Most wedding receptions include a buffet-style meal where everybody stands in a massive line waiting while those at the food table determine if they want Italian or Ranch dressing on their salad.
There has to be a different way to get people to their food, and a quicker one at that, right? There are several fun options you can employ to feed your invited guests quickly and with a minimum of groans of hunger.
Here are some fun options.
One of the hottest is the number system. Each table is assigned a number and the MC or DJ calls numbers at several intervals. The people at that numbered table then find the buffet and begin their feast. You can position the numbers in an assortment of locations. For the most utilitarian version, just put the number in the flower arrangement on the table.
Some brides don’t like this look of numbered table as if at a convention. In that case, you can put the numbers under the flower arrangements, or under the chairs. If you have place cards at the tables, you can write a few somewhere on the card so people know which table they’re sitting at. For a fun variation, you might have the florist manipulate with the table floral arrangements. If the arrangements are going to have twelve flowers, you could have the florist add one extra flower to table “one”, two extra flowers for table “two” and so on and make the guests discover which number table they are established on how many extra flowers they have in their arrangement.
The flower method maybe cost-prohibitive, of course, if you have a large guest list and many tables.
Now, if the number system doesn’t thrill you or make you think “unique”, there are other options. Each table might have a color and the DJ simply calls out the color name. Depending, again, on how many tables you have at your reception, you could coordinate the tablecloths with the color of the table. So you may have white, pink, lavender, beige, and yellow tablecloths, and the guests sitting at that table simply move to the buffet table when the color of their tablecloth is called.
One other popular option for moving people easily to the buffet table involves having a little fun with your invited guests. You provide each table with a buzzer, either a bell like you may find at a depot, or a small silver bell. Just something they can buzz or ring. The DJ or MC asks a trivia question, or a query about the bride and groom. The tables buzz accompanying their answers. The guests at the table with the first correct buzzed answer move to the buffet table. You repeat the process until everyone is finally on their way to getting some grub.
The trivia technique is an particularly fun way to help guests to get to know one another, as they could have to work together to think of an answer. If your guests are hungry, you are certain to hear muffled groans and sighs of exasperation. But even with the small complaints, this is invariably a large group pleaser because it’s fun and gets everyone involved.
Now, this next alternative is fun but can engender a bit of jealousy sometimes. When people get their place card, whether it’s placed on the table, or they pick it up when they look at the seating chart, you can put a number on it. But not everybody at the same table will have a similar number. If you’ve 100 guests, as an example, you may choose to have 10 people at the buffet table at a time. So each individual would be assigned a number 1 through 10.
In the same scenario as above, the DJ or MC will call a number and those numbers will head for the buffet table. There are certain to be more than one person from each table heading for the buffet table, but the guests at each table will not get their food at the same time.
This staggered feeding can be entertaining or a nuisance, depending. It solves the issue of half the room being finished with their meal while awaiting the “later” table to finish theirs before the festivities start, but it can likewise mean that a few guests could be long done with their food (or needing to head back for seconds) when others at the table haven’t even consumed yet.
Keith has been writing articles online for nearly 4 years now. Not only does this author specialize in wedding photography you can also check out his latest video on Wedding Photographer London. Information is not hard to find for Leeds Wedding Photography if you look hard enough. Keith’s video has lots of information on Wedding Photographers Birmingham and is available for any questions you may have. You can find us at Leeds Wedding Photographer,21a Park Street,Leeds,West Yorkshire,United Kingdom,LS1 3BY,0845 095 7160
Tags: Buffet Table activities