Guests can help themselves and eat standing, carrying on with the conversation, or you can seat everyone at tables.
In that case, the usual approach is to call tables up one at a time.
Here the cold buffet can take in more substantial dishes alongside the canapés — salads, cold meats (roast beef, ham and charcuterie) and so on.
A hot buffet: ideal for winter weddings
The cold buffet may be the favourite, but the same format works hot.
A hot buffet can offer individual portions, which allows for greater variety, or larger dishes to share around the table.
Hot buffets tend to come into their own for winter wedding dates.
A choice of hot dishes with all the comfort of home cooking, whatever the temperature outside, will go down very well indeed.
With this format, guests generally help themselves at the buffet and return to their table to eat in comfort.
Hot or cold, don’t forget to lay on plenty of bread to go with it.
For the main dishes as much as for the cheese (goat’s, cow’s or otherwise), you can vary the breads on offer: walnut, seeded, sourdough and so on.
Serve your desserts buffet-style too
Main course sorted. Now for pudding.
Looking for something other than the smart but familiar tiered wedding cake?
Your caterer can put together a sweet version of the buffet, letting you present a whole range of desserts.
Just as with the savoury spread, it means every guest gets something they actually fancy.
There are a few ways to go about it.
Individual desserts: practical and popular
To keep a cake element without committing to a single one, you can build the table from a range of different pastries, so guests choose their favourites.
Mini fruit tarts, mini loaf cakes, profiteroles, fruit or chocolate mousse pots, individual slices to choose from…
There really is something for everyone.
The chocolate fountain: a guaranteed hit
If a buffet is a table laid out with food for guests to help themselves, there’s no reason not to add a chocolate fountain, with fruit and marshmallows to dip.
Wedding buffet: don’t neglect the styling
A buffet isn’t only about the food — it also gives you a great deal of scope for decoration.
You can dress the table to match the theme of the day, so guests get an eyeful before they get a plateful.
As a rule, the styling of the buffet should echo that of your reception room: it creates a coherent look and leaves nothing to chance.
Plan every detail of the day and you can be confident of a wedding your guests won’t forget in a hurry.
