Wedding Dinners: Buffet, Set Menu, and New Options

Wedding venue, music, and the civil ceremony: Check. Now it’s time to move on to the next step in your wedding planning—the wedding reception needs to be planned and organized. Are you feeling a little overwhelmed because the options just seem endless? A good overview can help you narrow down your wedding menu preferences.

Some wedding venues have set catering partners they work with. So first, check how this works at your venue. Catering companies are often very professional and know exactly what they’re doing, since hosting events is their core business. Still, there’s often the option to organize the catering yourself. If you’re having a smaller wedding, you’ll likely choose a restaurant instead of a large hall, which eliminates the need to choose a caterer.

Buffet or set menu?

Once you've decided on a caterer or a kitchen, it's time to make the next decision: Should a set wedding menu be served at the table, or are you more of a buffet person?

Advantages of a Set Wedding Menu

• Beautifully plated dishes that make for great photos
• Several courses featuring culinary surprises
• Guests are served and may remain seated
• There are no interruptions during table conversations

Advantages of a Buffet

• There's something for everyone
• Variety on your plate is possible
• It lightens the mood, since everyone gets up from time to time
• People are less hesitant to go back for seconds

Ideas for a Wedding Dinner

• Shared Dining

Anyone who frequents Catalonia’s tapas bars knows this: sharing food at the table fosters a sense of camaraderie! The concept of shared dining is very simple, yet effective. Many small bowls and plates are placed in the center of the table, and everyone helps themselves. A pleasant dynamic quickly develops: dishes are passed around and sampled, people laugh and chat about the food. A wedding reception where a great time is guaranteed! Just one important thing: Let the pros in the kitchen figure out how many small bowls, tapas, and other dishes you’ll need. This calculation isn’t so simple with the shared dining concept, but it’s absolutely essential. After all, no one should leave the table hungry.
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• The Vegetarian Menu

Is it bold to serve an entirely vegetarian or vegan menu at your wedding? Well, maybe surprising, perhaps even bold—but not necessarily one-sided. After all, no one has anything against vegan burgers with fries and Veganista brownies, right? Anyone who opts for a vegan menu is probably already a fan of the vegan lifestyle and can easily extend that to the entire wedding. We’ve already covered how to do that in a blog post about vegan weddings .

• Food Trucks & Festival Vibes

If you prefer a casual atmosphere and want to get the wedding party moving, you can now choose from many food truck vendors. This makes it easy to bring that festival vibe to your wedding—and you’ll also have the advantage of being able to offer several dishes at once. Burgers & fish sandwiches, Kässpätzle, or Asian bowls—the vendors come up with all sorts of ideas to suit your tastes. Requirements: Plenty of space, easy access, and—ideally—a beautiful green lawn to really make the whole thing feel like a wedding festival.
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• Classic Menu of Your Choice

Of course, no one has to experiment at their own wedding if they don’t want to. If you opt for a more traditional menu with meat and side dishes, you definitely can’t go wrong. The important thing is that there’s still a choice—at least between two menu options. For example, you could include a high-quality fish dish on the menu for one option and offer a beef fillet for the other. Salad, appetizer, and dessert are usually standard parts of a sit-down wedding menu.

The Cost of a Wedding Reception

You’re probably wondering how much the food portion of your wedding menu will cost. If you’re hosting your reception at a restaurant or a venue with its own kitchen, it will definitely be less expensive than hiring an outside caterer who has to bring all their own equipment and staff. For a 3-course meal served at the table, you can expect to pay an average of about 50 to 100 euros per person; for a buffet, the cost is about 30 to 70 euros, since fewer staff are needed. If you use an outside caterer, you should budget about 20–30 euros more per guest. The total cost varies not only depending on the venue and catering company but also, of course, on whether you want to serve your guests lobster and oysters or if schnitzel and fries are perfectly sufficient for you. It’s best to request a quote right away, as a fixed price makes it easier to budget.

And: Don’t try to skimp on the food! Your wedding menu is simply too important a part of your wedding. Tip: There are a few other areas where you can save money on your wedding.