Family Style Dining
by Pierce McCleskey of 20 South Catering, Charlottesville, VA
www.20south.com
For those brides torn between a Buffet and a Plated as a charger or lay plate for the smaller salad plate,
Dinner for their reception, there’s a third format that or simply await the serving of all the food. Having
they should consider: Family Style. Though people the dinner plates in place heightens the appearance
around the world have been eating this way since of the tables, especially when using contrasting col-
time immemorial, it’s only recently that it has been ors for your tablecloth, plates, and/or napkins, and it
applied to upscale wedding receptions in our area, pairs nicely with the modern “drape” napkin fold that
where it has quickly become the most popular format brides are using more and more these days. It also
at many catering companies. With its clear advan- means guests don’t have to handle their own plate,
tages and few drawbacks, Family Style is a trend that another way in which it is more refined than a Buffet.
will likely accelerate. One does have to be careful in selecting those dinner
plates, however. Standard 10½” plates work well, but
With Family Style service, bowls and platters of food larger chop plates (or chargers used as dinner plates)
are brought to the center of each table, where guests will take up too much room, both on the sides where
will pass them around and help themselves to as much silverware must be laid, and at the top, where the Fam-
as they want. Often, the main course food is pre- ily Style bowls and platters must go.
ceded by a separate, plated salad course (what we
call a “Modified” Family Style format at 20 South Ca- Family Style is a wonderfully convivial way to eat, and
tering). This helps greatly with the overall pacing of helps serve as an ice-breaker at many tables, where
the meal, adds a bit more elegance to it, allows the guests may not all know one another. It also allows
salad to be showcased better, and removes the large guests to eat as much as they’d like—and they will:
salad bowl from the center of the table, where it takes at 20 South, we know to prepare more food overall
up precious space. And salad isn’t the only option when we’ve got a Family Style meal. With a Buffet,
for that first course—soups (especially cold ones), or guests are often inhibited about returning for seconds
individual appetizers, or a communal antipasti platter (let alone thirds), and with a Plated Dinner, guests are
could be presented. The most common drawback to obviously limited to what’s put before them. But with
a Modified approach is that one must rent an addi- Family Style service, someone will lean back in their
tional plate, fork, and knife for the course
(unless your service ware is covered by
the menu price, venue fee, etc., and even
then, it might trigger a fee). This could
add at least $1.50 per person to your
overall rental bill, and potentially a good
bit more if you’re selecting expensive pat-
terns.
Regardless of whether or not the first
course is to be served separately, the ta-
bles are always set with the dinner plate
in place from the start—where it will serve
Photos courtesy 20 South Catering
TheWeddingPlannerMag.com 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68