Key Takeaways
For a seaside wedding, create a seafood buffet with crab legs, oysters, and lobster tails to impress guests.
Use a picnic-style buffet for outdoor weddings, allowing guests to grab pre-packaged, individual servings for easy dining.
Reduce wait times at your buffet by setting up double-sided tables, accommodating more guests simultaneously.
If you're looking to feed a large number of guests at your wedding, you may want to consider a buffet-style dinner service, which can easily accommodate a variety of dietary preferences and requirements without putting a ton of extra legwork on the part of your service staff. However, as is typical with anything related to your big day, there’s no perfect “one-buffet-fits-all” option. Every celebration is different, and there are so many different meal styles to choose from and adapt to your specific venue and aesthetic.
Buffets are typically more considered more casual and informal than a traditional plated dinner, but that doesn’t mean yours has to skimp on flair, flavor, and fun. Nowadays, instead of sticking to a standard buffet of chicken, vegetables, bread, and rice, couples are putting a creative spins on their buffet-style dinners. For example, if you're hosting your nuptials by the sea, you may consider creating a buffet full of crab legs, oysters, and lobster tails. Did you two get engaged in Italy? Nod to that important country with a buffet of your favorite pastas, pizzas, and other regional specialities. Buffets also work for dessert. If you or your partner love sweets, you might opt to transform your dessert table into a decadent buffet full of cakes, cookies, macarons, and ice-cream sandwiches. Ultimately, the possibilities are truly endless with this type of meal service.
Whether you’re serving a full-on feast or a post-dinner dessert, here, we break down everything to consider before booking your caterer, as well as offer some examples from real-life wedding buffets to spark your creativity—and your cravings.
How Much Does a Wedding Buffet Cost?
Buffet wedding receptions are generally considered to be budget-friendly, but that's not always the case. Yes, it can be less expensive than a seated meal, but it can also cost far more. The reason? When it comes to plated dinners, your caterer knows exactly how much food they need for each guest; with a buffet, they actually need to prepare more food to ensure there's still something left for the lasts guests who go through.
That said, plated meals are associated with costs that buffet service generally isn't. "With a plated service, you have to hire more staff to take orders and carry plates out to guests,” says Ro Cantrell, a personal chef and caterer based in Atlanta. “With a buffet, you might need half the amount of people to serve food.” While costs can vary depending on your chosen caterer, the cost per person for a basic buffet-style reception typically falls within the $16 to $19 range, Cantrell says. If you add more elevated dishes, a wider array of options, or opt to have stations with dedicated servers, your costs will go up.
Wedding Buffets: What to Consider
Unsure of whether or not a buffet makes sense for your big day? Here are a few key elements to think about before deciding on this style of meal service.
Informality
A sit-down, multi-course plated meal conveys a certain level of formality at a wedding. If yours will be a more casual affair, a buffet-style meal may be more suitable. This is especially true if you aren’t interested in assigned seating for your event. With a buffet, guests can feel free to mingle, hit the bar, and fill their plate at their own pace.
Flexibility
A buffet gives your guests the freedom to make their own plates according to their own preferences. For example, vegetarians and vegans can skip meat dishes and fill up on accompaniments like truffle mushroom risotto and farro salad without having to put in a special request for an alternative meal.
Longer Wait Times
Since your guests will need to wait for their table to be called before serving themselves, it’ll take longer for them to get their food. To avoid this, consider setting up double-sided buffets so that twice the amount of people can build their plate at the same time. Aim to account for one buffet table for every 50 guests to keep things moving efficiently.
Abundance
This is both a benefit and drawback of buffet weddings. Guests that require more food will leave your wedding feeling satiated, but that also means more food will be prepared in general. “With [a plated dinner], if guests RSVPed, then I know the amount of food I need,” says Cantrell. “With a buffet, we have to prepare more than enough.” That can also lead to higher costs and food waste. To mitigate this issue, consider offering guests the ability to take leftovers home, working with a charity organization to donate the extra food, or composting it.
18 Wedding Buffet Ideas
Stuck on what to serve at your reception? Take inspiration from one of these delicious (and stunning!) wedding buffets. Whether you're looking for a traditional approach or want to put a more creative twist on your meal service, these concepts will give you just that.
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Pizza Bar
Photo by Sacia Matthews
Don’t let your guests get hangry between your ceremony and dinner. At this wedding in the Berkshires, the couple served small bites and pizza buffet-style during cocktail hour, giving their guests the opportunity to chat, mingle, sip on a signature cocktail, and enjoy a quick slice.
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Bruschetta Buffet
Photo by Matteo Coltro
You don’t have to travel to Tuscany for an Italian-style buffet. This couple and their caterers, Eventi & Cucina, created a clever bruschetta bar at their wedding, complete with crusty bread, sun-dried tomatoes, and herbs, so guests could whip up their own perfect combination.
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A Classic Set-Up
Photo by Allan Zepeda
There’s a reason the classic buffet is such a mainstay at weddings: It works for pretty much every celebration and cuisine style. For this Indian wedding in Miami, guests gathered over a traditional buffet dinner, loading their plates with fresh produce, proteins, and flavorful starches.
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A Salad Station
Photo by Teshorn Jackson
While salad is always a reliable addition to any buffet, this couple put a fun twist on simple greens for their Texas wedding, offering a selection of vibrant, flavorful combinations for guests to choose from. Plus, the gorgeous—and delicious—salads by La Pera Catering were the perfect complement to the lush green vineyard setting.
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An Out-of-the-Box Experience
Photo by Scott Clark Photo
Want to impress your guests? Take inspiration from this couple's non-traditional wedding, which created an entire food market, complete with a bodega convenience store. The couple worked with Pinch Food Design on the immersive experience that told the story of their romance in food. “We set out to recreate a sort of food hall that replicated the Hong Kong market stalls and Indian street foods...and we didn’t hold back on the spice,” the bride shared.
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Floral Feast
Photo by Emily Barbee
A traditional dinner menu looks even more delicious when framed by gorgeous floral arrangements. At their Alabama wedding, this couple (with help from Morisette & Co) served a combination of grilled pork tenderloin, spring rolls, chicken tenders, and grilled oysters. Incorporating their wedding hues into the buffet table, the flowers lent depth, interest, and colors to the set-up.
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Seafaring Style
Photo by Bonnie Sen
At their Virginia nuptials, this couple took their love of the water to the next level by placing their raw bar buffet inside of a canoe. No matter the cuisine you decide to serve, get creative with the placement—and consider incorporating meaningful nods to your relationship and interests through your selected food.
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A Picnic Lunch
Photo by Shelly Anderson Photography
Though pandemic requirements may have been the reason behind the “picnic-style” dinner at this sweet Denver wedding, the idea is absolutely adorable—and easy to recreate. Guests filled a picnic basket of pre-wrapped, individual items from Levin Deli Co. for a fanciful twist on a traditional buffet.
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Sweet Treats
Photo by 515 Photo Co.
Consider styling your dessert bar into a buffet, like this couple did at their Vancouver wedding. By doing so, you'll allow guests to select their favorite sweet treats. In addition to your cake, think about adding in macarons, cupcakes, doughnuts, or even milk and cookies.
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Pastry Party
Photo by Sotiris Tsakanikas
At this Old Hollywood-inspired micro wedding, the couple opted to serve their guests pastries buffet-style. Remember: While a dinner buffet may need to feed hundreds of people, a post- or pre-dinner selection doesn't need to accommodate nearly as many guests.
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Sushi Service
Photo by Duey Photo
Sushi rolls are both easy and convenient, and as such, they're the ideal addition to a beachside buffet. At this couple's nuptials in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, they served raw fish to their 124 guests. Not only were the fresh pieces delicious, but they also fit in perfectly with the oceanfront venue.
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An Array of Cured Meats
Photo by Amber Gress Photography
Get creative with your buffet selection. Even if it's a traditional set-up, remember that you don't have to include pasta, chicken, or even desserts. This couple opted for a more modern buffet-style approach, serving cured meats as part of their intimate Brooklyn wedding.
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An Unexpected Combination
Photo by Ruby Olivia Photography
When it comes to your wedding meal, you don't have to stick to just one delicacy. This couple opted for both a cured-meats tray and a raw bar at their Connecticut wedding, allowing guests to serve themselves buffet-style during cocktail hour. Even if you decide to offer a more traditional plated dinner, consider adding a small snack buffet for guests to graze on throughout the night.
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Oyster Central
Photo by Ana Hinojosa
For their Long Island wedding, this couple (with North Fork Table & Inn) served up a plethora of delicious, fresh oysters as a little pre-dinner treat. This delicacy is always a delight, and you could easily incorporate a similar buffet into your wedding reception. It’s especially eye-catching for an outdoor event.
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Snack Time
Photo by Oliver Fly
Give your guests the opportunity to enjoy a quick snack pre- or post-dinner with an assortment of delicious grab-and-go items buffet-style, such as croissants or rolls. This couple did just that at their glamorous Lake Como celebration, serving up a assortment of small bites that were easy for guests to enjoy as they mingled.
