Ringling Ca’d'Zan Terrace, Sarasota, FL
Real Wedding Question:
Hey Anna, I have over 200 guests attending my wedding, and I’m having a buffet. How do I make sure that my guests are happy while they wait for their turn?
Anna Answer:
First, I love buffets at weddings!
Wedding receptions are unique because they are events where a lot of the guests if they’re family or close friends will then know many, many of the attendees. Especially for families members that may have flown in from far away places to attend, this is a time that they can visit with relatives that perhaps they haven’t seen for quite a while. They’ll want to visit, hug, laugh with and enjoy those they that love.
The buffet, or dinner stations, allow much more freedom for your guests to feel comfortable in getting up, moving around and greeting one another instead of feeling stuck at the same table for a long period of time.
Now, to entertain your guests during the wait for their turn in line, there are several ideas that I think work well.
1) Have the salad plated and pre-set at the table so that all guests will have something in front of them to eat when they first sit down.
2) This same concept can be created by having bread and butter on the table. Using olive oil, instead of butter, with fresh pepper and/or balsamic vinegar at the table to mix into the olive oil makes more of an involved process at the table to busy the guests before they are invited by a server to go to the buffet.
3) Have a favor at the table that can be opened up by your guests such as a small wrapped box of a special chocolate or a tissue and bow tied favor. This will give guests something to do with their hands and something to talk about with the rest of those at the same table.
4) Place a menu at each place setting so that guests can read what they are about to taste, and this will bring a sense of excitement to before seeing and tasting the dinner.
5) Pour red and white wine with dinner so that servers are paying attention to your guests and giving them excellent service so that they have nothing to miss until they are able to taste their food.
Hope these ideas are helpful to you. Happy wedding planning! Please keep asking me questions!
Anna
These are great ideas Anna!