HELP!! 150 guests with buffet instead of wedding breakfast

We did exactly that but had a table plan. It worked wonderfully. It would have been chaos without as you would get groups too big/small to fill tables

I am planning similar, with around 100. I wasn't going to have a table plan but know it could result in chaos and I think people expect and look for one at weddings and are happy to be told where to sit. You could compromise on this though by having a table plan of what guests will sit at each table, but then don't put out place cards so they can sit where they like at that table.

With regards to food being served, you can either have large platters to share on tables as suggested or if a hot buffet is being served, then you can have three or four points where this is going to be served, with staff, so that is only 35ish people to be served at each buffet, and if staff are dishing it out then it actually will be quite quick and people aren't queueing up. I'm not sure exactly how many tables I'm having, but I'll have two serving points and a MC who will direct each table up so I'm hoping it will be quite quick with minimal queueing. Starters will be sharing platters on the tables.

Those sort of numbers are quite typical for a hog roast, (you don't really get small hog roasts unless they roast a joint)

Some caters will set up serving stations at opposite ends a table which guests can approach from either side to speed up the service.

personally I think the only way not having a seating plan works is on long tables with benches (Hogwarts stylee) particularly if place settings are laid up.

It's fine, Asian weddings regularly hold buffets for at least twice the number and mostly more and with no table plans. They've been doing it for decades!

I did it for 250! Our home blessing/party was a much more informal affair than our real wedding abroad. We only had seating for 150 inside the marquee, but plenty of outdoor space and picnic benches outside (still not enough for one seat per person).

We had a sign post type thing which showed where the bar, toilets etc were and one of the signs said "hog roast 7.30pm" so people had an idea of when the food was being served. The people who were standing outside could see when the food was ready and then others just followed their lead. People were going up in dribs and drabs for a couple of hours really. Worked absolutely fine.

My uncle is doing something very similar to this next year. he doing it as late as possible and then follow it through the evening with a hot buffet.

his main reasons for doing it this way is he has been married before and his OH been married before (both OH passed away years ago). and uncle's OH got a lot of grandchildren so it wont be a really long day for them all.

think it is a good idea. part of me wish i chose this way instead.

AMAZING response! Thank you so so much, I feel much better about the idea now...now to find the venue!!!

Thanks again all xxxx

We've got 80 for a bbq and had initially decided on no seating plan. Our caterer talked us out of this and we'll now have a seating plan and the food will be served on platters at the tables to avoid the queues and impatient guests.