Wedding Reception of Meal Style: Giving Those Wedding Plates an Extra Sizzle

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Undeniably one of the most significant occasions in one’s life, wedding, deserves more than just careful planning and preparation — it deserves a heart filled with love, excitement and enthusiasm. Like what they always say, you only get married once so it’s best that you give it your all. And while setting up a wedding can be expensive, you don’t really have to break the bank just to make sure your guests would talk about your fantastic reception because there are so many plating options for tem to choose from. A wedding reception of meal style isn’t only friendly to the budget, but it also provides you an exquisite wedding experience.

Meal Style of the Day: Family Style

As the name implies, a family style plating option resembles sit-down meals at home where family members sit around a table and share meals on a common plate. Dinner begins once the waiters are finished bringing all the food on the table, making it very reminiscent of simple get-togethers at home where your mom cooks your favorite dinner. This is one of the top options in traditional receptions since it offers a range of advantages to every wedding guest. Relatives or not, members of the table get to interact more with each other in this kind of set-up.

Why Wedding Reception of Meal Style ?

While there may be other plating options available for newly-weds, opting for a family style reception is one of the most traditionally accepted since it offers so many benefits to the newly-weds and the guests. If you are still not sure this is the best option for you, below are some of its advantages:
  • It Promotes Interaction: No matter how picture-perfect your aisle is, if your guests aren’t interactive, you will not be able to fully maximize the potential your day brings. Unlike other plating options, family style receptions promote interaction because it ‘necessitates’ guests to become more pro-active around the table. So even if there are tables where guests don’t really know each other, you can expect them to interact because of the familial vibe of your reception set-up.

  • It Promotes Warmth: Since your guests are interacting as they pass on food to each other, you can expect a warmer vibe in your reception area. It will not only make you feel good inside and out, but it will also make your guests feel like they’re at the comforts of their home.

  • It’s Budget-Friendly: Family style receptions are cost-efficient since it means that you wouldn’t need to hire a lot of people to wait tables. Yes, you would still need a catering team, but you can cut down on labor costs and take control of the food you’d set per table.

  • It’s an Ultimate Time Saver: Instead of waiting for others to finish getting food from the buffet table, your guests can start eating right away. It saves time, and it gives your program more space for other activities that can set the mood in your reception area.

  • It Heightens the Rustic Vibe: While getting food from buffet tables may serve a lot of advantages, a wedding reception of meal style offers newly-weds a chance to heighten that rustic and elegant feel in their venue. So if you are doing a backyard wedding and you would like to make your guests feel more at home, turning to family-style plating is the best choice for you.

  • It’s More Organized: In contrast to its counterparts, family style menus can be less chaotic since the guests won’t have to stand up to get food on the buffet table every once in a while. Instead, all they have to do is to sit and wait for the food to be served.

Family Style Reception Menu Idea

Family style meals offer the flexibility guests and newly-weds need. If you are running out of ideas on which food to serve, below are some of the top picks you can choose from:

Appetizers:

Garden Salad: Serving vegetables is a great way to start your night. With tomatoes, lettuce and other fresh vegetables as your appetizer, your guests will surely be more than excited to see what’s to be served next on the table.

Seafood Salad: Start light by serving your guests with octopus, shrimp, mussels and some of your other favorite seafood.

Soup: Not much of a salad person? Then, you can always find delight in a variety of soup options that can keep your guests’ hunger at bay.

Main Course:

Baby Rack of Lamb: If you love mouth-watering delicacies, a baby rack of lamb should not be scratched off your list.

Salmon: Add some proteins on your wedding reception of meal style menu by serving marinated salmon to your beloved guests.

Stir-Fry Vegetables: Surely, your guests shouldn’t run out of vegetables on the main course. We wouldn’t want to offend the vegetarians out there, would we?

Mashed Potato: Mashed potatoes are a perfect match for the other dishes on our menu.

Barbecue Beef Brisket: If you are doing a backyard wedding, then we’re quite sure this will add up to that rustic vibe in your reception.

Pork Spare Ribs: If you are neither a fan of lamb or beef, serving a plate of pork spare ribs is the next best option you’ve got.

Coleslaw: And yes, let’s not forget to put coleslaw on the side.

Top Tips to Make Family Style Weddings an Ultimate Hit

When arranging a wedding reception of meal style, it is important not to overcrowd the table and to choose food options that are not difficult to divide since the guests in a single table may neither be relatives nor friends. Always choose options that will unite your group so they can take home positive memories from your wedding.