The wedding reception menu is a highlight of the event for all your guests and presents you with an opportunity to truly wow your guests and make sure that they talk about it for years to come. However, there are several serving styles and all of them aren’t right.
After you have decided on a wedding venue in Houston, you must decide on the right serving style. Choosing a serving style is far from simple since it completely changes the timing, guest options, and portion sizes of items on the menu.
Choose from these serving styles for your wedding reception:
-
Buffet service
This one’s the most popular option for weddings. When the big events are over, guests get up from their tables, form a queue at the buffet stations, and pick their choice from the available dishes. Buffet-style dinners have long tables with a multitude of food options. Inexpensive wedding venues in Houston usually have packages that include catering. In that case, you can choose to have servers by the tables or not.
When you choose this style, make sure to space the tables adequately to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic. Your guests should be able to stand comfortably and take their time picking the items they want. This serving style is also perfect for creating a menu with varied cuisines and allows picky eaters to have a comfortable time.
-
Family style
Family style refers to the predominant serving style you see in old movies. With this style, your guests remain seated at their tables and the food is brought to them by servers. You’ll need a bit more micro-management when you go for this style. It’s best to ask guests:
- About their preferences
- Any food allergies they may suffer from
- To choose the dishes(for vegetarian, vegan, lactose and other options)
Family style is the classic serving style that creates a very warm and cozy atmosphere. However, unlike the buffet style, this can be a bit messy and may require additional cleaning staff. However, it is one of the most premium serving styles that’s opted for at luxury wedding venues in Houston.
-
Food truck style
Who doesn’t love food trucks? They are very popular from coast to coast and as Houston becomes a popular hub for tech giants, more food trucks are opening up to serve their varied palettes. Instead of the traditional buffet and family-style serving, you can choose to bring both the kitchens and food to the wedding with food trucks. Many food trucks offer wedding packages. Combine that with an affordable wedding venue in Houston and you get to significantly reduce overall costs for your special day.
Food trucks bring several advantages over other styles. They are perfect for weddings with an outdoor feel. On the other hand, it’s an interactive experience where your guests get to taste the local favorites. Food trucks are also fun and add another layer of joy to your wedding and everyone gets to see their food cooked in front of them and served fresh meals right out of the kitchen.
-
A La Carte service
A la carte is associated with fine dining and comes from 19th-century France. It’s a style where you order individual items on the menu instead of a set full-course meal. When you adopt this style in your wedding, your guests get a menu and notify the waiters about their selection. Since every individual dish is custom ordered, the catering service can’t use scale to bring down costs.
That’s why a la carte style is usually very expensive. Sometimes it can be a bit risky as well. Take, for example, if the catering service miscalculates the expected demand for specific dishes, there’s a chance of running out of popular items, leading to a potentially embarrassing situation. A la carte style also creates a lot of leftover food. You need to account for that and figure out post-event logistics, whether it’s donating to a local charity, feeding the homeless, or something else.
Serving styles vary immensely and you need to choose one that fits your budget and other requirements. When it comes to finding the perfect wedding venue, you can always look up wedding banquet halls near me and select a highly-rated venue near you.
