How to choose your menu style

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• Published Tuesday, 18 March 2008
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Buffet, silver service or afternoon tea? We help you choose the perfect wedding breakfast for your big day

The wedding buffet
Pros: Serving a buffet is great if you want to give your guests plenty of choice. Buffets work particularly well in the summer when you can offer a delicious selection of salads, cold meats, fish and freshly baked breads. Another advantage is that you're likely to need fewer waiting staff as you won't be serving guests at the table, so a buffet can be less expensive than more formal dining. So long as you provide a varied menu, guests will be happy as they can choose exactly what they'd like to eat.
Cons: Winter buffets with hot food need to be well-organised - there's nothing worse than serving luke warm food to your guests. Equally, guests may have to queue which isn't an ideal scenario.
Do it well: Avoid long queues by featuring various 'buffet stations' around the room. For something a little more unique, give each food station a separate identity serving different styles of food. If a lot of your guests don't know each other, it can still be a good idea to have a seating plan.

The formal dinner
Pros: The most traditional style of wedding breakfast, silver service dining means that your guests are served at their table. This means you can control the seating plan, a great idea if you want to make sure you know who's sitting where. Silver service also means that you can control portion sizes, and cater for any dietary requirements, and that your guests don't have to queue for a buffet.
Cons: This is often the most expensive option, requiring waiting staff and a relatively good kitchen facility. It will also mean that guests don't mingle while they eat, although there's plenty of time afterwards!
Do it well: Choose a menu that you feel will suit the vast majority of your guests. As a general rule, steer clear of anything too unusual or spicy, and be sure to offer a good vegetarian option. Consider cutting costs by serving wedding cake for pudding, along with a lovely fruit coulis or delicious chocolate sauce.

The quirky afternoon tea
Pros: For something completely different, consider serving afternoon tea - a great idea if you're having a summer wedding with an afternoon celebration.
Cons: Afternoon tea probably isn't a 'major' meal so, great if you're having an early wedding and entertaining your guests in the afternoon, but if you're celebrating in to the evening you might need to feed your guests again.
Do it well: A few curly sandwiches won't do. Provide a good selection of sandwiches, savoury tarts and delicious cakes and scones. Presentation is key (think floral china and prettily decorated tables) and you'll probably opt for Champagne and tea instead of wine.


The informal barbecue
Pros: Think of the barbecue as a slightly more exciting buffet. The barbecue itself is something of a 'show' and guests can help themselves to salads and breads. Perfect for a summer wedding and for encouraging guests to mingle.
Cons: This obviously isn't the choice for a winter wedding, or if you want a more formal set-up.
Do it well: You need a little more than a few bangers and burgers. Offer a great choice of meat, and some good vegetarian alternatives. Another option is to have a more traditional wedding breakfast and spark up the barbecue for midnight feasts!

Lobster, mint, cucumber, avocado and chive paper-rolls, from £1.50 each, Absolute Taste (020 8870 5151). Plate, from £2 to hire, Idyllic Days (01428 656267). Chopsticks, John Lewis (0845 604 9049)

Photography: Dan Duchars