Food for thought: Different reception styles come with their own sets of pros and cons

One thing about planning a wedding: You've got a lot of decisions to make. And one of those is not only what but how you're going to feed your guests. Receptions can range from elaborate multi-course dinners to simple cake and punch.

So, what's right for you?

"It's a matter of budget, first off," says chef James Coley, co-owner of the Rose Bed Inn. "That's the deciding factor: What's the bottom line."

He says sometimes that means having difficult conversations, whether it's trimming the guest list or opting for heavy hors d'oeuvre over a plated dinner.

We talked to Coley and wedding planner Nancy Moreton of Weddings by Nancy about the pros and cons of different types of receptions.

Sit-down/plated dinner

The most formal, traditional option is usually the most expensive. But it's got some definite upsides.

"The food portions are exact," Moreton says. "You know what what you're getting."

It's also easier to control your guests. "If (a couple is) wanting a reception that follows certain etiquette standards or wedding customs, it's more doable when you have people in their place," Coley says. "If people are up milling about, it's like herding cats. If people know it's a served meal, they're going to sit down because they want their food."

Of course, you're going to pay for that orderliness. It takes more wait staff to serve a plated dinner, and that increases your cost.

BUFFET

Buffets are a good way to offer guests a choice of entrees and sides and often, though not always, costs less than a plated dinner.

"We've got it down to science," Coley says. "We have staff releasing tables, so there's good flow, no bottleneck."

Another way to avoid a bottleneck, Moreton suggests: Have staff serve guests from the buffet. "It goes a lot faster," she says. "Guests go through the line faster and it keeps everything moving."

Having staff serve from the buffet also controls how much guests are getting. "Unless you have someone serving, people take too much and you run out of food," Moreton says. "I've seen it happen."

She also suggests couples really look into the cost of the buffet versus the plated dinner. Though the buffet is usually cheaper, "a lot of times people might be surprised to know it's really not that much more" for a plated dinner.

And if you're worried about going through a buffet line in your wedding dress, don't be. "At the Rose Bed Inn, the head table gets table service," Coley says. "That's just proper."

Cocktail hour/appetizers

"It's a wonderful, casual feeling," Coley says of a cocktail hour. "It affords your event a larger variety of foods. A smaller portion, but more variety."

But there are a couple of things to be careful of if you're planning a cocktail hour.

"You have to specify it on the invitation," Moreton says. "People get to the reception, think they're getting a meal and they're not. People will start leaving (the reception) because they're starving."

And though it often costs less, Coley warns that isn't always the case. "Depending on the amount of different appetizers and quantity, it can be cheaper -- so much less expensive -- or it can be a lot more expensive. There are so many variables."