Seating plan and table decs for Hog Roast??

You need to ask the company. I've been to 2 weddings with hog roast- 1 was pork, bread (rather than start the roll, bn, bap debate!), stuffing, sauce, salad, plastic plates and plastic cutlery and the other was proper china plates, metal cutlery, chutney's and sauces, a selection of breads, a much 'posher' affair (but not necessarily better.

Both were just 'join the end of the queue' affairs but I think a table at a time would have been better.

There was no seating plan at either and I would warn against it, or have loads of extra seats- there were often 1 or 2 seats left on a table but lots of people standing as they were in small groups and didn't want to intrude on another group, or there weren't enough seats at one table for their 'group'. A seating plan would have had everyone knowing where they were supposed to sit and make it a bit more comfortable (all very British!).

We are having a hog roast and a beef roast but having it carved and served to tables with a selection of bread, sauces , veg and stuff on the tables with metal cutlery and china plates.

The company you use will dictate a lot of hw it works, as will the venue- are they prepared to provide 'proper' cutlery and plates? Do they have the availability of staff to usher people up table by table? Chat with them and see how they would usually work it but have in mind what you would prefer and see if they will accommodate it?

I've photographed quite a few weddings with hog roasts! Usually, the plates & cutlery are on the end of the hog roast table. So the guests walk from their tables to the serving area and the plates are there next to where they are cutting the pork. The hog roast staff will put the pork onto the plate and the guests usually select other items, eg stuffing, apple sauce, salad etc.

Usually the groom, best man or a member of hotel staff will call up a table at a time.

Hey thanks for the replies! Table plan it is!

Do you often find though that the tables look a little bare because of no cutlery/crockery?

Just wondering, thanks.

I've been helping a friend out doing hog roasts receptions, and this is how we usually set up ( per b&g rquest) .. we either do a buffet type hog roast or a sit down version I,e platters of potatoes/veg/gravy/apple sauce etc and a platter of hog/stuffing/crackling. seating plan is a definite and have one made up so people can see where they are seated- otherwise your bridal party will be like headless chickens trying to figure out seating arrengments of where each person sits.

We're having a hog roast and we are NOT having a table plan. We will make sure there are more seats than needed so that we don't have the problem of anyone being left out. Our wedding is very much a party rather than a formal sit-down affair (hence no traditional 3 or 4 course wedding breakfast) so a table plan would not be inkeeping with the mood we want to create for the day. We're not even having a top table.

Our venue does the hog roast in house (it's quite famous for it!) I've been to a wedding there where the hog roast was the evening buffet and it was a join the end of the queue deal with proper plates and cutlery provided when you collected your food. I don't know if it will work the same way when the hog roast is the wedding breakfast; we'll find out when we have our meeting for the detailed menu choices, etc.

Your venue (or hog roast company, if it's not your venue doing it) will be able to advise you on what their norm is and work with you to have it how you want it.

We are having hog roast as the wedding breakfast. Our venue is providing it so proper plates and cutlery and one table at a time will go up. We are having a table plan as I was worried about people not feeling they could sit somewhere and it being awkward. As far as the tables go, venue provide white linen for them all, I'm having centre pieces on each one and the cutlery will be on the tables set for the meal, just the plates will be by the hog roast. So i don't think they will look any different to any other wedding breakfast table. I wanted a mix of formal and informal which is hopefully what we will achieve!

We are having a barbeque for our wedding breakfast, as we wanted a sort of informal thing going on [and it is cheaper than a sit down meal!]. Also, we have children and sitting down for a formal meal is not always fun with them!

We were not sure whether to have a seating plan or not, as obviously we wanted something quite informal and no seating plan would work with that; but to work our favours in we would have needed one anyway. For our favours we are having teacups with heart shaped tea bags that I am making, with a blend of tea we made, and we thought they would be good as place names too. Also there is the problem that someone else mentioned, we don't want people sitting in little groups and having some people left out or sitting alone or whatever; or people wandering about finding a seat. However it does take the informal away slightly.

I don't know how it works for plates and people going up, we need to discuss that, but I am hoping it will be a table at a time.