Cocktail reception vs. full seated dinner

Has anyone been to or had a wedding reception with just heavy passed horsdourves (sp?) and stations instead of a full seated dinner?
Everyone always says the cocktail hour is the best part.
My mom thinks it would look cheap to not have a seated dinner.
Any thoughts??

ok, HONEST opinion here. I have never been to a wedding like that. It might be great because it's true everyone LOVES the cocktail hour food. I don't think it'll necessary look 'cheap', depending on the type and variety of food (you'd eed a LOT), but I think many people go to a wedding expecting a sit down dinner. I'd be annoyed at having to grab my food off a tray or get up 100x to go get it. It really depends. There are a lot fo wuestion to ask then, how much food will there be? what variety? is it all fully replensished? Will there be foral assigned seating? is there any food that wi;ll be served at the table? Cocktail style I think encourgaes people to get up and mingle and dance, but it also encourages people to drink, and that could cause problems too. I'd see if you could serve a salad or a pasta or something, so people would feel like they ate a meal. I'm usually really hungry by the timeI get to weddings, but I feel like a big chowing down on all of the fattening cocktail food. I think it could work, but you'd have to take a lot into consideration! And I'd try to inform the guests on the invite that it's cocktail style, not a sit down dinner, so they won't have different expectations..the only downside is that they might put less in the envelope. If you have a primarily young crowd, i think it would go over better than if you'll have a lot of older people, who are really used to sit down dinner and might find the cocktail style overwhelming.

Another option would be entrees, but buffet style. i think some placesoffer this as a less expensive alternative to the dormal sit down dinner.

I was just talking about this with a friend today. She was married about 10 years ago and said weddings were not the same then. She said people don't even eat their dinner after cocktail hour and that cocktail hour is the best part of the wedding - save the dancing after dinner.

Be warned. Only a few places will agree to do this. I know Carlyle on the Green does it - call the Gatsby Style. Oheka also does it. Not sure of who else but I have read (on this board) that it is not cheaper but more expensive. Not sure why though?

Well IMO anywhere but NEW YORK this would be wayyyy more acceptable.

When I tell my OOT friends about my wedding plans and that my wedding is on a low budget they thinks im out of my mind.

Thanks for all of your advice! i never thought it woudl be more expensive to do it this way i am newly engaged and just starting to look at venues.
I just cant rationalize the HIGH cost of the typical long island wedding and thought i could save a few bucks this way.
i want to have a house someday!

Most of my guests will be young. the rest are family and close family friends. We were only thinking of 110 people or so. Now i am learing most of these places have guest minimums! 125 seems to be the least.

I personally love the idea....Especially if you have a big dancing crowd, that's what really makes the difference. Some weddings I organize don't even want the DJ to stop playing dance music while courses are being served, which creates tension with the caterer....

If you think you can pull it off, go for it!!!

I went to one!!! It was in Manhattan and it was awesome!! It was so much more than a CH. They used a ball room just like a dinner reception and did all of the formalities like first sance etc. People were assigned to tables. They had tons of passes hordurves (sp? ) and they had never ending stations. There were 5 meats, 4 pastas, sushi, greek, caviar....

We ate for about the first 2 hours. Everyone mingled and ate. Then they started to clear all plates and the DJ got everyone dancing. People danced for about and hour and half give or take and during that time they brought out the cake & Vienesse hour where all the dinner stations were and people rested & did dessert & then there was about another hour of dancing. My friends granma loved it b/c more people were mingling and came to her to talk. She wasn't stuck sitting all night with the same folks.

Hope that helps! I don't remember the name of the place but I know i have it at home!!

I personally love this idea. When i go to a wedding, I usually eat a lot during cocktail hour, but then not again until dessert. I don't really eat the dinner.

However - would I personally have a cocktail reception? Hmm...prob not. As much as I would love it as a guest, I prob would not love it as a bride....JMO

This is very popular in the South. A station reception does not necessarily save you money since the food can get rather expensive. I would do this in a heartbeat, but honestly think it works better for smaller weddings because ou don't want 200 guests getting up at the same time to eat or having to wait to be called. I don't think it looks cheap or is cheap. It can be as or more expensive than a sit down, so don't judge by price alone. And the lovely poster above is right, it is becoming a fast new trend in our area as well.

Good luck deciding - and don't let anyone tell you what's right for you!

Try the vanderbilt. I think they do offer this and thier min for a friday night is 110. They include the cake, a chocolate favor, placecards, and the food is amazing. i am not doing the cocktail reception but everytime I look at the menu i think that the cocktail hour is soo big it could be the whole dinner.

thier sit down dinner prices for 2004 were 110$ for 110 min guests on friday night, 95$ a person for min 100 guests on sunday afternoon and 105$ for sunday night. They are a small hall (i think 125 max).

I wanted one, but FH said absolutely not.

You may also want to check DeSeversky, off the top of my head, their prices were somewhere around $130.

i got some prices for them from a few halls they were only like 5-10$ cheaper then a sit down with the cocktail hr. not much of a difference.

I am doing it - and I am very excited about it. It suits our style and the 'feel' we wanted for our wedding.

If your crowd is young and small, I think it is an awesome idea.

Personally, I always hate the part where i have to find my seat and make conversation with my table - I would much rather keep on talking and drinking and mingling...

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Posted by lilacwine

I wanted one, but FH said absolutely not.

You may also want to check DeSeversky, off the top of my head, their prices were somewhere around $130.

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Wow, my cocktail hour AND full seated dinner is half this price per person! Full prestige menu.