Types of Table Service for Your Event

Every wedding is so much of the same...  You choose Chicken, Steak or Fish on your RSVP card, then when you get to the reception, it's American Plated Style.  You get a salad, your selection, and wedding cake, all plated in the kitchen and brought to your seat.  Yawn....  Stretch....  I like to play with different types of food service, it always is a hit with guests when they come to a wedding that's just a little bit different, special, and unexpected.  Here are some other choices besides American Plated Table Service:

French Table Service

Photo Courtesy of foodandwineaccess.com

Guests place settings are set for every choice available to them, fish knives, soup spoons, salad plates, anything that is on the menu.  The waiter may come to the table with a cart to show you your options for dining, and once you make your selection, he or she removes the unnecessary plates and utensils.  Sometime the cart display is only for appetizers and desserts, but sometimes it's every course of the meal.  Often, food will be assembled, cooked or garnished table-side on the cart.  You may have seen this with a flambe, salads, or the filleting of a fish. 

This type of service is usually a hit with guests, they can see the food before they select it and there is a form of entertainment in the presentation.  A great choice depending on the menu and if you have the space between tables to allow the servers to move.  Unfortunately, this can be expensive because you will need a qualified server for each table and many assistants.  Also, you will need a venue with a large kitchen to prepare the carts, which is usual in most event spaces.  

Russian Table Service

This can be a very elegant way to bring food to a wedding table, and is my personal favorite.  Once again the table is set with all of the utensils a guest will need, but only a charger.  The waiter will bring out the plate appropriate for the course, then return with a platter in hand to plate the food for each guest.  This allows the server to please each guest by giving them the desired portion.  The presentation of the platter can be quite beautiful, for instance if a rack of venison is being served, the kitchen will cut it into portions and reassemble it on the platter so the server will simply take a pre-cut portion for each guest.  This table service is quicker than the more labor intensive French, but still has a different feel.  Often two servers will come to each table, one with one choice of food and the other with a second, they will present the platters then come to each guest with an offering.  This will allow the guest to decide which they prefer.  

Family (or British) Style Service

A casual and intimate choice, Family Style Service is one in which platters are placed at the tables and guests will help themselves and pass the plates around.  Servers would carve any meat at the table, but most often the platters would be pre-cut and gusts could simply take the amount they prefer and pass the platter.  Since one course at a time would be served, tables would be set with utensils and a charger.  The wait staff would then bring out the plates appropriate for the course, and then the platters for the tables.  When guests have finished, they clear away the used plates and utensils and bring out the next course plates and platters.  

This type of service uses far less wait staff, and guests enjoy being able to decide what they will eat and how much.  Getting second helpings is always a hit as well.  Make sure the menu choices are easy for guests to get from platter to plate, for instance you wouldn't want to have something with too much sauce that can drip. 

Buffet Style Service

This type of service is another self-serving options, but unlike family style, where the food is brought to the tables, it is displayed on a separate food table.  Guests will be invited to get up from their tables, retrieve a plate from the end of the food table, and select food for their plates.  Sometime they will serve themselves, sometimes there is a buffet server who can serve the guest at the food table.  Guests then sit back at their tables to dine. 

I find this to be the the most relaxes way to feed a crowd.  Slong with American Plated Style, it is the most common.  There is good reason for it, too, you don't have to assign any seating, and you save quite a bit on the cost of wait staff.  Also, if you are serving several cuisines, buffet style service allows you to create vignettes of food.  

Have fun with your table service, think outside the Buffet and pre-plated dishes and consider something different.  How about Rodizio style?  Your guests will find the refreshing change worthwhile, I promise.

Wedding Themes

David Tutera's wedding show, My Fair Wedding, highlights one very big difference between a professionally planned wedding and a DIY wedding.  The theme!  While themes are very helpful in focusing a wedding's style, it's so difficult to make it look right.  To make that wedding convey the theme, surrounding the couple with the ideas they love, without going overboard or kitschy (unless kitsch is what you are going for!) is a matter left to the professionals.  

Let's take the theme of a peacock feather as an example.  Suppose a bride decides that she loves peacock feathers and all of their colors,  the bold greens, blues and purples.  How would you incorporate this into your wedding without overdoing it?  The first step is don't take it too literally.  For example, instead of a floral arrangements full of peacock feathers, which would be the obvious choice, try taking the colors as the inspiration and hinting at the theme...

Next, and this one will seem counter-intuitive, don't limit yourself with those colors!  Your theme colors will stand even more out when set off by a different color.  In this example, how about washing the walls in amber light to draw the eyes to the rich peacock colors?

Finally, don't overdo yourself in the theme.  Your wedding pictures are going to last through generations, please take it seriously.  You want to have a lasting image of YOU, not your theme, to hand down.  Just because Carrie Bradshaw had those giant peacock feathers in her hair at her over the top wedding, that doesn't make it right for you.  I'm not saying don't put feathers in your hair, just do it tastefully.  Try something in the back that can pinned in after your ceremony is over and you've removed your veil...

This just scratches the surface of how to handle a theme properly, but it's a good start!  Happy planning!

Site Selection

I'm in the site selection phase of two different events right now, so I thought I would share some advice on this.  First you should research online and ask around for venues that suit your particular needs...  capacity, location, etc.  Then make appointments.  This is critical, you have to see the space in person, and meet with a representative so you can ask questions.  Bring a list of questions with you, and the same list for each venue you visit so that you can compare apples to apples when it's time to decide.  Your questions may include parking/ valet, a/v equipment, in house lighting, wifi, menu and catering options, payment options...  there are many questions you may want to consider before booking a venue.  Make sure you ask them all and write them down. 

While in the space, look with a critical eye at the condition of the floors, carpets and restrooms.  Check for visual obstructions if that is an issue for you.  Make note of the number and location of outlets.  Take pictures, if you can, of the chairs and furniture they will provide.  Make note of the colors of the space and see if that will coordinate with your vision.

Finally, pay attention to the staff.  Are they friendly and accommodating?  If they aren't doing everything they can to get your business, they certainly aren't going to do do everything they can once they get your business.  This is likely your biggest expense, so make sure you don't have any buyers remorse!

Entertaining Tip: How to do Hors d’oeuvres Right

I love hors d'oevres, sometimes it's my favorite part of the party.  When you are planning the hors d'oevres for your next event, here are a few tips that will make sure it's perfect, whether for a cocktail party in your home, the cocktail hour before your reception, or anything in between.

First of all, make sure you have a variety of choices.  Pick your favorite, for sure, but pick some you don't love, too, they may be someone else's favorite.  Make sure you have a meat, a chicken and a vegetarian option available; try to offer some sweet and some savory choices; and mix some hot and some cold.

Second, choose the type of hors d'oevres service you are planning:  light, medium or heavy hors d'oevres.  Light hors d'oevres are perfect before a meal.  They are usually light fare like fruit and cheese, dips and spreads or some bruschetta.  Medum hors d'oevres are similar to light hors d'oevres but can include some finger sandwiches or tarts.  Choose this if you are having an event in the middle of the afternoon or anytime smack between meals when your guests will be hungry but not ready for a full meal.  Heavy hors d'oevres, on the other hand, should be able to replace a meal.  They can include everything from the light hors d'oevres selection, but should include small portions of main course options.  Some favorites include chicken skewers, bacon wrapped scallops and puff pastries, or even a carving or pasta station. 

Third, getting the quantity right is always a question.  You will need to look at the serving sizes of each hors d'oevres, the number of guests you are expecting, and the length of your party to figure it out....  For light hors d'oevres, plan on 4-6 pieces per guest per hour, thought this is usually a one hour cocktail hour.  Medium hors d'oevres should have 6-8 pieces per person per hour, and this would normally be a 3 hour event.  Heavy hors d'oevres would generally have 10 pieces per guest the first hour, and 8-10 pieces per guest after that. 

Finally having the appropriate number of hors d'oevres is important, too.  For 25 people, 5 choices would be perfect, for 50 or more, 10. 

Stay tuned for tips on planning your cocktails and more!

Mitzvah Madness!

Three tips from some pros at the ISES Philadelphia:

1) The interesting thing about planning a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is that, unlike so many other events, the planning can start waaay in advance, up to 3 years in advance.  That means you have a 10 year old when you begin thinking about it.  That 3 year old, though, will have 3 more years worth of friends by the time you actually host this event.  While you may say he/ she only has about 20 friends now, that number will get to 75 by then.  Plan for that.  That also means that what your 10 year old likes now will definitely change by 13, too.  While she may like pink now, she may hate it at 13.  While he may love Harry Potter now, he will have outgrown it by 13.  Don't feel rushed to pick a theme or color scheme right away.  While you may have had to choose a date because your synagogue  books up years in advance, and you may decide to hire your planner, book your site and the sought after entertainment while you're at it.  Take a breather and let your child grow into the person they are to become for next year or two.

2) 13 is the hardest age to entertain.  I have an almost 15 year old daughter and I can tell you 13 was not fun.  She was a pleasure and so sweet and loving, and really a good girl, but at 13 children are so self conscious and concerned about what others think and what is cool.  Because of this, you MUST have entertainers that are experience with Bar/ Bat Mitzvahs.  It is a world unto itself, your room is almost evenly divided into kids and adults, the kids are very young, so age appropriateness is an issue.  After your site and your planner, your entertainment is the next thing to book because the good ones are working every weekend.  And you want a good one.

3) Take some time to think about catering.  Hiring a good kosher caterer requires a little more thought than usual.  They will need to use a kosher kitchen, so if your site does not have one (and trust me, they don't), the caterer will need to set up a mobile kitchen on site.  Make sure you discuss that with your venue.  Also, they will need to bring in special serveware (nothing porous) so don't assume you will be using the plates that come with the site.  This all can be done, while it sounds overwhelming, the professionals you hire are used to this sort of accommodation, so keep the lines of communication open and everything will be great!

Of course, you can message me for more tips and trick or stay tuned for other ideas.  Mazel tov!