Wedding - How much food for the evening buffet?

jackomdj

Friends of ours did not have the evening buffet but had bacon rolls at about 11:30 when they had a firework display...it was lovely & different!

If they say cater for 80% you can always say you are expecting x number so you only cater for 70% or 60% - it is not as if they are going to turn your guests away once you have hit the magic number. If they ask after the event you can always say that a whole group of people you were not expecting turned up.

Not that I agree with lying but why pay out extra money that you don't want to just because they give you a % to cater to!

skintchick

I think we paid £16 a head for our buffet and IMo that's just standard. We had hot and cold food and it was all really nice and people commented on the quality (it also went down well).

We put our cake out on the buffet and I never had a piece!

ukjoel

Great question.

My experience at 12 weddings in last 3 years including mine is that everyone who is there for the full event is usually stuffed after the meal.

So they eat next to nothing at the buffet in the evening.

The ones that turn up in the evening never are sure if there is food or not so eat before and turn up to get !!!!ed and eat next to nothing.

My mum is a moneysaver extraoirdinaire and she went back to the kitchen after our wedding buffet and said put all the food in the back of her car and she would take it home and freeze it.

Got some strange looks but the amount of food they would have chucked/ nabbed shocked even me when i saw it next day.

Therefore if anything I would go for too little - I know weddings are expensive but they dont need to be.

squirrelchops

The last wedding I went to I didn't eat a morsel of the eveing buffet, neither did my OH as still too stuffed from the Wedding Breakfast. Actaully in recent years i have never eaten the buffet. I always think it is put out too early for those who have had the full wedding breakfast maybe only a few hours earlir.

Hence think that bacon rolls later is a far better idea personally!!

boldyno1

im getting married soon and the buffet is costing £11.50 a head.

We asked at the venue what size buffet we should be putting out in the evening and they said half the number of guests coming in the day plus evening guests

so we are having 110 to the day do so buffet for 55 then having an extra 70 people at the night do so cater for 125 in total.

As after everyone has had food and drink all day at the day reception not many people from there are hungry.

roses

At my brothers wedding and my brother in laws wedding, they were really kind and packed the leftovers for the wedding family to take home. So if you over order by a little then at least it won't go to waste.....

Glad

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nat82

We are having approx 180 at night and our venue advised us to only cater for 120.

xxx

EDITED: We're paying £7 a head but the venue's prices can go up to £12 a head.

*Louise*

I am having 40 at the wedding and am debating whether to just have the buffet for 30 - 32.

8 of the people are kids, and a few people may have to go home early, so don't want to pay for the full 40 and have waste. (£6.95 a head btw - hope you are getting fantastic food for £13 a head!!)

lindsey_toffee_girl

KellyWelly wrote: »

£13 a head for a buffet?!!!!

OMG!

Can't you negotiate the price per head? What are they providing for that price? I thought buffets were about £5 per head, my friends did their kids christening for £3.50 a head which included cold savoury items and sweet items. Some other friends did their wedding buffet for £6 a head at a fancy golf club and there was hot and cold items plus cakes etc and chocolate fountain.

My evening buffet is also around this price its a little lower (£9ish)though this is the standard price, believe me I have looked!
We are having aobut 200 guests and catering for about 170 though in fairness I am not getting married here so this is the only thing we will be catering